Excessive heat can cause both plants and gardeners to wilt. While a hat and a wet bandana can help during the hot summer months, some gardeners are keeping cool with new high-tech air-conditioned jackets. 

In Kagoshima, Japan, scorching summer temperatures can reach over 30°C  or 86°F. Gardening staff at the Sengan-en gardens are sporting 100% cotton jackets with a built-in battery pack and a fan. The cool jackets are Made by the Japanese company Xebec.

Japanese culture places great importance on formality and proper attire. Gardeners at the 360-year-old stately home and gardens at Sengan-en must wear full work clothes year-round. Even in warm weather, wearing shorts and a t-shirt would be unthinkable in Japan. The new jackets keep the gardening staff properly attired while also preventing heat stroke.

Midoritsumi: Green-Picking or the Art of Trimming Pine Trees
A UNESCO World Heritage Site,  Sengan-en has for centuries been the stately home of the Shimadzu family. In its traditional Japanese garden, sprawled over 12 acres, a team of 15 dedicated gardeners battles the elements year-round to maintain the gardens in pristine condition. Regardless of the heat, gardeners engage in challenging labor-intensive tasks such as pruning pine trees in a time-consuming and tedious process called “midoritsumi” or green-picking.

The art of trimming these trees gets passed down through the generations. Working their way around each tree from top to bottom, gardeners pinch and break the shoots completely by hand without any tools. A single section of newly developed shoots can take weeks to complete in a very specific process of leaf trimming to create the shape of a perfect arc.

Keeping Cool in the Garden
Here are some choices for keeping cool in the summer heat while working in the garden.

Air-Conditioned Jacket With Fan
Check out this unisex jacket with a double fan. It’s lightweight, breathable, waterproof, quick-drying, offers sun protection and is packable. Hand or machine washable.

The Elixir Ice Cool Scarf Neck Wrap Headband Bandana Cooling Scarf
Pack of 5 (Camouflage, Black, Blue, Orange, Red, Green)
Crystal Polymer Cooling Technology beads absorb the water and expand to make scarf icy-cool. Soak in cold water for 3 minutes, gently remove excess water, then tie around neck, wrist, or head.
Non-toxic, colorfast, environmentally friendly cotton.
$19.99 + Free Shipping. Buy here.

About Sengan-en
Built in 1658 as one of the residences of the powerful Shimadzu clan, the garden’s most striking feature is its views of active the volcano Sakurajima and Kagoshima Bay. The gardens include calming ponds, gently bubbling streams, mysterious shrines, a bamboo grove, and a mountain hiking trail. The Shoko Shuseikan Museum and Sengan-en were recognized as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site related to Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution in 2015.

Sengan-en photos via Xebec and Sengan-en.