Japanese garden plants play key roles in this garden design and are usually chosen for their symbolism. Pine trees and other evergreens represent longevity and stability. Their evergreen nature takes center stage in winter months, when other plants in the garden are dormant.
The symbolic meaning of the pine tree is "long life." Pine trees show abundant green even in the fiercest of winter and driest days, so they have been a symbol of long life in Japan since old times. They also represent friendship and constancy during times of adversity. As a symbol of good luck and agelessness this tree has stood in veneration and together with the bamboo and plum tree as become an expression of celebration and joy, especially in the New Year season.