After her visit to Japan in 1907 Christie was inspired to create a 7 acres (2.8 ha) Japanese garden at her home at Cowden Castle.
She employed Taki Handi, from the Royal School of Garden Design in Nagoya, to help plan and design the garden.
The burn on the estate was dammed and a hollow made to create an artificial loch.
A pond and island garden was developed along with a stroll garden and a tea-house garden.
Plants, shrubs, trees and a traditional stone lantern were imported from Japan.
The garden was named Shāh-raku-en meaning a place of pleasure or delight.

Christie was advised on the form, maintenance and development of the garden by Professor Jijo Soya Suzuki, Master of the Soami School of Imperial Design.
Suzuki considered the garden to the best Japanese garden in the Western world.
Shinzaburo Matsuo lived and worked at Cowden as gardener from 1925 until his death in 1937.
Queen Mary visited the garden in the late 1930s.

After Christie's death in 1949 the garden was maintained by workers on the Cowden estate.
In 1963 it was vandalised and the tea-houses and bridges were burned, and the lanterns and shrines knocked into the loch.

In 2014 Christie's great great niece Sara Stewart started a fundraising campaign to raise £1,000,000 to restore the garden.
The garden opened in 2019.
After her visit to Japan in 1907 Christie was inspired to create a 7 acres (2.8 ha) Japanese garden at her home at Cowden Castle. She employed Taki Handi, from the Royal School of Garden Design in Nagoya, to help plan and design the garden. The burn on the estate was dammed and a hollow made to create an artificial loch. A pond and island garden was developed along with a stroll garden and a tea-house garden. Plants, shrubs, trees and a traditional stone lantern were imported from Japan. The garden was named Shāh-raku-en meaning a place of pleasure or delight.
Christie was advised on the form, maintenance and development of the garden by Professor Jijo Soya Suzuki, Master of the Soami School of Imperial Design. Suzuki considered the garden to the best Japanese garden in the Western world. Shinzaburo Matsuo lived and worked at Cowden as gardener from 1925 until his death in 1937. Queen Mary visited the garden in the late 1930s.
After Christie's death in 1949 the garden was maintained by workers on the Cowden estate. In 1963 it was vandalised and the tea-houses and bridges were burned, and the lanterns and shrines knocked into the loch.
In 2014 Christie's great great niece Sara Stewart started a fundraising campaign to raise £1,000,000 to restore the garden. The garden opened in 2019.
Ella Christie