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Gardening Advice

Creating Japanese Gardens

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Japanese gardens create landscapes which resembles nature through the careful placement of trees, shrubs, rocks, sand, artificial hills, ponds, and water. Zen and Shinto traditions have greatly influenced Japanese gardening and as a result the gardens are contemplative and serene spaces. It is essential that all the elements work well together within the garden and that the relationship between rocks, plants and water is well thought out.


The basic landscape elements found in most Japanese gardens include trees, shrubs, rocks, gravel, water, moss, stones and fences. Boulders are often used as centerpieces and provide the garden with a feeling of stability. Gravel is used to imitate the flow of water and other small stones are used to create boundaries and are turned into sculptural lanterns. Water, whether it be in the form of a pond, stream, or waterfall, is an essential part of a Japanese garden. It can be actual water or a symbolic representation, either way, it is vital to the Japanese garden.


In Japanese gardening there are three basic ways to create a landscape scene. The first of these is reduced scale. Reduced scale is the art of taking an actual scene from nature, mountains, rivers, trees, and all, and reproducing it on a smaller scale. Symbolization is abstract and could include using white sand to symbolize water and boulders to symbolize islands. Borrowed views refers to the use of distant a landscapes, such as a mountain, and incorporating it into the garden.


There are several types of Japanese gardens. Zen garden are meant to be viewed rather than entered. They are comprised of a mix of boulders, gravel or sand, moss and a limited number of trees an shrubs. Carefully placed stones symbolize islands while the gravel or sand, raked into interesting patterns, symbolizes water. Zen gardens help clear the mind and aid in contemplation.


Another type of Japanese garden is the tea garden. The tea garden is considered a ceremonial space which consists of an outer garden and an inner garden. Tea gardens are small and are ideal for those gardens with limited space. The outer garden is informal and consists of an entry gate to and a stone path leading toward the inner garden. Another stone path flows through the inner garden, whose plants are more formally placed. The inner path leads to a small building where the actual tea ceremony is performed.


Another garden appropriate for a small space or patio is the courtyard garden. The design of the Japanese courtyard garden is kept simple and is usually built to be observed from inside the house. It could, however, be planned so it is a useable outdoor space. Consisting of a few plants, a small water feature, a dry stream, or other simple elements, the Japanese courtyard garden allows nature and light to flow into your home through large windows and patio doors.


The above examples are just a few Japanese garden styles. Before designing and planting your own garden, look through some garden books and search for photos of Japanese gardens online. Japanese gardens are intended to create a meditative and relaxing experience. A little planning and research will help you design a serene and beautiful landscape which will delight all who visit your garden.

Tim Birch is the publisher of GardenListings.com, a Garden Resource site for the gardening enthusiast.

Gardening Advice

Try Something Different With A Japanese Garden

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Japanese Gardens are an interesting amalgamation of nature, spirituality and art. These gardens are meant to suggest harmony and create tranquility in your surroundings. Aiming to capture nature in the most innate way, these gardens are unique because they have been influenced by various chapters of Japanese history and also Shinto, Buddhist and Taoist philosophies.


History


Originally, Japanese Gardens represented a utopian land for the Japanese. Philosophies influencing creation of Japanese Gardens bring a sense of spirituality to the gardens. In the past, Japanese gardens were cut off from the masses, since the ruling elite and the religious classes used it as a place of peace and meditation. A Japanese emperor specifically built a garden in Kyoto so that he could spend his years in peace there. The Garden of the Silver Pavilion was another famous landmark used by a renowned soldier as a shelter from violence. The Buddhist influence makes the garden a paradise for peace and quietude, giving people the privilege to ponder and reflect upon their lives, or meditate.


The Essential Elements


The presence of a few elements is mandatory for a Japanese garden, and water is the most important amongst them. Water, in Japanese culture, symbolizes purity. Since Japan is made up of a group of islands, the Japanese had to cross water most of the time to go from one place to another. This has led to the presence of water in most Japanese gardens. In the absence of real water, you can use a symbolic representation, which is usually gray gravel or sand. The sand in the garden is often raked in patterns to represent the waves of the ocean.


The other essential elements in a Japanese garden are stones, garden plants, waterfalls, trees, and bridges. In their natural state, stones have an ancient, spiritual quality and also impart strength and endurance to a garden. They may also sometimes symbolize mountains and islands. Garden plants are generally chosen to fit a human scale, often evoking familiar landscapes. Some gardens owners also construct water features like waterfalls, streams, or ponds. Other features that are generally considered include fences, walls and gates, paths, steps, and bridges, water basins, lanterns, the deer chaser and koi fish. There are five different styles of Japanese gardens, namely, Strolling Gardens, Natural Gardens, Sand and Stone Gardens, Tea Gardens and Flat Gardens.


An Artist Expression


There is a common misconception that Japanese gardens always follow certain ground rules with respect to content and arrangement. Since the Japanese are highly individualistic, the look of the Japanese garden mostly depends on the person who plants and tends the garden. Though some rules are followed, the rest depends on how the gardener wants to express his or her creativity through the garden.


How They Are Different


Japanese gardens are different from Western gardens in terms of their religious and philosophical elements. Japanese gardens are an expression of art, and a symbolic representation of the gardeners view of the universe. On the other hand, westerners do not see gardens as expressions of religious or philosophical beliefs since most Western gardens are essentially smaller versions of a farm. Traditional Japanese gardens emphasize natural, abstract beauty and minimize signage on plants.


There are nearly 60 public Japanese gardens in the United States. So if you want your garden to look different from the regular ones, be innovative, have an interesting ambience around your house and inculcate spiritual solace in your life – opt for Japanese Gardens.

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