There is something quite calming and stress relieving about an Asian style garden. Using a combination of plants, colours, ground textures and structures, Japanese gardens are highly stylized and depict a miniature idealized landscape.
There are certain features that are sure to give your garden a taste of the orient.
Water
Water is a natural element and as such it belongs in your garden. Western gardens focus on colours and the visual appearance where as a Japanese garden focus more on nature and the natural flow of outdoors.
Water or something that represents water such as white sand in dry gardens is always represented in a Japanese garden. Any pond included in a garden should be an irregular shape to convey a natural shape.
Rocks and plants can be included in the ponds which will also help the pond look more natural and not man-made.
Trees and Plants
Although a Japanese garden attempts to symbolize nature, there is nothing wild or random in its design. Even the plants are well thought out to create the look, whether it’s for strong greens of conifers to last all year, or the changing of vivid reds in Autumn which make the gardens in Kyoto so famous. We recommend Acers for creating this lovely bright red in Autumn.
No tree is more synonymous with Japanese culture is that of the Bonsai plant. The trees are pruned and trimmed to retain their unique shape and to not over shroud the rest of your garden.
At Seagrave Nurseries we stock a range of Bonsai trees in a variety of heights and sizes so you can find a perfect fit for your Japanese inspired garden. They’re easy to care for as long as you give them a trim every now and again.
Rocks and Sand
As mentioned, sand represents the flow of water in a dry garden. It often has lines raked into it to create a visual effect of movement and the flow of water.
Rocks are often placed in the sand to represent mountains and the earth. If they are placed in a formation of three, the tallest represents heaven, the middle size represents humanity and the shortest symbolises the earth.
Stone features
Stone lanterns are a common feature which originally served the purpose of locating the temples they were placed around.
As gardens are often the setting for tea ceremonies, water basins were a common feature. Guests would be encouraged to wash their hands and mouth before entering the tea house.
Remember
Keep the garden simple. Don’t be tempted to include every feature of a Japanese garden all in one.
Browse our full range of trees, topiary and plants in person and see what fits with your garden whatever the theme. Our nursery is situated in Leicestershire. Contact us today for more information on our nursery plants
