Japanese Garden Design and Landscaping
If you make a list of the things you need to build an authentic Japanese garden, you may think that they are not any different than what you would find in any old garden. Well, that is true to some extent. However, it’s how these common things are used and the purposes they serve that make any garden a Japanese garden.
Rocks
The fundamental piece of traditional Japanese garden design is the rock, or rocks. If it doesn’t use rocks in the right way, then it isn’t a Japanese garden. Often, rocks are used to create designs. In some cases, long rocks are laid horizontally in certain patterns. In others, they stood on end vertically to create pillars and arches. Also, important to this genre of garden are stone pathways that wind through trees, bushes and flowers. Few westerners know that the placement of rocks in a Japanese garden is important and you can’t just place them anywhere. Those in the know are intentional and deliberate about stone placement.
Water
The second element that is important in Japanese garden design is water, which is symbolic of the passing of time. This could be either a pond or a waterfall or it could even be a suggestion of water. In this case you could rake the stones in such a way as to resemble a stream. However, using real water running over surfaces such as stone will add a peaceful sound, thus creating serenity in your garden. Regardless of how you choose to do it, you should always remember that water is an important feature of a contemplative garden.
Plants
The plants that are actually used in Japanese garden design are secondary to the stone and water. Nevertheless, they are still quite crucial to the garden’s design. They must be in harmony with the stone and so you will need to truly think about their placement. Usually bamboo and Japanese maple are used, but the type of plant that you use is not as critical as is the harmonious placement. For this reason, you may wish to choose plants that are easy to use such as ornamental grasses, evergreens and many deciduous trees.
Finally, ornamentation is an essential part of Japanese garden design. These pieces are not attractions in themselves, but rather serve to accent something that the designer wishes to draw your attention to. For example, a mountain off in the distance or any phenomenon of nature can be framed in by a gate. We are not meant to look at the gate. Instead, the gate becomes the frame of a far away view. Also, like the garden gnomes found in western gardens, small statues can be found in these gardens.
So don’t just randomly throw objects into your “Japanese†garden because you saw it in a book and liked it. Each piece is serving a purpose and you should know what it is.