In Asia, stone has a very long tradition as a horticultural design element. The forerunner of the well-known Japanese Zen garden can be found in China, because the origins of Chinese gardens go back to pre-Christian times. Like the Japanese, a Chinese rock garden tries to achieve perfect harmony through the skillful combination of stones, water and earth as well as buildings, paths and plants.
With the right choice of stones and plants, a Japanese flair can be created
Stones are an important design element
Basically, Japanese gardens reduce the scale of entire landscapes; thus transfer an idealized, reduced natural landscape into the home garden. Deliberately placed boulders depict mountains or entire mountain ranges, while extensive areas of gravel usually represent wide areas of water. Wave patterns raked into the gravel are intended to evoke associations with the flowing movements of the water. There are also Japanese water gardens, in which streams and ponds are artificially created and often spanned with bridges. The shore areas are often lined with gravel and/or stones. By the way: In a Japanese garden, the paths are never straight, but always wavy and curvy.
Which plants belong in a Japanese garden?
Trees belong in every Japanese garden, ideally in the form of bonsai. In Japan, the trees symbolize the cycle of life, especially when it comes to flowering species such as cherries or plums. Coniferous trees such as pines, on the other hand, are a symbol of eternity and are therefore often planted right next to flowering fruit trees - this is an expression of the Japanese yin and yang, in which opposites are juxtaposed. Examples of other suitable plants are
- Trees: conifers, box, rhododendrons, Japanese maple
- Flowering plants: azaleas, irises, peonies
- Ground cover: star moss, Andean cushion
- Grasses: bamboo
For the trees and shrubs, choose species that remain as low as possible, such as the Siberian dwarf arborvitae (microbiota decussata 'Condrew') or the Japanese holly (Ilex crenata 'Bennett's Compacta'. With regard to the color scheme, different shades of green should be dominant. Also add the planting sparingly with stone lanterns, small statues of gods or mini pagodas.
tips
A real Japanese rock garden needs a lot of care: Leaves and fallen twigs must be carefully removed and any wave patterns drawn in sand or gravel must be traced at short intervals. Of course, it goes without saying that these areas may not be walked on - a Japanese garden is primarily used for meditation.