Japanese gardens are becoming more and more popular these days. The natural
beauty of the minimalist scenery and its calming effect entices people
to come over and over again. Did you know that you too can make this
kind of garden in your home? Armed with the gardening basics and a lot
of creative ideas, you can have a Japanese inspired garden that will be
the envy of your friends.

Japanese Gardening Basics

Japanese style gardens are miniature landscapes. In creating one, you
need to remember that your goal is to replicate natural landscape as
much as possible. A fountain, no matter how well it would blend with the
other ornaments must not be used as there are no fountains in natural
landscapes. A square pond will not do either as there is no square pond
in nature. Instead of a fountain, you can create a waterfall. One that
meanders through curved streams before flowing into an imperfectly
shaped pond would give the garden a natural look. You have to
deliberately make your creation imperfect so that the natural appearance
of the miniature landscape will not be disrupted.

Japanese gardening Elements

The essential elements of gardening the Japanese way are stones and
rocks, sand, vegetation and water. Japanese styled gardens always have
large stones as they represent hills and mountains. Ponds and streams
are also important elements of this type of gardening. A water fall that
flows into a pond is one of the most basic designs of Japanese style
gardening. These water elements representing seas and lakes are
essential as they replicate the bodies of water that are most
significant in Japanese history. Gravel is used to give accent to the
edges of ponds and streams. A miniature body of water is a basic element
of Japanese gardening. Creating one though may not always be possible.
This is where the importance of sand comes in. Sand is used to make “dry
water”. Large stones and rocks that will replicate hills and mountains
will be surrounded with sand that depicts water. The sand is raked to
give a watery impression. Bamboos and bonsai plants represent
vegetation.

Japanese Garden Ornaments

Ornaments in a garden are basically used as accents for aesthetic
enhancement. The ornaments in the form of bridges, Japanese lanterns and
water basins will enhance the feeling peace and will unify the theme of
the garden. The mellow light emanating from the stone lanterns would
create an impressive visual impact. The soothing sound of water flowing
to the water basins will add to the serene ambiance of the garden.
Japanese gardening is in these days. Your neighbors may have this kind
of garden too but the uniqueness of your garden ornaments will set your
garden apart from the rest.