Japanese Gardens
The Japanese garden consists of a special way of gardening that is meant to reflect a deep understanding of native culture and traditions. Down to its finest detail, each element is in harmony with its surroundings. The design as a whole embodies aspects of Buddhism and Shintoism, the major religions of Japan, and becomes a place of tranquility, spirituality, and reflection.
Here's a nice definition of Japanese gardens from A Taste of Japan: "A typical Japanese garden is often miniature due to lack of space. Wooden clogs for the garden are kept near the door. Japanese gardens are influenced by Shinto, Buddhist and Taoist philosophies with the use of plants, trees and water creating a serene quiet place used for meditation and contemplation.
Imagine banana leaves, huge fan palms, exotic koi ponds, lotus flowers and vibrant orchids. The man-made aspects are deliberate, restrained and immaculate with the conscious use of paving, pebbles and raked gravel, all features which are the result of an ancient and complex oriental thought process. The overall effect is one of controlled calm and meticulous maintenance."
Other plants that can be found in Japanese gardens include Sakura (Cherry tree), pines, bamboo, plum, camellia, and bonsai.
Japanese Garden Design
Japanese gardens offer four seasons of beauty -- unlike English-style perennial borders which peak in the summer and completely disappear by late fall. They rely on the use of evergreen plant material and are planned to soothe, rather than stimulate the senses. They work well in small spaces and can be very low-maintenance in their simplest forms.
The underlying philosophy of Japanese gardens is to recreate the natural landscape of Japan in miniature (usually in the form of a mountainscape with waterfalls and tumbling streams). This ‘distant view of nature’ gives the style much of its current appeal. What many Americans appreciate about the Japanese style of gardening is the use of boulders and the water features. People really seem to admire those elements.
There is an overwhelming number of plants, native not only to Asia but to North America, that are suitable for Japanese-inspired gardens. Here are a few guidelines.
Limit the number of varieties; repeating a few species throughout the garden creates a sense of continuity, which is especially important in smaller spaces.
Work with a controlled palette. Let shades of green predominate for most of the year. This style is more about form than opulence. Incidental color in the form of flowers or berries is used to show the passing of the seasons, but should be handled through a few well-placed specimens.
Use contrast. Again, this is about form and texture: a low mass of azaleas beneath the height and open branches of a dogwood; the broad leaves of a maple next to a pine’s spiky needles.
Plan for all seasons. Evergreen shrubs are the backbone of the Japanese garden; many do double-duty by producing seasonal blooms. Certain flowering perennials, such as iris and hellebores, also offer attractive foliage year-round. When using herbaceous plants such as hosta and ferns, incorporate them into rock groupings to avoid blank spots in the winter landscape. Learn basic bonsai techniques. These can be applied to pines and other trees planted in open ground not only to limit their size in small gardens, but to achieve the aged, gnarled form that is characteristic of the style.
Well-done Japanese gardens tend to impart a feeling of antiquity and timelessness. Nothing gives the patina of age to a newly-placed boulder or stone lantern like moss. In a humid climate, moss will eventually settle in on its own. If you’re impatient, it’s possible to hasten the process by digging moss specimens from a wooded area and carefully transplanting them. Keep them moist until they settle in.
In Japanese gardens, water should take a form that is natural; not contrived. It can be a pond, a bubbling stream or a cascading waterfall, but not a fountain. Water brings another dimension to the garden by masking undesirable noises, providing a home for fish and attracting wildlife.
Where the use of water is impractical because of cost or maintenance issues, a dry riverbed can symbolize water. These features are created with gravel and the smoothest stones possible and, from a design standpoint, have the same function as water itself-- not only to act as negative space, introducing the element of contrast when juxtaposed with planted areas; but to lend a theme to the landscape, allowing the use of plants that would normally grow in a waterside location. If skillfully planned, a dry streambed can create the illusion that the water has dried up, suggesting that rain will bring it to life again.
Requiring more maintenance than the dry stream is the raked gravel “sea” of the Zen-inspired garden. The patterns made by the rake suggest the eddies and currents of water around rocks. Tastefully placed, ornaments can help create the mood of a Japanese garden, and perhaps none is so popular as the Japanese stone lantern. Once used with candles to provide light for tea ceremonies, a concrete version is now readily available from many garden centers.
Japanese Garden and Plants
Japanese Gardens have existed since the early 6th century when Hill and Pond gardens were introduced to the Japanese by China and Korea. In the beginning they were built for the public to enjoy. They began building these gardens in urban residences of the aristocracy in the 7th century. Rocks and white sand were used in many of the first Japanese gardens and the rocks were strategically placed to represent islands. The theme of "emptiness" was used frequently. The first gardens had no plants in them.
Gardens and Plants are a very important part of Japanese Culture. They embody the spiritual aspects of Buddhism and Shintoism which are the major religions of Japan. In the gardens the Japanese can experience the power of nature. The gardens are usually simple, neat, and uncluttered which reflects their religious beliefs. Even if one does not care for the gardens’ religious aspects he or she cannot help but admire their beauty.
Below is a list of five different types of Japanese Gardens that have come about since they were first introduced. They are the Flat Garden, The Strolling Pond Garden, The Tea Garden, The Natural Garden, and the Sand & Stone Garden.
Hiraniwa Garden (Flat Garden)
The flat garden is a simple garden made up of white sand, moss, grass, and evergreens. The round or gourd shaped patterns which are found in the garden symbolize happiness or enlightenment. The island plantings can represent a sake cup and sake bottle or a gourd of old Japan which convey a cheerful mood..
Chisen Kaiyo Shiki Garden (Strolling Pond Garden)
A Chisen Kaiyo Shiki or ‘Strolling Pond Garden’ is a garden made up of two large ponds which are connected. A notable characteristic of this type of garden is the large wooden bridge which arches over the upper pond. Two large stones are submerged in the lower pond and represent a tortoise and a crane which are symbolic of long life and good health.
Rojiniwa Garden (Tea Garden)
The Rojiniwa or Tea Garden is notable for its ceremonial tea house where the Buddhist Tea ceremony is performed. The placement of stone lanterns, stepping stones, and the traditional stone water basin is carefully arranged due to their symbolic meaning.
Shukeiyeu Garden (Natural Garden)
The Shukeiyen or Natural Garden is comprised of waterfalls and a pond. A gazebo or ‘Azumaya’ allows the garden to be viewed under shelter. The garden also has a pavillion and a gate house.
Seki Tei Garden (Sand & Stone Garden)
The Seki Tei or Sand and Stone Garden is notable for its surrounding wall. Sand and rocks are symbolically arranged. The arrangement represents Buddhist mythology and the ideal of self-sacrifice.
Japanese Gardening also includes Ikebana which is a type of flower arranging and Bonsai trees.
Ikebana
Ikebana is the art of flowers esthetically. In Ikebana one tries to represent the three elements, sky, earth, and mankind, in a well-balanced relation.
Ikebana, one of the traditional arts of Japan, has been practiced for more than 600 years. It developed from the Buddhist ritual of offering flowers to the spirits of the dead. By the middle of the fifteenth century, with the emergence of the first classical styles, ikebana achieved the status of an art form independent of its religious origins, though it continued to retain strong symbolic and philosophical overtones. The first teachers and students were priests and members of the nobility. However, as time passed, many different schools arose, styles changed, and ikebana came to be practiced at all levels of Japanese society.
Today, many modern styles of Ikebana exist. Some of those styles use glass, iron, and other materials instead of flowers. Contemporary artists, who are currently redefining ikebana, are a diverse group whose only link is their creative originality. The objective of many contemporary ikebana artists is to get a positive, emotional response from those viewing their works, rather than the more traditional goal of creating beauty.
Bonsai
Bonsai is a tree or plant that first appeared in the Kamakura period of Japan’s history. Bonsai can be translated into "planted in a tray." The main focus of the bonsai tree is the beauty of the entire tree and its harmony with the container in which it is planted. There are many different styles of bonsai, where no two trees are identical.
The bonsai tree is miniaturized under healthy, nurturing conditions. Sunshine, water, fertilizer, and proper soil are needed for a healthy growth of the bonsai tree. Miniature growth is accomplished through careful trimming, pruning, repotting, wiring, and trunk correction in order to achieve the desired shape of the tree. The most recent bonsai trends are group-planting a number of trees to get the feeling of a forest, or to plant the trees on rocks to get the impression of a rocky terrain.
Source: Japanese Gardens and Plants Web site.