Japanese Gardens
Anyone who has seen a Japanese garden knows the beauty and serenity this type of garden provides. Japanese Gardens focus on water, bridges, statues, and stone lanterns, all with intriguing aspects of Japanese culture. When you integrate touches of different cultures and history into your gardens you will be able to take a walk in another land when ever you might feel like it!

Posted Wednesday, April 5, 2006

The Japanese garden is a type of garden that focuses on nature entwined with dignity and grace. They are designed with an amazing artistic flair and once created, will provide you with the perfect place to relax. The Japanese garden is all about visual enhancement and texture. You will find polished rock walls with moss neatly tufted into the crevices, creating a unique cascading effect. Hanging an ornate stone lantern will provide a sense of mystic spirituality. Creating a Japanese garden is a task that you will find most pleasing for years to come.

Using a water garden kit purchased at your local home improvement store, you can quickly add sand, rock, and stone to pull it all together, or if budget allows, you can hire a contractor to build a Japanese garden that is unique to your location. Either way, with the right decor and flowers, it will be beautiful.

Various plants will add gorgeous color and interesting texture. Named after a Zen Priest by the name of Kansho-niwa, the Karesansui style Japanese garden, meaning "dry-landscape", is a favorite style of Japanese gardens. Originally, this was created as a huge garden where a person could enter and walk around. By the eleventh century, the scale of this garden style started to diminish and then by the twelfth century to current time, these gardens have been even more refined, thus the name Zen. Two main elements of a Zen garden are rocks to form hills or "mountains" and sand to use with flowing water. Sand color should be white to light beige along with granite rocks. If the garden is in a sunny area, avoid light colored granite as it causes a glare. However, if in a darker area with a lot of shade, light granite would be perfect. If you are not able to find granite, you can use grit, the kind fed to chickens.

Sculptured rocks for the water border should be handpicked for the best appearance. Another valuable aspect of the Japanese garden is the island, which is a symbol of the isles of the blest immortal souls, as well as longevity and continuing health. Both the crane and tortoise are considered symbols of longevity and are favorites to use in designing Japanese gardens. Have fun building and creating this type of garden for your continued relaxation and enjoyment!