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 also tries to achieve complete harmony through the clever combination of stones, water and earth as well as buildings, paths and plants.
How do I create a Japanese rock garden?
To create a Japanese rock garden, combine cleverly placed stones, gravel, water, soil and plants such as bonsai, conifers, azaleas and bamboo to create harmony. Make paths curvy, use different shades of green, and decorate sparingly with stone lanterns or statues.
Stones are an important design element
Basically, Japanese gardens reduce the scale of entire landscapes; In other words, they place an idealized, scaled-down natural landscape in the home garden. Deliberately placed boulders depict mountains or entire mountain ranges, and 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 water. There are also Japanese water gardens, in which streams and ponds are artificially created and often spanned with bridges. The bank 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 curved.
Which plants belong in a Japanese garden?
Trees belong in every Japanese garden, ideally in the form of bonsai. In Japan, woody plants symbolize the circle 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 directly next to flowering fruit trees - this is an expression of the Japanese yin and yang, in which opposites are juxtaposed. Other suitable plants include
- Woods: conifers, boxwood, rhododendrons, Japanese maple
- Flowering plants: azaleas, irises, peonies
- Ground cover: star moss, Andean cushions
- Grasses: Bamboo
When it comes to trees, choose species that are 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 predominate. Add Also use the plants sparingly with stone lanterns, small statues of gods or mini pagodas.
Tip
A real Japanese rock garden requires a lot of care: leaves and fallen branches must be carefully removed and any wave patterns drawn in sand or gravel must be recreated at short intervals. Of course, it goes without saying that these areas are not allowed to be walked on - a Japanese garden is primarily used for meditation.