Japanese Garden Design

What are the basics of Japanese garden designs?
The first decision to be made in designing a Japanese Garden is to decide what “themes” will run throughout the garden. There may be combinations of paths that create a journey through a winding path were there are seating areas for quite contemplation, meditation or entertainment. Artistic focal points of rock may be used to enlighten and excite the spirit of the observer. Paths, bridges, and walkways create diverse experiences. As an overall design intention, remember you are miniaturizing the cosmos in a naturalistic way.

A Japanese Garden is full of mystery, nature and serenity. Just as landscape gardens of the West followed historic points of reference such as Classical Garden Design, Traditional Garden Design, English Garden Design on up threw Modern Garden Design, the Japanese garden tradition has a history that followed the trends and lifestyles of their location and times. It would be very pretentious to copy directly a Japanese Garden for Houston, although there was actually a style of Japanese Garden Design that did just that. We will highlight how you could build and apply the Japanese or Zen Garden style to your own home in Houston Texas.

Japanese Garden Features Deep philosophical and spiritual interpretations and nuances were intertwined with Japanese Garden design but we can view overall meanings and structures to understand, interpret and bring Japanese Garden design into the modern day context for our own beauty, enjoyment and renewal. Japanese gardens create themes and are extensions of the architecture of the home. They are designed with very specific view points so that subconsciously universal, spiritual, or passive themes could be experienced.

Japanese Garden Design and Materials Stone-use to represent water such as a dry creek beds, ponds or a beach entry. Here various round river rocks could be used from plain brown rock special to Mexican beach pebble black or white specialty rocks. Boulders can be used in upright positions to represent mountains or be submerged to create more natural stone ledges or flat plateaus. Be careful with being to literal-stones and boulders still need to be positioned in a natural way so when viewed the composition looks natural.

Structures- such as an entertainment pavilion for private or public use. This could be a deck or platform made of wood, metal or stone. Ordinary outdoor furniture for entertainment or a meditative experience could be achieved using low benches or stone benches and simple outdoor sculptures or stones for viewing. Although borrowing from the tea ceremony experience this could be a place to enjoy wine and foods while creating a contemplative or renewing experience for the eye.

Fences - Rather than a typical fence of cedar pickets, wood, or brick and wood which simply serve to provide security a fence could vary in materials, detailing and heights. For example, pickets could be installed as panels between posts with a detail strip and cap pieces could be pyramidal or circular reflecting garden scenes. A solid brick fence could create interest and repetition by adding equally spaced metal lattice panels.

Plants - In the Japanese garden, plants are used not only for recreating nature, echoing larger themes or nature but can also serve as focal points. Japanese Maples and Bamboo are great focal point plants that work well in the Houston climate include.