Such design of gardens and parks is becoming more and more popular due to the relaxing atmosphere, conducive to thinking about the meaning of life and finding spiritual harmony.
Realizing that authentic Japanese-style gardens and parks require large expenses, in most cases they are created on modest-sized plots.
Study photos and pictures of gardens in the Japanese style - and you will notice many original ideas that you can bring to life in your backyard.
Japanese garden, photo
Advantages and features of a Japanese garden
Why does the Japanese landscape captivate Europeans? Mysterious thoughtfulness, clarity of lines, smooth flow of shade into shade... But it also has other interesting qualities.
The Japanese garden promotes the formation of a reasonable, equanimous attitude towards life; it pacifies and develops the sense of taste.
A Japanese garden is an excellent stress reliever. And also, since it is dominated by Feng Shui, the doctrine of the circulation of energies, it is also a place of strength and physical healing.
Finally, such a garden is a perfect model for a plot of any size, even a very small one. It will also fit perfectly into areas of non-standard shape - too narrow, located on a slope, with rocky, hummocky soil.
However, realizing the Japanese dream is not so easy.
What does this require? — Firstly, to have a truly refined taste. — Secondly, quite extensive knowledge about Japanese culture. Moreover, you need to share a worldview that will become the conceptual basis for your garden. In particular, remember that absolutely all objects must be full of meaning and be located where they are prescribed by Feng Shui.
Japanese style in landscape design
The unshakable rules that should be followed when setting up a garden in Japanese include:
- multidimensionality. A garden is created, first of all, for contemplation, therefore, at every turn of the path, from every elevation, a new perspective should open up. To achieve this, level differences, bridges, and hills are widely used.
- Lack of symmetry. Nature does without rulers and compasses, and the Japanese garden, let us remind you, repeats nature in everything.
- The main elements in the Japanese worldview are plants, water and stones. This is, if you like, the “holy trinity” of the Japanese garden.
- There are traditionally a lot of stones. They are located in groups, forming local rock gardens; paths are laid out of them, and dry streams are made.
- An important nuance is the use of local materials. There is no need to bring picturesque stones from afar - they will be alien to your area.
- Water is welcome in any form. It could be a pond, stream, fountain.
- Composition is another priority of the Japanese landscape. Individual objects should be combined into picturesque groups: a stream, a bridge and a textured pine tree, for example, or a stone, a bush and a lantern above them.
If you want to decorate your entire garden plot in the Japanese style, then first divide it into parts of irregular, arbitrary shape. It is desirable that they coincide with the main functional areas. Then take care of a soft, natural transition from zone to zone: use stones, trees, and discreet accessories as conditional boundaries.
However, do not try to recreate Japan among Russian aspens and birches; do not mindlessly copy garden samples from Kyoto and Okinawa. The main thing is general principles. And choose plants, stones, flowers from the local habitat: only such a landscape will look believable, which ultimately corresponds to Japanese philosophy.
Chinese style garden, photo
Basic colors of a Japanese garden
In the Land of the Rising Sun, they believe that a large number of wildly flowering plants of various types can unbalance a person, deprive him of peace and thoughtfulness.
A legend has been passed down from generation to generation, according to which a certain shogun, having heard about the beauty of one of the gardens, notified the owner that he would come to him for a tour. When the bishop stepped through the garden gate at the appointed hour, he did not see a single flowering plant - all the flowers were mercilessly cut off. The guest got angry... But the owner invited him to the gazebo, where there was a flower on the table - the only one, unique. Such a dramatic reception made the shogun’s heart tremble with surging feelings. In other words, the restrained range of the Japanese garden, consisting of shades and halftones, smooth transitions, is charming. The pinnacle of skill is to ensure that a certain corner of the garden is designed in numerous shades of one single color. Let's say white, yellow or purple. But gray, moss green, muted brown and non-blinding white can be called the basic colors for the Japanese landscape.
Metaphysics of trees in a Japanese garden
A classic Japanese plot is unthinkable without three, one might say, sacred plants - plum, pine and bamboo. The first symbolizes spring, the triumph of life and is considered the tree of the samurai. The tradition of admiring plum blossom branches (hanami) is no less strong than in the case of sakura. Pine represents courage, fortitude and longevity; a crooked, wind-worn pine tree is one of the most recognizable emblems of the Land of the Rising Sun. And bamboo is associated with flexibility, strength, and the ability to overcome any circumstances.
Deep symbolism, however, was formed later. And the first Japanese gardeners simply used those trees and shrubs that grew nearby. At the same time, mountain plants were planted in areas where there were a lot of stones, and valley plants were used to decorate estates located in the lowlands. This means that it is not at all necessary to buy Japanese seedlings and seeds; familiar, local flora is quite suitable for the garden.
Bamboo, for example, can be replaced with willow, fargesia, saza, and tall Sakhalin knotweed. Siberian cedar from Russian forest will cope with the role of white and black Japanese pine, and native cherries will bloom and smell no worse than Japanese ume plums.
When choosing plants, remember: your task is not to make the garden shimmer with colors from the first days of spring until late autumn. And the point is that bright bursts of flowering alternate with long dormant phases.
Cherries, smooth elms, oaks and especially maples also look very Japanese - the pattern of their leaves and rich autumn palette fully correspond to Japanese ideals of beauty and harmony.
Tea ceremony hut
Japan has long been famous for its tea traditions, which date back hundreds of years. For this wonderful custom, a separate area is organized on the site. Her task is to create an atmosphere of calm and relaxation in order to tune in to an important ceremony. The dimensions of the space are small, it resembles the area where the eastern sages lived.
Japanese house Source domvpavlino.ru
A modest house in the depths of the garden is called chashitsu. There is nothing superfluous in it, so that nothing distracts from thinking. Walking through the garden before the tea ceremony instills contemplation and tranquility. Soft lighting and pristine nature remind a person of spirituality and the true meaning of life.
Bushes, herbs and flowers
When choosing shrubs, you should consider the architecture of each plant, the texture and shades of its leaves. Most often, landscape designers recommend barberry, cotoneaster and hawthorn. Thanks to the berries and the shade of the foliage, these crops are quite effective and also hold their shape for a long time after being cut.
It is impossible to do without periodic pruning: tradition requires that the garden have spherical-shaped plants. It is given not only to cotoneaster, barberry, boxwood, but even to low elms, thujas, dwarf yews, and rhododendrons. These and other trimmed plants are often used to form hedges.
To create green walls and carpets, different types of spirea, deutia, as well as herbs - molinia, feather grass, miscanthus - are used. Mosses, decorative sedges and grasses are widely used.
Arrange several miniature monogardens. They can be formed from hostas, ferns, that is, plants of the same type, supplemented with stones. This artistic method fully corresponds to the spirit of the Japanese garden.
Flowers in the Eastern worldview have as many meanings as trees. Everyone knows, for example, that the chrysanthemum is the same symbol of Japan as a sakura branch or the silhouette of a pine tree. Daylilies, irises, and bulbous plants are also in high esteem.
Plant chrysanthemum-shungika. This is a special, edible type of flower, very popular in the East. The Japanese prepare many dishes from the leaves of this chrysanthemum, claiming that they have healing properties.
Peonies are appropriate in the Japanese garden, signifying love, amaralis, a symbol of modesty, as well as white roses - a sign of nobility. However, there should be flowers in moderation and it is better to place them not in common flower beds, but in separate lawns.
What plants to plant
Japanese gardens involve subtle differences in color and texture.
Bamboo and conifers in soothing shades of green are planted for year-round decor. Trees are pruned to give them an architectural shape.
A typical feature of a Japanese garden is the presence of arched branches rising above carpets of moss and ground covers. Ideally, they are reflected on a motionless water surface.
For the Japanese, bonsai also represents the unity of strong ancient beliefs with the Eastern philosophy of harmony between man, soul and nature. These miniature trees are grown in ceramic containers, then pruned and artificially aged to mimic the mature, tall trees found in nature.
Azaleas, camellias and maples are used sparingly for the sole purpose of marking the changing of the seasons.
Where space is limited, use a single cherry tree. It will mark the arrival of spring. Azaleas in pots will symbolize early summer, and the fiery foliage of maples will mark the onset of autumn.
Stones and more stones...
Their importance for the Japanese garden is enormous.
Firstly, stones are used to lay out a recreation area - a patio. As well as the main path going deep into the garden. For it, large slabs with uneven edges are chosen, and smaller samples are used to cover secondary paths and boundaries between zones. Secondly, stones are needed for a dry landscape, in other words, for a rock garden. The fact is that in the old days the Japanese believed that gods lived among scattered blocks and boulders. Since then, the rocky landscapes have been a place where monks meditate.
At the heart of the rock garden is a heptagon of lines, at the intersection of which large fragments of flagstone, granite, and quartz are installed. The space between them is covered with pebbles, on the surface of which waves are drawn.
Stones are selected taking into account both shape and color. Gray and bluish are identified with the element of water, greenish with vegetation, and stones of strange shapes symbolize animals in the garden.
The stone garden should be located in such a way that the sun does not blind the eyes of those who admire it.
The more varied the shape of the fragments, the better. In this case, there must be a lying, horizontally elongated stone; curved; flat; low-vertical and stone statue. Without the latter, the Japanese say, a garden is not a garden.
Deep into history
The first written sources in which the hieroglyph “niva” (garden) is found date back to the eighth century AD. At first, this term meant a certain space, without natural or artificial fences. Later, man-made elements appeared - fences, pebbled paths, small architectural structures.
The concept of the Japanese garden is related to painting. The stunning color schemes of Heian period gardens coincided with the rise of the Yamato-e school. The appearance of Buddhist monasteries and temples occurred during the era of samurai - pomp and decorativeness gave way to laconicism and monochrome, and the era of dry landscapes began.
The combination of incongruous elements also marks the so-called tea garden - another direction of Japanese park art, which arose already in the 16th century.
Variety of reservoirs
There should also be a tsukubai bowl made of stone, a low tub that was once used as a washstand. Tsukubai these days are part of the decor, as well as a reminder that water is the eternal, philosophical companion of stone.
Tsukubai for a Japanese style garden
If space and possibilities allow, you can dig a pond, a characteristic feature of the estates of Japanese aristocrats. Often in the middle of such a reservoir an island is poured (a symbol of the habitat of souls, that is, immortality), connecting it to the shore using wooden flooring or stones (stone slabs).
Almost always there is a waterfall in the Japanese landscape. The jets fall from a piece of rock into a narrow channel formed by smaller stones. Splashing and murmuring are considered one of the best music in Japan, and flying water adds dynamics to the landscape.
You can organize traditional Japanese ponds without extra costs by resorting to modern means. Tsukubai bowls, for example, today are made from polyvinyl chloride, painted to resemble old, mossy stone.
Life-giving energy of water
It is impossible to create a Japanese garden without such an attribute as water. Only fountains and ponds, waterfalls and streams can fill the space with movement and volume. A bridge is certainly built over the surface of the water. Don’t be discouraged if conditions do not allow you to set up even the simplest alpine slide. The absence of a lake will perfectly replace a dry stream. Its formed bed is laid out with smooth pebbles with glitter or gravel, and if the accents are correctly distributed, a real feeling of the presence of water is created. Water-loving plants planted along the banks will help add more naturalness to the landscape.
Small architectural forms and lighting
If you intend to follow the canons of Japanese landscape art in everything, then you cannot do without a tea house. Moreover, the first Japanese gardens arose around such houses as an addition to the traditional tea ceremony.
Actually, today a tea pavilion can be an ordinary wooden gazebo in the shape of a pagoda or cube, painted red, brown, and white.
Another important attribute is the zigzag yatsuhashi bridge. Its elongated, serpentine silhouette symbolizes the tortuosity of life’s path, the road that a person travels in search of truth.
Bridges can also be curved, resembling a rainbow, imitate ships, be made of wood and stone, and extend not only over reservoirs, but also over dry streams.
Near a pond, waterfall, or rock garden, don’t forget to install benches - straight, ascetic in shape, consisting of stone supports and flat wooden seats.
Stone lanterns are a tribute to tradition that should not be abandoned. Such lamps come in a variety of shapes and heights - from squat ones, reminiscent of rounded stones, to tall pillars.
There are also hanging lanterns, lamps made of bronze, in the form of pagodas, carved squares, cylinders, polygons... Some of them shine upward, others are designed to illuminate the ground... If you place these devices correctly - along the paths, along the perimeter of the patio, at the edge of the pond, near the gazebo - the area will receive the optimal dose of natural light: dim, but a little mysterious, like the whole garden.
Nowadays, however, it is difficult to limit ourselves to only live fire, so now hidden LEDs are also used in the Japanese garden - just as electric pumps, irrigation systems, etc. are used.
A few words about the fence
A gate always leads to a Japanese garden, because it is evidence of the social status of the owner of the estate.
For the most part, it is a structure consisting of a tiled roof on two supports. However, single-leaf kidomon gates are not uncommon.
The fence is made of stones, and the internal hedges are formed of bamboo and trimmed bushes. In a similar way - with the help of vegetation - they must cover the “ugly” places: those where there are hatches, collectors, communications. In the old days, the fence in the Japanese garden served a purely security function. Now it is an element of tradition, a decorative attribute.
Video description
The video shows how Japanese grass grows in the garden:
Tree garden
Such an object is more familiar to Europeans. It is created around an open area with a stream flowing through it. A lot of green plants are planted along the banks. Evergreen and deciduous trees take root well in shady corners. They are successfully complemented by evenly trimmed boxwood or cotoneaster bushes. They perfectly camouflage garbage containers, fences, and unsightly walls of outbuildings on the site.
Picturesque tree garden Source 1zoom.me
Relevant Details
A Japanese garden can be decorated with a stone turret, paired vases, fancy driftwood, as well as suitable talismans - wind chimes, copper bells, koi carp figurines made of white ceramics. There should be few decorations, like spices in a dish. Remember that all decor must comply with the demanding and strict Japanese style.
