|
You've found the famous Dave's Garden website! Join this friendly global community that shares tips and ideas for home and gardens, along with seeds and plants! Check out the DG homepage for a brief overview of what you'll find in this gardening mega-site.
|
|
 |
|
Japanese gardens (nihon teien) are perhaps the most recognized of the stylistic garden types, and certainly one of the oldest. Some references to this horticultural art are found in eighth century text, and more detailed discussions in modern Japanese manuscripts dating back to 1466.
|
|
 With minimal emphasis on flowering plants, these garden designs rely heavily on the aesthetic principles of Japanese gardening, using stone, woody materials, and water (or symbolic references to it). Whether a large, formal design at a botanical garden, or a small personal design in one's own space, this style of gardening imparts a feeling of serenity and peace with every visit.
Traditional gardens come in five main styles.
Karesansui, or Dry Gardens, are the most common, especially in the West; these originated from Zen temples. Using stones, fine gravel, white sand, or stone chips, the gardener designs highly stylized patterns to resemble nature. Raked sand or pebbles mimics flowing water, usually edged with "banks" of boulders. Sparse use of low-growing shrubs or moss completes the simple serene design.
Another popular style - both here and in the Far East - is Kaiyu-shiki - Strolling Gardens which use water, stone, and plantings. Unlike the karesansui, one must walk through a strolling garden to appreciate it. In traditional Japanese culture, stones are spirits to be treated with reverence. The stones can represent mountains, are often used to construct garden bridges and walkways, and are always placed in groupings of odd numbers. In the ancient "Sakuteiki" text, stones and the placing of stones were the major concern in garden design, particularly since the poor placement of stones would lead to misfortune and illness.1 Water features will include man-made  streams or ponds, but never fountains; water will appear to be part of the natural surroundings. Flowers are used sparingly within a Japanese garden; instead, evergreen trees, varieties of maple, and bamboo add the living element to the design.
Other Japanese garden styles include the Tea-Garden style - viewed from the path leading to a tea ceremony hut; Hill and Pond Garden style - composed of vertical rocks, waterfalls, bridges, ponds, and trees covering a large area; and Courtyard or Sitting Garden style - to be enjoyed from inside a porch, building, or pavillion.
Common elements A typical Japanese garden can include several or all of the following:
Rocks
Water, real or symbolic
Surrounding walls
Stone lanterns or cleansing basins
Teahouse or pavillion
Bridge or stepping stones
Paths
Islands in the center of manmade or symbolic ponds
"Borrowed Scenery" (Shakkei)
Plant materials commonly used in Japanese gardens include mostly evergreen or deciduous specimens, but some flowering plants are occasionally included. Plantings are carefully thought out for the elements they contribute to the garden design. The following is a partial list of commonly known specimens.
Flowers
Aster/Michaelmas daisy (Aster tartaricus)
Balloon Flower (Platycodon grandiflorum)
Chickweed (Stellaria media)
Chrysanthemum, white (Chrysanthemum morifolium)
Japanese Horseradish (Wasabia japonica)
Japanese Iris (Iris spp.)
Lilyturf/Mondo Grass/Monkey Grass (Ophiopogon japonicus Ker-Gawl)
Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera nymphaceae) - symbolizes Buddha and purity
Morning Glory (Pharbitis sp.)
Peony, herbaceous (Paeonia lactiflora)
Spider Lily (Lycoris radiata)
Trees
Black Pine (Pinus thungergii) - a symbol of longevity, hardiness, silence, and constancy
Boxwood (Buxus sempervirens)
Crabapple Tree (Malus sp.)
Crepe myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica)
Flowering Cherry (Prunus spp.)
Ginkgo/Maidenhair Tree (Ginkgo biloba)
Japanese Maple (Acer palmatum) - often the main focus of the garden
Loquat Tree (Eriobotrya japonica)
Lusterleaf holly (Ilex latifolia)
Magnolia (Magnolia kobus)
Peach, Pear, Plum Trees
Sago palm (Cycas revoluta)
Tea Tree (Camellia sinensis)
Willow (Salix spp.)
Shrubs, Grasses, and Vines
Abelia (Abelia grandiflora)
Azalea (Rhododendron indicum)
Bamboo
Bougainvillea (Bougainvillea)
Clematis (Clematis armandii)
Daphne (Daphne odora)
Euonymus (Euonymus sieboldianus)
Honeysuckle (Lonicera)
Hydrangea (Hydrangea spp.)
Ivy (Hedera)
Japanese aralia (Fatsia japonica)
Japanese privet (Ligustrum japonicum)
Jasmine (Jasminum)
Pampas Grass (Miscanthus sinensis)
Passionflower (Passiflora)
Photinia (Photinia glabra)
Rhododendron (Rhododenron spp.)
Rose of Sharon/Althea (Hibiscus syriacus)
Spirea (Spiraea thunbergii)
Tree peony (Paeonia suffruticosa)
Trumpet vine (Distictis)
Wild Sumac (Rhus trichocarpa)
Wisteria (Wisteria floribunda)
Japanese Gardens of the World
No matter where you live, chances are there's a beautiful Japanese garden close enough to visit. The following are some notable gardens in North America:
Seiwa-en at the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis is the largest Japanese garden in North America (14 acres)2
Portland Japanese Garden, Portland, Oregon
Kubota Garden at the Washington Park Arboretum, Seattle, Washington
Morikami Japanese Gardens, Delray Beach, Florida
Anderson Japanese Gardens, Rockford, Illinois
Japanese Garden at Fort Worth Botanic Garden, Fort Worth, Texas
San Antonio Japanese Tea Gardens, San Antonio, Texas
Chicago Botanic Garden, Glencoe, Illinois
Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden, Long Beach State
The Huntington, San Marino, California
Japanese Friendship Garden, Phoenix, Arizona
Other Countries:
Nitobe Memorial Garden, Vancouver, British Columbia
Lauriston Castle, Edinburgh, Scotland
Japanese Garden, Wroclaw, Poland
Japanese Gardens at the Irish National Stud, Kildare, Ireland
Dartington Hall, Devon, England
Harewood House, Leeds, England
Holland Park, London, England
Tatton Park, Cheshire, England
School of Oriental and African Studies, London
Bosque Municipal Fabio Barreto, Ribeirao Preto, Sao Paulo, Brazil
Parque Santos Dummont, Sae Jose dos Campos, Sao Paulo, Brazil
Cowra Japanese Garden, Cowra, New South Wales, Australia
Frankston High School, Australia
Himeji Gardens, Adelaide, Australia
Melbourne Zoo, Melbourne, Australia
Tsuki-yama-chisen Japanese Garden, Brisbane, Australia
Buenos Aires Japanese Garden, Buenos Aires, Argentina
The oldest and most famous gardens are, of course, in Japan. This list of "World Heritage sites"3 only touches the surface.
Kyoto
Ryoan-ji Garden, created in 1513
The garden of Daisen-in in Daitoku-ji, created in 1513
Jisho-ji Garden
Nijo Castle Ninomaru Garden
Rokuon-ji Garden
Tenryu-ji Garden
Sanboin in Daigo-ji
Moss Garden of Saiho-ji (Moss Temple)
Shikina-en in Naha, Okinawa
1 "The Japanese Garden," Clifton Olds, Bowdoin College, Brunswick, Maine. http://learn.bowdoin.edu/japanesegardens/index.html
2 "Japanese Garden" at Wikipedia http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/japanese_garden
 | Toni Leland has been writing for over 20 years. She has written a biweekly gardening newspaper column as a spokesman for the Ohio State University Master Gardener program, and writes for Grit magazine and Romance Writers Report. She has been a gardener all her life, working soil all over the world. In her day job, she scripts and produces educational DVDs about caring for Miniature Horses, as well as writing and editing books about this unique height breed. |
|
|
Subject: Japanese Tea Garden 1915 Exposition
Posted by gloria125 (from Greensboro, AL) on April 21, 2008 at 8:09 PM:Very interesting and informative, Toni.
Thought you might like to see this post card that I ran across when I was doing the camellia article published here earlier.
It is the Tea House built for the San Diego 1915 Panamanian Exposition. ...
Subject: Toni's article on Japanese gardens
Posted by stemmer (from Owings Mills, MD) on April 21, 2008 at 4:23 PM:I was happy to read this concise and illuminating introduction to the Japanese garden. I am still working on my Japanese-style strolling garden, drawn to the sensitivity shown by this ancient art to the mingling of stone, water and wood with plants to pleasure the eye at all levels, from soaring pines to mosses clothing paths and rocks. I will be adding this article of Toni's to my collection of Japanese-garden literature. One of the gardens I most cherish is one of those listed, the Morikami, in Delray Beach, Florida.
...
Subject: Saving article
Posted by kwanjin (from West Valley City, UT) on April 21, 2008 at 12:54 PM:Is it possible to save this article for future reference? I'm creating a garden like this and need all the help I can get. ... Posted by tonileland (from Nashport, OH) on April 21, 2008 at 1:17 PM: kwanjin, when you are ready to read the article again, just go to my member page and scroll down to the articles I've written. It will be archived for a very long time!
I see you on the Columbia River. I'm a displaced Oregon native, and spent many years enjoying that fabulous body of water.
... Posted by kwanjin (from West Valley City, UT) on April 21, 2008 at 1:19 PM: Thanks for the tip.
We had a blast fishing there. I have a brother who lives there and we're thinking of moving to Oregon or Washington. My husband fell in love with the area on his first trip. We're going again this June. ...
Subject: Excellent!
Posted by Soulja (from Louisville, KY) on April 21, 2008 at 8:18 AM:Very nice to compare the elements of my Japanese garden to those you've listed above. Also thank you for the list of gardens to visit! I have visited the Missouri B.G., still referred to by locals using its old name: Shaw's Garden, several times and it is a truly sublime place to spend the day.
Domo Arigato!
here is a Matsukaze, Wind In The Pines. ... Posted by Dollykat (from Lucasville, OH) on April 21, 2008 at 9:58 AM:
dai suki deshta
... Posted by joegee (from Bucyrus, OH) on April 21, 2008 at 12:57 PM: Toni, it's wonderful to have someone in Ohio writing articles for DG. You've just showcased one of my favorite places. :) Dawes Arboretum is a treasure.
Arigato!
-Joe G. ... Posted by tonileland (from Nashport, OH) on April 21, 2008 at 1:14 PM: Dō itashi mashite!
I would love to design a Japanese garden, but it will probably never happen. So glad you each enjoyed the article. And yes--Dawes is fabulous!
This message was edited Apr 21, 2008 1:17 PM ... Posted by darius (from Appalachian Mtns, VA) on April 21, 2008 at 3:00 PM: Loved it!! Thanks, Toni... ...
Login to post a comment.
|
