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Japanese style landscape design


Japanese garden ideas: 15 ways to create a tranquil space with landscaping, plants, and more

(Image credit: Alamy)

It’s no surprise that the interest in Japanese garden ideas is growing fast as we all look for ways to create a truly calm and relaxing outdoor space. Known for their tea gardens, contemplative rock and gravel areas and bamboo water features, it’s easy to see why Japanese gardens captivate so many, but there are plenty of other clever design ideas we can discover and use too.

Historically Japanese gardens were designed for many different purposes, each with their own characteristics and features. Those surrounding tea houses were intimate retreats away from the hectic streets and daily life, while strolling gardens were intended for quiet contemplation and discovery through movement. Dry gardens featuring raked gravel and choice rocks were intended to be viewed rather than physically explored, and courtyard gardens were the precursor to today’s indoor-outdoor living. Each fascinating in their detail and meaning, we can include many of the same design ideas in our own spaces, no matter what their size, shape or aspect.

With so many standout plants, including stately bamboo, fiery acers and exquisite lilies and azaleas, it’s hard to resist introducing some Japanese style into your backyard. But how do you get it right and not over-do the dramatic plants and features? We’ve spoken to top designers and experts for their tips and advice so you can introduce some Japanese garden ideas to your own plot with confidence.

1. Go for undulating, sculptural forms

Japanese garden ideas designed by Maitanne Hunt

(Image credit: Maïtanne Hunt Gardens & Landscapes)

Many Japanese garden ideas are designed to be admired from inside the home, often framed by a picture window or arch. Faced with a secluded courtyard garden? Then why not try something similar for your own garden design ideas. The results can be hugely calming and provide an elegant green backdrop throughout the year.  

The team at Maitanne Hunt created this stunning design. 'We decided to use Soleirolia soleirolii as an alternative to moss used in Japanese gardens, taking advantage of its naturally mounding, creeping habit to create the impression of the Japanese hills our client loved. Soleirolia soleirolii is a vigorous, low maintenance ground cover plant, which looks fantastic in tropical, lush or shady gardens. It is good in part shade or shade, providing the soil is consistently moist but well-drained. 

There's more suggestions for the best ground cover plants in our guide. 

2. Choose bamboo features for instant Japanese style

Create a tranquil corner in your Japanese garden ideas with the Shishi Odoshi small water feature from UK Bamboo

(Image credit: UK Bamboo)

Fast growing, sustainable, tough and durable, bamboo is an unbeatable natural material that simply oozes Japanese style. Used for centuries in Japanese garden ideas and harvested in every size, its garden uses range from channelling water, creating fencing, privacy panels, archways, pathways and  – of course – wind chimes.  

Young green Moso poles make a neat, curving low fence when bent over and tied in place with knotted black twine – perfect for lining pathways or protecting precious areas such as delicate moss gardens or raked gravel areas. Giant poles – often up to 10mm or more in diameter – are useful for pergolas and shelters and can also be lashed together to create lightweight platforms. 

You can find out how to grow bamboo in our expert guide. 

3. Plant up a rocky outcrop

Consider including natural stone in your Japanese garden ideas

(Image credit: Buzy Lizzie)

Let the beauty of natural stone and Japanese garden ideas inspire you to transform a dull, sloping site. Fine gravel paths weaving through rocky outcrops, planted with low growing sedums, alpines, azaleas and statuesque conifers provide beautiful year-round color and interest and cast an instantly calming mood for small rock garden ideas. 

This Japanese-inspired tea garden by Buzy Lizzie is a crevice garden full of character and texture. Local stone laid side on and packed close together makes a bold contrast with laid dry-stone walls and boulder-edged planting areas. 

4. Be bold with a black backdrop

Black painted walls and fences are a striking backdrop for your garden furniture, such as this Amberley sofa set from Garden Trading

(Image credit: Garden Trading)

One of the easiest ways to introduce Japanese garden ideas into your space is to use large areas of black in your outdoor design. Whether it’s painted garden wall ideas, porcelain paving tiles or a wall clad in charred timber, it will create the perfect backdrop for highlighting minimal-style furniture and richly toned planting. 

Lush, glossy foliage and the intense orange, crimson leaves of acers are all accentuated by this dark, moody shade and it will also throw the intricate-shaped foliage into sharp relief too. 

Build on this strong statement by introducing furniture with striking black detailing too. This modern sofa set has a bold U-shaped aluminium frame and an extended low-level platform in teak to create a softer finish. 

5. Showcase miniature bonsai

Dark blue ceramic oval bonsai plant pot from Gardenesque

(Image credit: Gardenesque)

Perfection in miniature, bonsai trees first appeared in Japan around 1,200 years ago and, over time, were adopted by Zen Buddhist monks as tray landscapes where the diminutive but beautifully trained trees represented the universe. They soon became highly prized by scholars and today they have worldwide appeal in Japanese garden ideas. 

Start your collection by displaying your leafy treasures in richly glazed garden planter ideas. There are a few rules to follow though, as the Gardenesque team explains. 'The basic principles for estimating your ideal pot size are relative to your bonsai tree. The pot at its longest side should measure half the tree's height and the depth is equivalent to the width of trunk at the soil base. Chunky bonsai trees are better suited to square pots, whilst the more delicate trees in circular pots.'

6. Try your hand at cloud pruning

Taxus Cuspidata 'Niwaki' (Japanese Yew) from Architectural Plants

(Image credit: Architectural Plants)

Shaping a garden tree into a series of cloud-shaped boughs is an ancient Japanese art. Intended to accentuate the plants individual characteristics and harmonize it with its surroundings, the results make stunning, sculptural focal points. Make sure you have the best garden shears to hand to keep yours looking good though.

Japanese privet and box-leaved holly both create stunning results, but to find out more we spoke to Guy Watts, owner and MD of Architectural Plants. 'The asymmetrical beauty of 'Niwaki' sits well among structured schemes of complementary plants: topiarised pillows and balls, or other blob shapes, left fluffy for looser texture.' 

Although they look exquisite potted in gravel gardens, they also look good in a border. 'Think of contrasting the tranquility imposed by Niwaki with movement,' adds Guy. 'Bamboos, grasses or something like Cryptomeria japonica ‘Globosa nana’. Consider color, too. Maples are a fantastic addition for this as well as providing texture and contrasting form. Position where they are protected from winter winds and direct sunlight for best results.'

7. Showcase an acer or two

Acer palmatum 'Osakazuki'

(Image credit: Alamy)

Exceptionally beautiful, Japanese maples are the perfect plant for your Japanese garden ideas. With varieties of all shapes and sizes – from small, weeping trees perfect for pots and besides ponds to stately specimens that reach up to 8 metres high – they will add elegance, structure and year-round interest. 

These slow-growing beauties can be a little diva-like in their needs, preferring a sheltered spot in free draining and non-alkaline soil. Once you've learned how to grow acers, however, you'll be rewarded with stunning autumn color and graceful, finely cut foliage that oozes Japanese style.  

Here are our five stand-out varieties for you to try in your space. 

8. Add a Japanese-inspired bridge

There are plenty of budget-friendly ways to mimic the effect of a Japanese style bridge in your garden design

(Image credit: Alamy)

You don’t have to have a stream or large pond in your garden to include a Japanese style bridge. Representing the journey from the mortal world to the afterlife or higher spiritual realm of purity and nature, a bridge is the ideal way to create movement around and structure within your Japanese garden ideas. 

Your bridge could take the form of simple stepping stone ideas in the middle of a shallow pool or a graceful arching bridge over a dry gravel and pebble river. The key is to thoughtfully integrate it into its surroundings. 

Creating a slight dip below the bridge and adding clumps of natural planting – ferns, ornamental grasses are both good options – at either end will help bed the structure into the ground. Frame the scene further by adding one or two of the best trees for small gardens nearby, so the lower branches can reach over and soften the effect.  

9. Light your Japanese garden ideas with stone lanterns

Stone lanterns are a traditional sight in Japanese gardens

(Image credit: Rohan Gangopadhyay/Unsplash)

Simply unmistakable, stone lanterns – tōrō or ishidourou – are a key feature in Japanese garden ideas. Originally made and positioned to light the way to temples and shrines, they were lit with a candle or small oil lamp. 

There are many different styles and sizes of lanterns, each with their own fascinating history and purpose, so it’s worth finding out about each design before you buy - try Herons Bonsai for a wide selection. 

Oribe lanterns tend to be tall – raised on a pedestal it has a square light box featuring a crescent, full moon and square openings while the three-legged Yukimi doro or snow viewing lantern was used to help fisherman navigate and traditionally sits with two feet in the water and one on land. 

No matter which lantern you choose, less is definitely more. A few, carefully chosen and placed pieces will add a chic and tranquil atmosphere to your outdoor lighting ideas, whereas too many can result in a cluttered, themed look.

10. Hang a ceiling of colorful lanterns

Hikari Solar Garden Lanterns from Not On The High Street

(Image credit: Not On The High Street)

This is a great way to cosy up any outdoor living or dining space. Hanging an assortment of fabric Japanese-style lanterns will not only introduce color, shape and pattern in amongst your planting, it will create the illusion of a ceiling too, helping to visually enclose the space. 

These sophisticated lanterns feature solar LED lights too for added atmosphere. Cluster them together and hang from your pergola ideas, garden arch or tree branches for a magical effect. 

This sloping garden was redesigned by Cityscapers to create a interconnected series of mini gardens surrounded by shrubs and lush grasses

(Image credit: Cityscapers)

Contemplation while walking, surrounded by nature, is at the heart of many Japanese garden ideas. Designed to be viewed from meandering garden path ideas, new garden features and views are gradually revealed with each twist and turn. 

The perfect way to make the most of a small outside space, it’s definitely a design trick we can use in many urban gardens today. Designer Nigel Gomme of Cityscapers has employed a similar approach in this gorgeous London garden. Using raised curving walkways made from rich-toned hardwood deckboards, the rectangular space is divided into five distinct planting areas each with their own planting palette and signature scent. Rounded shrubs and grassy hillocks echo the curvy design and increase the sense of movement. 

There's more clever ways to introduce decked areas into your garden in our decking ideas feature. 

12. Add handcrafted and traditional Japanese details

Japanese-style rain chains from The Gutter Centre

(Image credit: The Gutter Centre)

Character and charm often lie in tiny details and this is definitely true in minimal Japanese garden ideas. A carefully placed item – often laden with historic and traditional significance – can have significant meaning and look stunning against a particular background or surface. 

Shaka Tsukubai – a bamboo water ladle – traditionally used at Shinto shrines for purification, is often laid next to a stone water basin in a garden while each basin is surrounded by three kneeling stones or large flat rocks. 

Rain chains are another delightful detail that are easy to add to your Japanese garden ideas. Used for hundreds of years, these Kusari-doi’ channel water from the roof to ground via a series of tiny buckets or links. Historically made from copper, today you can also find stainless steel and mixed designs.

13. Go for a few thoughtfully placed features

In this Japanese-inspired garden design by Kirman Design , an Oribe lantern and Tetsu bachi (water basin) are the main focal points

(Image credit: Kirman Design)

When it comes to designing Japanese garden ideas, make the most of your existing garden features. Mature shrubs and trees, sloping banks or natural dips all present opportunities to get creative and a chance to try out fresh ideas. 

Take time to look closely at your space – removing a few low branches from an established azalea or camellia could open up enough space to nestle in stone water feature ideas or a lantern, or clearing out an overgrown corner could prove the ideal spot for a gravel garden. 

In this enchanting design by Kirman Design an existing acer became the ideal canopy and setting for an Oribe lantern and water basin. 'Creating a successful Japanese garden or arrangement within your garden hinges on authenticity,' says designer Rick Everett. 'Take the time to study how and why ornaments, rocks and plants are traditionally positioned in original Japanese gardens.'

14. Arrange a gravel and rock garden

A simple solution for Japanese garden ideas is to create a raked gravel garden in a corner of your plot

(Image credit: Alamy)

Whether you’ve a vast sunny spot or quiet, secluded corner, garden gravel ideas could be your perfect option. Consisting of flat areas of gravel featuring odd numbered groups of rocks, carefully chosen for their shape, markings and placed to suggest a distinct landscape, these areas seep tranquility and make a dramatic visual statement too. 

In both ancient Japanese garden ideas, and those surrounding Buddhist temples, the fine gravel is carefully raked to create concentric circles radiating out from rocks, straight lines like ploughed farrows and sweeping curves. Left open to the elements, the beauty also lies in the way the lines are shifted by the wind and rain. Choose a pale, cool shade of gravel – dove gray, white marble and silver blue granite all work well – and go for 6mm stones laid 75mm deep for defined raked lines. 

Feature stones and rocks are arranged in groups of three, five or seven. Chosen for their individual shapes, markings and color they are placed within the flat graveled area to represent key landscape features such as waterfalls, trees, mountains and even animals. Moss and lichen are encouraged to grow on the surfaces and the occasional small evergreen tree or conifer are sometimes added on the garden’s fringes. 

15. Mix stark and contrasting materials

This tranquil and contemporary Japanese-style garden was designed by Acres Wild

(Image credit: Acres Wild)

Playing with diverse surfaces and materials provides much of the interest in minimal, but creative Japanese garden ideas. 

'Japanese gardens are all about abstraction of nature in an artful manner which appears to be natural, but is in fact highly controlled and considered,' explains Ian Smith, Designer at Acres Wild. 'Here, black basalt was used for the path surface, and grey granite slabs were inserted to give the illusion of a bridge crossing water, which is itself represented by granite gravel. Granite boulders complete the illusion of a stream running between rocky banks.'

Find more inspiring options for your paving ideas in our feature.  

What plants work best in Japanese garden ideas?

Acers are a classic choice for your Japanese garden ideas

(Image credit: Alamy)

A much-asked question, we spoke to Natalie Hoare from the renowned Japanese Garden in St Mawgan, Cornwall UK for her planting suggestions for Japanese garden ideas. 

'The Japanese philosophy to approaching a garden design leans toward working with what you have. Although many Japanese plants are considered classic choices for a Japanese garden, it’s worth remembering that idea that what is true to the philosophy of Japanese design is to appreciate nature and design according to the requirements of your particular garden and to plant plants that will thrive in the environment. My top four plant suggestions are chosen as they are specific to our own little Japanese style garden in Cornwall.'

What features should you include in Japanese garden ideas?

Rocks and gravel are key elements of Japanese garden ideas and can be adapted to any size space

(Image credit: Alamy)

Hard landscaping ideas can include gravel, rocks and stepping-stones to provide plenty of contrasting texture and surfaces underfoot. Try tying pieces of bamboo together with black twine to create simple arches, gates, fences, and privacy panels. 

Encourage mosses to spread in nooks and crannies and plant clump forming grasses and shrubs for undulating foliage and to showcase the various restful shades of green.

How do I make my backyard into a Japanese garden?

This Japanese-style tea house is a beautiful addition to this enchanting English garden

(Image credit: Clive Nichols/Future)

Jill puts her love of plants and all things garden related down to the hours spent pottering around with her Nan and Grandad when she was little. Today she is lucky enough to have a garden of her own in Surrey, England, and spends much of her time writing about them too. 

5 Types of Authentic Japanese Garden Design You Should Know

by Anika Ogusu | LIFESTYLE

© Anika Ogusu, Real Japanese Gardens, Karesansui Dry Landscape Garden

Japanese gardens are renowned for their transcendent beauty. The classical Zen garden, for example, is praised for its purity and meditative spirituality. Its transformative quality is by no means an accident; Japanese gardens are meticulously designed and carefully crafted down to every single element. Their distinct styles are in fact exceedingly varied and reveal a deep connection to Japan’s history and culture. 

Anika Ogusu is a passionate gardener with a special interest in Japanese gardens. She is also the founder of Real Japanese Gardens, which is the most comprehensive online source for everything to do with Japanese gardens. Definitely worth your time to check it out!

Here is the low down on 5 of the most important types of traditional Japanese garden design and the elements that you will find in each. A little background to these styles will really enhance your understanding next time you visit a Japanese garden!

 

1. Dry Landscape Garden

© Anika Ogusu, Real Japanese Gardens, Ryoanji

The dry landscape garden (枯山水 Karesansui) is the best known type of Japanese garden type and is often called Zen garden. While monks do use them when practicing Zen, meditation more commonly takes place in groups in large rooms, often with no window.

Dry landscape gardens lack one elements that ties together all other styles of Japanese garden: the water. Water is instead replaced by gravel, giving the impression of a dry ocean or river. While people tend to focus on the stone settings of a dry landscape garden, the skill of the person who creates such a garden is more accurately reflected by the empty space between the stone groups. It is called yohaku no bi – the beauty of empty space.

Dry landscape gardens are famous for using only gravel and rocks, although in fact this is not quite true. In many dry gardens, plants play an important role.

The first pure dry landscape gardens were built during the politically very turbulent Muromachi period (1336 - 1573). Since that time, some popular patterns and styles have developed for the layout out of the stones, known as Ishigumi (石組み).

© Anika Ogusu, Real Japanese Gardens, Stone Triad

Sanzon-ishigumi, the stone triad, is perhaps the most popular stone setting in Japanese garden design, representing a deity-stone in the middle with two supporters on either. This arrangement is generally used in a religious context.

© Anika Ogusu, Real Japanese Gardens, Shichigosan

The Shichi-go-san (7-5-3) arrangement is another famous stone setting. A good example is the dry landscape garden of Ryoan-ji in Kyoto.

© Anika Ogusu, Real Japanese Gardens, Yodomari

Yodomari stone arrangements are created by placing rocks in a line in a pond in front of an island. The stones represent ships anchoring there and waiting for treasures, which can be gathered on the island.

You don’t have to be in Japan to visit some stunning traditional Japanese gardens. Check out these 12 Stunning Gardens in the US.

 

2. Study Garden

© Anika Ogusu, Real Japanese Gardens, Shoinzukuri Teien Study Garden

This type of garden is one of the oldest in Japan, and is still common today. Unlike most other types, the study garden (書院造庭園Shoinzukuri Teien) isn’t designed for visitors to wander around, but rather to enjoy it from the study, like a painting. The most common layout for a Study garden begins with a pond nearest to the visitor, with the garden leading the view up an incline beyond. Bridges are often placed on one side of the pond while both stone settings and small shrubs are arranged in various locations on the garden slope. Some of the stonework you may see include lanterns, pagodas and statuary.

© Anika Ogusu, Real Japanese Gardens, Stone Lantern

Kasuga-style lanterns (灯籠 Toro) are the most common type and can be found in almost every traditional Japanese garden. The firebox is hexagonal with two openings and carvings of deer. These lanterns stand on a single solid pillar.

Snow-viewing lanterns stand on three or four legs next to a pond. The big umbrella is perfect to catch the falling snow and present it as a soft white hat to the carefully watching eye.

A famous lantern style, but not so frequently employed in Japanese garden design, is the Rankei lantern. The firebox is placed on an overhanging pillar and placed over a pond or stream.

© Anika Ogusu, Real Japanese Gardens, Pagoda

Pagodas (石塔 Sekito) became a more popular design element from the Edo period. They are normally placed on a hill, half covered by shrubs and standing under trees, to recreate the sense of the pagodas constructed throughout the mountains of Kyoto.

© Anika Ogusu, Real Japanese Gardens, Buddha Statue

In the west, statues of Buddha are sometime used as decoration. In Japan however stone Buddha statues (石仏 Sekibutsu) would only be used in gardens connected to a museum or a temple. Sometimes Buddhist deities are displayed on stone plates in a hidden corner of a strolling garden.

 

3. Strolling Garden

© Anika Ogusu, Real Japanese Gardens, Kayushiki Teien Strolling Garden

Most strolling gardens (回遊式庭園 Kayushiki Teien) were constructed during the Edo period (1603 – 1868) by daimyo (feudal lords) and are therefore sometimes known as daimyo gardens.

The gardens of the Edo period reflected the peace in the country: very soft shorelines, un-dramatic stone settings, and softly curved hills. These types of Japanese gardens often recreate scenes from history and myth, both from within Japan, but also from China. The design of these daimyo gardens reflected the wealth and intellectual prowess of the garden’s owner.

As these gardens were nearly always arranged around a central pond, or lake for the very well-to-do, bridges were an essential element of the design.

© Anika Ogusu, Real Japanese Gardens, Curved Bridge

Curved bridges were commonly used in Heian period palace gardens about a thousand years ago, where boat parties would be held on the ponds. The bridges needed to be curved, so that boats were able to pass underneath them. Today these curves are no longer necessary, but survive as a popular decorative motif.

© Anika Ogusu, Real Japanese Gardens, Stone Bridge

Stone bridges come in various shapes: slightly curved, as one whole block or as two blocks parallel to each other with only a small overlap in the middle. Stone bridges are made of hewn rock and are used to span shorter distances.

© Anika Ogusu, Real Japanese Gardens, Zigzag Bridge

Despite some rumors, zigzag bridges are not constructed to prevent demons from crossing. In fact zigzag bridges have their origin in a compilation of poems about a man crossing the eight branches of a iris-strewn river. For this reason zigzag bridges are commonly used in gardens where many irises grown. Larger zigzag bridges also enable the visitor to take different perspectives from which to view the garden.

One great strolling garden that was certainly not commissioned by a Daimyo is the Portland Japanese Garden in Portland, Oregon. You can find out all about it in our Complete Guide.

 

4. Tea Garden

© Anika Ogusu, Real Japanese Gardens, Tea Garden

Japanese tea gardens (茶庭 Chaniwa or 露地 Roji) are always connected to a tearoom or tea house and are an integral part of the tea ceremony.

The garden is an important instrument for the guests’ mental preparation. Walking from the entrance of the garden towards the tea room, guests purify themselves through various rituals in order to achieve the right mindset for the coming ceremony.

A typical tea garden has one or more gates, waiting shelters, a toilet, stepping stones, a water basin (tsukubai), a waste hole and mostly evergreen, non-flowering plants.

Japanese garden designs relies on a variety of different trees and shrubs, but one particular distinguishing feature is the extensive use of moss.

© Anika Ogusu, Real Japanese Gardens, Pine Trees

The mostly commonly seen trees are the black pine, red pine, and the Japanese maple. Other evergreen shrubs, which can be found in almost every Japanese garden are the Camellia, Podocarpus macrophyllus, Japanese pieris, Mahonia japonica and the Satsuki-Azalea.

© Anika Ogusu, Real Japanese Gardens, Moss

Several varieties of mosses are cultivated with the most common type being the sugi-goke, a Polytrichum variety. Lately, Racomitrium canescens is becoming more and more popular.

 

5. Courtyard Garden

© Anika Ogusu, Real Japanese Gardens, Tsuboniwa Courtyard Garden

Gardens within the walls of a residence or in a small, enclosed space beside them, are known as Courtyard Gardens or Tsuboniwa (坪庭).

This type of Japanese garden first appeared during the Heian era (794 – 1192). During these times women were often given a name that referred to a specific plant which grew in the tsuboniwa next to her quarter.

As houses grew bigger courtyard gardens also took on the function of regulating the temperature and airflow in the home during the long hot summers. Various water features were particularly effective for this, and are used in many types of Japanese garden.

© Anika Ogusu, Real Japanese Gardens, Tsukubai

A tsukubai is a hand washing basin composed of several elements that is commonly used in Japanese tea gardens. There is a basin in the middle with two stones on either side. A stepping stone path usually leads towards a large flat stone in front of the basin on which to stand. Water flows into the basin through a bamboo tube, and a lantern at the back of the basin helps to guide the guest towards it.

© Anika Ogusu, Real Japanese Gardens, Suikinkutsu

The Suikinkutsu is a popular, almost musical, feature of a garden. A jar is buried upside-down in the ground and covered with cobblestones. As water drips through a hole in the bottom of the jar and hits the standing water in its top, it makes a sound like a harp.

© Anika Ogusu, Real Japanese Gardens, Shishiodoshi

The shishiodoshi is sometimes known abroad as a deer-scarer. A bamboo pipe is balanced like a seesaw under a source of flowing water. One end of the bamboo pipe is open and one is closed. When the open end fills with water, the extra weight causes it to snap down. It makes a very pleasant soft crack as it tips back into place.

Japanese gardens feature a large variety of unique elements and styles. Which are your favorite? Let us know in the comments below. And don’t forget to check out Real Japanese Gardens where you can find downloadable ebooks on all aspects of Japanese garden design.

 

June 21, 2018 | Lifestyle, Craft, Japanese Gardens

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Japanese style and garden in landscape design

Japan has long attracted people from other countries with its mysterious philosophy and culture, which are very clearly manifested in the field of Japanese style landscape design. The Japanese garden is the embodiment of the Land of the Rising Sun in a single area. The purpose of its creation is a positive impact on the life of the owner, support of his vitality, help in finding inner harmony, getting rid of stress. It attracts with its practicality and simplicity, it traces the philosophy inherent only to it. It is very difficult to create, but it is quite simple to maintain, although at first glance it does not seem so.

Contents:

Features and spiritual basis of the Japanese style in landscape design

Japanese style is one of the most symbolic and mysterious, and at the same time one of the easiest to care for. Created on the basic principles of the culture of the East (spiritualization of nature), it is very different from the logical and pragmatic culture of Western peoples in its special spirituality, wisdom and sensuality.

A Japanese-style garden is something special. Through symbols, it embodies the whole nature of the islands - its plains, mountains, meadows, rivers, as parts of one puzzle, are combined into a common multifaceted and perfect composition. This is a great place to restore vitality. A feeling of peace arises in it, here a person knows himself, becomes one with and finds peace of mind.

Refined philosophy dominates here, built on the principles of spirituality and harmony. They were formed over the centuries under the influence of different eras, each of which dictated its own laws.

In our country, the design of a Japanese-style site should not exactly copy the landscapes characteristic of Japan, otherwise it will not look natural. It is enough to use symbolic elements balanced with each other.

The four basic principles of Japanese garden design:

Basic elements of Japanese landscape design

The characteristic elements of this style are stones, water and plants, which are harmoniously and most naturally complemented by small architectural forms.

Stones in a Japanese garden

These motionless guardians symbolize stability, strength and eternity, radiating peace and harmony. It is they who set the structure of the garden, therefore they are an indispensable element. There are a lot of placement and application options, this is a whole art that embodies the key moment of this style. With their help, accents are placed in the water, bridges are built from them, paths are paved, or simply fit into the natural composition (for this they are placed only asymmetrically).

Water in a Japanese garden

Water has a special meaning in Japan. It is a symbol of prosperity and an inexhaustible source of vitality. It is considered the fastest of the natural elements, therefore it sets the mood and rhythm for the garden and the whole house. According to Eastern beliefs, the more water, the better. Therefore, there simply cannot be many reservoirs! When designing a territory in the Japanese style, a wide variety of water bodies are used - ponds, waterfalls, streams. The only thing that must be observed without fail is no imitations!

Plants in a Japanese garden

They, like other elements, help to create a miniature model of the universe (which, in essence and concept, is any Japanese garden). Since the universe is very small, the plants used in it are also small - shrubs and low trees (chaenomeles, azaleas, quince, sakura, pines). Japanese quince in the landscape design of such a garden, like sakura, occupies a special place. They serve as both decoration and symbols. Quince represents longevity and fertility. Sakura reminds that everything comes, and life is fleeting. Only beauty is eternal.

According to the Japanese tradition, all bushes and trees are given a round shape, this symbolizes the sky. Although the plants themselves emphasize the change of seasons (from cherry blossoms in spring to chrysanthemums blooming in late autumn), symbolizing the transience of life and the unstoppable running of time. To enhance the impression, contrasts are often used that clearly demonstrate these postulates: dry trees or ancient stumps are located next to lush flowering shrubs.

Almost any of the plants has a very versatile use. For example, beautiful openwork hedges, magnificent group compositions are created from Japanese spirea in landscape design today, or they are used as an independent decorative unit.

Small architectural forms in the Japanese garden

It is with their help that the garden turns into a small universe. All of them are made from natural materials - wood, bamboo (reed), stone, harmoniously intertwining with nature.

Even lanterns, a symbol of virtue and kindness, are made of stone in the Japanese garden. The use of many other small architectural forms is also envisaged - garden screens, light gazebos and pagodas, simple benches and, of course, bridges. They can be very different: made of bamboo and wood, light and elegant, hovering over a water mirror, or deliberately rough, made of stones laid on the bottom of a stream.

Features of the layout of the Japanese garden

The elements are not numerous, balanced and together form a single harmonious composition, where any of them is in its place. Decorating the entire site in this style, it is divided into irregularly shaped zones, which may or may not coincide with the functional zones. For each such zone, a separate composition is built, after which smooth transitions are made between them.

Japanese garden color scheme

Only soft and restrained colors based on smooth halftones and transitions. The use of various shades of the same color in Japanese site design indicates a special level of craftsmanship. Muted tones of white, brown, green and gray are considered basic. Today, a couple of bright color accents are allowed.

IMPORTANT. Creating a landscape design for a Japanese garden is a painstaking and time-consuming process that requires special knowledge, vision and patience. This is a kind of art, albeit subject to certain rules.

Where can I order Japanese-style landscape design in St. Petersburg?

AG GARDEN DESIGN offers professional Japanese landscape design services in St. Petersburg and the region.

  • Our specialists know all the intricacies of creating Japanese landscape design and are able to take into account the peculiarities of the site.
  • At your service is a team of craftsmen with special skills, knowledge and rich experience in creating Japanese design in a variety of areas.
  • We approach each site only individually, avoiding template solutions, but taking into account the interests of the owners.
  • Regardless of the amount of work, we offer the lowest prices for landscape design of the site, regardless of the chosen style.
  • We consistently do our work efficiently and quickly.
  • We will be happy to turn your site into a harmonious corner of Japanese nature!

Japanese landscape design, photo - Rehouz

Japanese aesthetics are very special. She is alien to luxury and intricacy, redundancy of objects. Japanese beauty lies in a calm balance, harmony of shapes, lines, shades and sounds.

Japanese landscape design

  • - Japanese garden basic colors
  • - Trees in a Japanese garden
  • - Bushes, herbs and flowers
  • - Selection of stones
  • - Japanese style garden ponds
  • - Small architectural forms and lighting
  • - Decor
  • – Japanese style landscape design – photo, video

    • The Japanese landscape is not just a picturesque picture, but a way of comprehending the world, which is based on a very respectful, poetic attitude towards nature.

    Garden design in Japan, of course, is also the result of the work of masters, but, above all, it is a product of intellectual labor. The Japanese gardener will not "reshape" the terrain and remake the landscape, trying to adapt the area to his own whim. He is a student of Nature and, creating a landscape, follows its laws.
    Even the tiniest Japanese garden is a replica of the surrounding nature, a philosophical interpretation of the environment that is typical for a particular area. There is nothing random in it, not a single meaningless detail: each stone, lantern or stump is a symbol of a certain concept and is “responsible” for good luck, health, material well-being.

    Merits and features of the Japanese garden

    What captivates Europeans in the Japanese landscape?
    Mysterious thoughtfulness, clarity of lines, smooth flow of hue to hue… But it also has other interesting qualities.

    The Japanese garden promotes the formation of a reasonable, unflappable attitude to life; it pacifies, develops a sense of taste.
    Japanese garden is an excellent remedy for stress. And also, since it is dominated by feng shui, the doctrine of the circulation of energies, it is also a place of power, physical recovery.

    Finally, this garden is the perfect model for any size garden, even a very small one. It will also fit perfectly into irregularly shaped areas - too narrow, located on a slope, with stony, hummocky soil.
    However, fulfilling the Japanese dream is not so easy.

    What is required?
    — First, to have a truly refined taste.
    - Secondly, a fairly extensive knowledge of Japanese culture. Moreover, it is necessary to share the worldview, which will become the conceptual basis for your garden. In particular, remember that absolutely all objects must be full of meaning and be where they are prescribed by Feng Shui.

    Japanese style landscape design

    The unshakable rules to be followed when setting up a garden the Japanese way are:

    1. multidimensionality. The garden is created, first of all, for contemplation, therefore, at each turn of the path, from each elevation, a new perspective should open. To achieve this, level differences, bridges, and hills are widely used.
    2. No symmetry. Nature does without a ruler and compass, and the Japanese garden, we recall, repeats nature in everything.
    3. The main elements in the Japanese world outlook are plants, water and stones. This is, if you like, the "holy trinity" of the Japanese garden.
    4. 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.
    5. An important nuance is the use of local materials. No need to bring picturesque stones from afar - they will be alien to your area.
    6. Water is welcome in any form. It can be a pond, a stream, a fountain.
    7. Composition is another priority of the Japanese landscape. Separate objects should be combined into picturesque groups: a stream, a bridge and a textured pine, for example, or a stone, a bush and a lantern above them.

    If you dream of decorating the entire household plot in the Japanese manner, then first break it into parts of an 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, discreet accessories as conditional boundaries.

    However, don't try to recreate Japan among Russian aspens and birch trees, don't mindlessly copy garden patterns from Kyoto and Okinawa. The main thing is the general principles. And choose plants, stones, flowers from the local area: 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, it is believed that a large number of lushly 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 visit him for an excursion. When Vladyka at the appointed hour stepped outside the gate of the garden, he did not see a single flowering plant - all the flowers were mercilessly cut. The guest got angry... But the owner invited him to the arbor, where a flower flaunted on the table - the only, inimitable. Such a dramatic reception made the shogun's heart tremble with surging feelings.

    In other words, charmingly restrained gamut of the Japanese garden, consisting of their shades and midtones, smooth transitions. The pinnacle of skill is to ensure that a certain corner of the garden is sustained in numerous shades of a single color. Let's say white, yellow or purple.
    But gray, mossy green, muted brown and non-dazzling white can be called the base colors for the Japanese landscape.

    Metaphysics of trees in a Japanese garden

    A classic Japanese garden is inconceivable without three 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, 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 estates located in the lowlands were decorated with valley plants. 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, saz, high Sakhalin mountaineer.
    Siberian cedar from Russian boron 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 that bright flashes of flowering alternate with long phases of rest.

    Cherries, smooth elms, oaks and especially maples also look very Japanese - the pattern of their leaves, the rich autumn palette fully meet the Japanese ideals of beauty and harmony.

    Shrubs, herbs and flowers

    When choosing shrubs, consider the architecture of each plant, the texture and color 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 keep their shape for a long time after shearing.

    Periodic shearing is indispensable: tradition dictates that the garden should have spherical plants. It is given not only to cotoneaster, barberry, boxwood, but even to low elms, thujas, dwarf yews, rhododendrons. These and other trimmed plants often form hedges.
    To create green walls and carpets, different types of spirea, deutsia, as well as herbs - lightning, feather grass, miscanthus are used. Mosses, ornamental sedges and grasses are widely used.

    Set up some miniature monogardens. They can be formed from hostas, ferns, that is, plants of the same type, supplemented with stones. This artistic method is fully consistent with the spirit of the Japanese garden.

    Flowers in the Eastern worldview are as ambiguous as trees. Everyone knows, for example, that the chrysanthemum is the same symbol of Japan as a sakura branch or a silhouette of a pine tree. In high esteem and daylilies, irises, bulbous.

    Plant chrysanthemum shungiku. This is a special, edible type of flower, very popular in the East. From the leaves of such a chrysanthemum, the Japanese prepare many dishes, assuring that they have healing properties.

    Peonies are appropriate in the Japanese garden, signifying love, a symbol of modesty amarylis, as well as white roses - a sign of nobility. However, flowers should be in moderation and it is better to arrange them not in common flower beds, but in separate lawns.

    Stones and more stones...

    Their significance for the Japanese garden is enormous.
    Stones, firstly, lay out a recreation area - a patio. As well as the main path that goes deep into the garden. For it, large slabs with uneven edges are chosen, and smaller samples 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: the gods live among the scattered blocks and boulders. Since then, 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 limestone, granite, quartz are placed. 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, bluish are identified with the element of water, greenish with vegetation, and stones of outlandish forms 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 will 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.

    Diversity of water bodies

    There should also be a tsukubai bowl made of stone, a low tub that was once used as a washstand. Tsukubai today is 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 facilities permit, a pond can be excavated, a characteristic detail for 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 with wooden flooring or stones (stone slabs).
    A waterfall is almost always present in the Japanese landscape. The jets rush down from a rock fragment into a narrow channel formed by smaller stones. Splashing and murmuring is considered one of the best music in Japan, and flying water adds dynamics to the landscape.
    It is possible to organize traditional Japanese reservoirs without extra costs, resorting to modern means. Tsukubai bowls, for example, today are made of polyvinyl chloride, painted to look like an old, mossy stone.

    Small architectural forms and lighting

    If you want 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 pavilion in the shape of a pagoda or a cube, painted in red, brown, white.

    Another important attribute is the zigzag yatsuhashi bridge. Its elongated, serpentine silhouette symbolizes the sinuous path of life, the road that a person passes in search of truth.
    Bridges can be arched, reminiscent of a rainbow shape, imitate ships, be made of wood and stone, extend not only over water bodies, but also over dry streams.
    At the pond, waterfall, in the rock garden, do not forget to install benches - straight, ascetic in shape, consisting of stone supports and flat wooden seats.
    Lanterns made of stone - a tribute to tradition, which should not be abandoned. Such lamps come in a variety of shapes, as well as heights - from squat, resembling 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 upwards, others are designed to illuminate the ground… pond, near the gazebo - the site will receive the optimal dose of natural light: dim, but a little mysterious, like the whole garden.

    Nowadays, however, it is difficult to confine oneself to living fire, therefore, hidden LEDs are now used in the Japanese garden - just like electric pumps, irrigation systems, etc. are used.

    A few words about the fence

    Gates always lead to the Japanese garden, because they are evidence of the social status of the owner of the estate.
    Mostly a structure consisting of a tiled roof on two pillars. Not uncommon, however, and single gates-Kidomon.
    The fence is made of stones, while the inner hedges are made of bamboo and cut bushes. In a similar way - with the help of vegetation - they necessarily cover "ugly" places: those where hatches, collectors, communications are located.
    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.

    Relevant details

    A Japanese garden can be decorated with a stone turret, paired vases, whimsical driftwood, as well as suitable talismans - wind chimes, copper bells, white ceramic koi figurines.
    There should be little decoration, like spices in a dish. Remember that all decor must comply with the exacting and strict Japanese style.

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