Implementing Japanese Garden Aesthetics for Over 20 Years

JAPANESE GARDEN DESIGN

For many centuries, garden builders in Japan have refined their techniques to produce some of the most beautiful landscapes in the world. A central theme has always been to re-create the beauty of nature and natural scenery. Whether it is the austere formality of a dry rock garden with its pines, rock arrangements and decorative gravel, or the quiet yet restorative power of a moss-laden tea garden, the landscapes of Japan are like no other.

For those that are captivated by Japanese garden aesthetics, and who would like to capture the rhythms of nature at their living or work spaces, there is good news. The design principles and methods are universal and can be adapted to landscape spaces here.

JAPANESE GARDEN CONSTRUCTION

Rock work is something of an art form in Japan. A garden builder must be skilled in the techniques of stone setting to design a landscape in the first place. Rock arrangements, whether waterfalls or dry stone compositions, are often primary focal points, and the success of the garden hinges on not only the skillful arrangement and setting of these features, but the selection of high quality material.

In the hands of a talented garden builder, one-of-a-kind boulders, sculpted specimen trees and shrubs, lush ground cover and water-worn stepping stones are arranged in an irregular yet balanced way, to produce what can only be called living art.

JAPANESE GARDEN MAINTENANCE

The sculpted pines and shaped shrubs that are common in many of Japan’s gardens are easily recognizable, but the development and maintenance of these special landscapes is so much more.

The pruning skills needed to care for and guide specimen trees and shrubs into the future is only attained after years of study and hands-on practice. But the overall maintenance of a Japanese garden includes many other aspects besides aesthetic pruning, including shearing and shaping of shrubs and hedges, decorative fence repair, fertilizing, weeding and periodic cleaning. Even well-designed gardens, built by skilled technicians, will soon fall into disrepair without proper development and maintenance.