The correct landscape design and the right materials are imperative, but what is also crucial is the placement of each stone and planting to produce the desired effect. The art of creating beautiful water falls landscapes involves the ability to artistically place the natural boulders and plantings in such a way that it looks as if Nature had done the work instead of a human. Garden Pond designs may vary from small bird bath types to large garden ponds. The information on this page will make it easy for you to install a pond in your garden. Even the birds will think they are in paradise. Garden Pond Design Aspects The sound of running water relaxes the mind It's a good idea to have some form of water running into your pond Running water blends in with the noise of traffic, it's like music to the ears and it calms the soul. A garden pond will create a peaceful welcoming atmosphere. Before you begin, decide on what type of garden pond design you want Integrate the pond design into your over all garden design. The pond design must fit in harmoniously with the rest of the garden design.
The size and location of your pond is not just dependent on the design principles. An often overlooked item is the natural flow of water on the garden site To look natural, you need to adapt your design to this. In a very formal garden design this aspect becomes less important. Remember that you must not fight against nature. If you are thinking of having a river or a waterfall into your pond, Remember, this simple rule: Downhill. This also means taking the natural slope of your garden into account. Different types of ponds influence the garden pond design. The size, purpose and durability required often determine the type of construction. There are different types of ponds: Concrete Ponds made with an inside plastic liner Pre formed ponds: Include fish in your garden pond design. Provide adequate shelter for the fish against birds. One way of doing this is by placing some broken pots in the pond. Their curved surfaces make an excellent hideaway. You must never be able to see the source of the water comes. For example, a large leaf plant could be placed in the area where the river comes from. The start of the river may also be hidden in some other way, for example a large pot or by another focal point. Provide this through plants close to the pond, and water plants that spread across the surface of the water.
Garden Pond Plants: Choose plants for your pond that will fit into your overall garden design. Water plants are dramatically different to normal plants. Introduce the water plants by choosing garden plants that blend in with your marginal plants. Soil nutrients constantly leached into pond water could result in green water. To overcome this, retain the media (soil) by placing gravel on top of the soil in the pot. Terra cotta pots work well in ponds. The sun can also cause the water to go green. Water lilies grow at the base of the pond. The valuable cover of the lily leaves shade the algae out in summer. Try and cover a third to a half of your pond with water lilies. You need one lily for every one and a half to three square meters of pond surface. Grow marginal plants along the edges of your pond. Fill a third of the circumference of your pond with marginal plants. Marginal plants include: Iris laevigate, lobelia fulgens, Mentha aquatica, Pontederia Cordata. Oxygenating plants (submerged plants), provide underwater foliage. These plants use up the waste nutrients in the pond, and starves the algae of nutrients. Use five bunches of oxygenating plants for every square meter.
You can get these plants from pet shops that sell fish and aquarium supplies. Oxygenating plants include: Elodea densa, and Ranunculus peltatus. Floating plants can be attached to two empty plastic cool drink bottles. You can also get floating pots from your local nursery. Introduce one for every one to one and a half square meters of surface area A good floating plant is Azolla spp/Lemna. Plant bog plants (moisture-loving plants) in damp soil near the edge of the pond or a constructed bog garden. Most bog plants prefer to have only their roots in the water. Consider a bog garden as part of your garden pond design. Treating the Dreaded Algae Problem Algae are single celled plants. Spores are present in the air and will colonize any new body of water. They are rarely harmful to water-life, but are unsightly. In severe cases they may cause problems with the health of the fish. There are a variety of different algae that will colonize a pond, from thin long strands to floating clumps.
Algae control can be done by obtaining a natural balance using a pond filter, an ultraviolet light purifier and as a last resort an algaecide. The natural balance consists of starving the algae of light and nutrients. Best form of algae control is a correctly balanced pond with enough plant material to screen out the sunlight and prevent the growth of algae. A mesh bag filled with barley straw can assist in algae control. The silicates in the straw bind nutrients, such as phosphates. The straw seems to promote as organism that feeds off the algae. Straw needs to be replaced on a regular basis as it will start to decompose and pollute the water. I suggest you replace the straw every six months. You can buy barley wheat from your local health shop. Enjoy your Pond Doing a garden pond design for your garden is really worth the effort. I have sat on my patio on many occasions and just marveled at the dragonflies, butterflies and birds visiting and enjoying the water. It is so therapeutic and a special meditation retreat for me. It's easy to give your garden statuary value.
Integrate the pond design into your over all garden design. Terra cotta pots work well in ponds. Try and cover a third to a half of your pond with water lilies. Grow marginal plants along the edges of your pond. These plants use up the waste nutrients in the pond, and starves the algae of nutrients. Consider a bog garden as part of your garden pond design. There are a variety of different algae that will colonize a pond, from thin long strands to floating clumps. Algae control can be done by obtaining a natural balance using a pond filter, an ultraviolet light purifier and as a last resort an algaecide. Best form of algae control is a correctly balanced pond with enough plant material to screen out the sunlight and prevent the growth of algae. [SUBTOPIC=4] Great Gardening Tips helps you to find multiple resources available on the web for water garden pond plan. [SUBTOPIC=5] It has been described as "Nature's Song," that relaxing sound of a mountain stream that leads us to a quiet place of balance and serenity. The art of creating beautiful water falls landscapes involves the ability to artistically place the natural boulders and plantings in such a way that it looks as if Nature had done the work. The correct landscape design and the right materials are imperative, but what is also crucial is the placement of each stone and planting to produce the desired effect. Garden Pond Design for Tranquility and Peace A good garden pond design wows just about any garden.
Garden Pond designs may vary from small bird bath types to large garden ponds Water seems to make a garden look bigger. The reflective qualities in a pond attract us, and nature. If your garden pond is designed correctly, it can add a new dimension to your garden. Even the birds will think they are in paradise. Garden Pond Design Aspects The sound of running water relaxes the mind. Its a good idea to have some form of water running into your pond Running water blends in with the noise of traffic, its like music to the ears and it calms the soul. A garden pond will create a peaceful welcoming atmosphere. Before you begin, decide on what type of garden pond design you want Integrate the pond design into your over all garden design The pond design must fit in harmoniously with the rest of the garden design The size and location of your pond is not just dependent on the design principles. An often overlooked item is the natural flow of water on the garden site To look natural, you need to adapt your design to this.
In a very formal garden design this aspect becomes less important. Remember that you must not fight against nature. If you are thinking of having a river or a waterfall into your pond, remember this simple rule: Downhill. This also means taking the natural slope of your garden into account Different types of ponds influence the garden pond design. The size, purpose and durability required often determine the type of construction. There are different types of ponds: Concrete Ponds made with an inside plastic liner Pre formed ponds. Include fish in your garden pond design. Provide adequate shelter for the fish against birds. One way of doing this is by placing some broken pots in the pond. Their curved surfaces make an excellent hideaway. You must never be able to see the source of the water comes. For example, a large leaf plant could be placed in the area where the river comes from. The start of the river may also be hidden in some other way, for example a large pot or by another focal point. Provide this through plants close to the pond, and water plants that spread across the surface of the water.
Garden Pond Plants Choose plants for your pond that will fit into your overall garden design. Water plants are dramatically different to normal plants. Introduce the water plants by choosing garden plants that blend in with your marginal plants Soil nutrients constantly leached into pond water could result in green water. To overcome this, retain the media (soil) by placing gravel on top of the soil in the pot. Terra cotta pots work well in ponds. The sun can also cause the water to go green. Water lilies grow at the base of the pond. The valuable cover of the lily leaves shade the algae out in summer. Try and cover a third to a half of your pond with water lilies. You need one lily for every one and a half to three square metres of pond surface. Grow marginal plants along the edges of your pond. Fill a third of the circumference of your pond with marginal plants Marginal plants include: Iris laevigate, lobelia fulgens, Mentha aquatica, Pontederia Cordata. Oxygenating plants (submerged plants), provide underwater foliage.
These plants use up the waste nutrients in the pond, and starves the algae of nutrients. Use five bunches of oxygenating plants for every square metre You can get these plants from pet shops that sell fish and aquarium supplies Oxygenating plants include: Elodea densa, and Ranunculus peltatus. Floating plants can be attached to two empty plastic cool drink bottles You can also get floating pots from your local nursery. Introduce one for every one to one and a half square metres of surface area A good floating plant is Azolla spp/Lemna. Plant bog plants (moisture-loving plants) in damp soil near the edge of the pond or a constructed bog garden. Most bog plants prefer to have only their roots in the water, Consider a bog garden as part of your garden pond design. See our page on how to build a pond for an easy way to build and integrate a bog garden into your garden pond design. Treating the Dreaded Algae Problem Algae are single celled plants. Spores are present in the air and will colonize any new body of water They are rarely harmful to water-life, but are unsightly. In severe cases they may cause problems with the health of the fish.
There are a variety of different algae that will colonize a pond, from thin long strands to floating clumps. Algae control can be done by obtaining a natural balance using a pond filter, an ultraviolet light purifier and as a last resort an algaecide. The natural balance consists of starving the algae of light and nutrients. Best form of algae control is a correctly balanced pond with enough plant material to screen out the sunlight and prevent the growth of algae A mesh bag filled with barley straw can assist in algae control. The silicates in the straw bind nutrients, such as phosphates. The straw seems to promote as organism that feeds off the algae. Straw needs to be replaced on a regular basis as it will start to decompose and pollute the water. I suggest you replace the straw every six months. You can buy barley wheat from your local health shop. Enjoy your Pond Doing a garden pond design for your garden is really worth the effort. I have sat on my patio on many occasions and just marveled at the dragonflies, butterflies and birds visiting and enjoying the water. It is so therapeutic and a special meditation retreat for me.
Do not overlook safety
Garden Pond Safety Do not overlook safety in your design. Water is always a hazard especially for small children Design your pond with child safety in mind A sturdy stainless steel grid a few inches under the water surface should provide protection on a deep pond A safer bet would be to have a shallow pond where small children will be able to crawl out of the pond Whatever design you decide on should adequately address this issue No matter how beautiful a design, it can never warrant the loss of a child or a pets life.
Garden Magick - Transform A Difficult Garden Into A Sacred Resort For The Soul
0 comments Posted by ariya at 4/27/2009Are you establishing a new garden? Are you trying to bring a long neglected or difficult garden back to life again? You can create a flourishing garden anywhere. All you need is loads of desire, a little imagination and an open mind. In this article I briefly summarize some techniques that I have successfully used for encouraging growth in difficult areas of the garden. By adding a little magick to some basic ecological gardening principles your can create a sensation.
There are a few essential requirements for a healthy garden. These are: soil with the correct texture, nutrient levels, and drainage; water; sunlight and the appropriate plant choice for your local environment. Garden bed preparation is of utmost importance and you would be well advised to ensure that you have provided your plants with the best physical environment possible for their successful growth. But getting the physical environment right is just the first step. To get the best out of your garden you should provide a happy environment, full of positive energy and a little magick.
Visualize
When you first start planting out your garden it doesn’t look much like it will in two, three, five or ten years. Visualization is a crucial part of the garden design and planning process. It is also important for the growing process. To keep your garden growing in the direction would like it to grow, you should visualize regularly. This is just a matter of looking at the garden and imagining what it will look like when your plants are fully grown. In doing so you are mentally sending your plants messages and encouragement. Make a habit of visualizing your garden on a daily basis and imagine it as it will look in, say, five years of constant and healthy growth.
In the meantime … fake it
While you are in the early stages of garden creation, try making a ‘fake it ‘til you make it’ garden. This simply means creating an interim garden. You can do this by placing pots filled with colorful plants around the area. This will give you some instant gratification for your efforts. It will also give your new plants some company. After all, plants are communal and are not meant to grow alone.
You can quickly and easily create new pot plants by taking cuttings from other plants in your garden or your existing pot plants. Put the cuttings in water until they sprout roots – some won’t grow roots this way, it will be trial and error but many will grow roots within a week. Alternatively, buy some plants, preferably colorful flowering plants. Of course, choose appropriate plants for the location of your garden - shade loving plants for areas with little sun, etc.
Place the pots around the area where you want the garden to be and in between the plants that you have recently planted. If the garden is located in a harsh landscape that is subject to extreme hot or cold or strong winds, you can place the pots so that young plants are protected from harsh winds or direct sunlight. If your environment is particularly harsh, you may consider adding small screens made from bamboo or other natural materials to protect young plants until they establish. In a dark or very shaded area, ensure that your pots will not block any sunlight that your seedlings may be receiving. Whatever the nature of your garden, use plenty of mulch to keep the moisture in the soil and the weed growth to a minimum.
Attract Native Animals
Life attracts life, so by attracting as many animals to your garden as possible you will increase the life energy of your garden which will help your plants to grow. Place rocks and logs in your garden to provide shelter and homes for small lizards and insects. If you do not have any tall trees, installing a pole that a bird can perch atop (but a cat can’t climb) is a great idea, as birds will contribute seed laden droppings that can bring additional plants to your garden as well as additional nutrients. Show your delight when you notice a new native occupant and let him know he is welcome.
Allow the ecology of your garden to evolve along with the growth and addition of your plants and other components. Resist interfering by killing particular animals that you don’t like such as spiders, if you are so inclined. Instead, become curious and learn about them. Talk to them. You will gain an entirely new appreciation for these animals and improve your karma at the same time.
Avoid Using Poisons
Garden shops are full of garden poisons. It’s big business. It would be easy to assume that weed killers, snail killers and the other exterminators are an essential component to gardening. However, the reality is that they are really bad for your plants and the animals that add value to your garden. There is almost always a natural or more gentle alternative to using poisons in the home garden. It is far more effective in the long term to pull weeds out by hand and you will save a lot of money.
Decorate and Communicate
Celebrate your garden area by decorating it with beautiful things, such as hanging pots, statues, bird baths, sculptures and low lighting, will add positive energy and atmosphere. If possible, include an outdoor table and chairs and spend some time there entertaining friends, laughing and having a good time, or just be there on your own relaxing and smiling upon your garden. Make sure you remove or disguise any ugly or unsightly objects. It is important to keep the area beautiful as you are more likely to spend time in, and give loving energy to, a garden that you like the look of and feel good about.
Take a leaf out of Grandma’s Book
Did your Grandmother speak to her plants? Mine did, and that practice was passed down to my mother and now I do it. It works! You don’t need to spend a lot of time in conversation with your flowers. Simply walk around and admire your plants for a few minutes most days. In the difficult spots, stop and talk to those plants that are struggling. Express pleasure when you see some growth. Smile at your plants and talk to them in a light manner as you are attending to their needs.
Crystals for Positive Energy
Use crystals and semi precious stones to add some beneficial energy to the area. Here are some ideas:
Agate
This crystal is known for its ability to produce abundance and increase yields in crops. It can be used to enhance the health of your pot plants or your garden plants.
Jade
Jade represents life and growth and has been associated with the health of plants and the environment. Place jade statues in the garden or use jade in a decoration that hangs above or nearby your plants.
Moonstone
Moonstone helps to enhance the growth and health of plants. Use it in decoration in your garden or wear it when attending to your plants.
Clear Quartz Crystal
Quartz crystal will amplify and enhance the qualities of any other stone and can be used to achieve any goal of pure intention. Use it alongside the other stones or alone in your garden to enhance plant growth. I hang crystals over pot plants to improve their performance.
These are examples of stones and crystals that have specific qualities that can assist plant recovery and growth. However, there are many crystals and stones that have healing and nurturing properties so it may pay to experiment. Crystals can be placed in pots, used as a display on a table, in a bird bath or water feature. They are particularly beautiful when they form part of a hanging decoration.
Add a Little Fairy Magick
Fairies have long been associated with gardens. Flower fairies were thought to live in the flowers of plants. They looked after the plant by ensuring it had everything it needed. You can add your own bit of fairy magick to your garden by placing a hanging fairy near the garden that you want to prosper from this energy.
If fairies are not your thing, hang or place sculptures of other powerful symbols around the area, such as the Sun for positive energy and the Moon for receptivity and supernatural powers. Both of these symbols together represent balance and harmony. There are many other symbols of good fortune such as Buddha that will enhance the energy and the feel of your garden. These symbols and bearers of good energy also look great.
Feng Shui Garden
Designing your garden for good Feng Shui
The Feng Shui garden is designed to allow Chi to flow. To create good Feng Shui, design your garden with plenty of curves. If you have a garden with very straight edges, add features that give the impression of curves. You can achieve this by the way you place your garden features and how you locate your plants. Choose rounded pots and curvy furniture to increase the positive Feng Shui in your garden.
Windchime Magick
Another way to increase Chi in your garden is by hanging a windchime or a windchime bell. Windchimes aid in the flow of Chi and add an additional element to your garden through sound. The right windchime can create a sensation of peace through its harmonic tunes. It is worthwhile selecting a well made bell or windchime that you enjoy listening to as this will make a valuable addition to the atmosphere of your home and give you joy every time the breeze blows.
Water Features
A water feature is also extremely beneficial in the creation of a positive Feng Shui garden. The water must be flowing, however, so that Chi can flow and so that it does not become stagnant. The addition of fish to your water feature will provide more positive energy due to the additional life. Be sure to find fish that do not eat the spawn of local frogs. Gold fish, which originated in China, have become an environmental nuisance in some countries and they will eat frogspawn. For frog friendly fish, check with your Government Fisheries Department.
Frog Magick
Frogs represent good luck in many cultures around the world. The first frogs hopped this earth alongside the Dinosaurs. They are wise beings, worthy of respect and they will bring good energy to your garden. Be sure to locate any pond a good distance from bedroom windows, however, as frogs can croak up a storm at night.
Scent
A wonderful way for a garden to enrich your life is through scent. You can create a special atmosphere by planting the shrubs, trees and flowers in your garden that provide certain scents that enhance particular moods. Add some instant inspiration by filling your pots with lavender, jasmine, geranium, lemongrass or whatever your nose desires.
Burn incenses outside or light a scented candle at night while sitting in the garden. Select the scent that will be most beneficial for your garden’s growth. Try gardenia or lavender for love and healing, ginger for success, patchouli or rosemary for love and growth, the invigorating benefits of sweet orange or frankincense and myrrh for healing and growth.
A closing thought ..
Your garden reflects the relationship it shares with you and the other inhabitants of your home. By increasing the positive loving energy in your garden you will create a place for growth and harmony, a place where life will thrive. In return you will receive much enjoyment. By combining good ecological concepts with a little magick you can turn a difficult garden into a sacred resort for the soul.
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Using Flower Garden Plants Effectively For a Garden Full of Blooms
0 comments Posted by ariya at 5/10/2009Flower garden plants can be used effectively to produce a stunning garden that has blooms the entire season long. The type of garden plants used should figure prominently in your garden design. Annuals, flower bulbs, ornamental grasses, perennials, biennials and climbing vines are all excellent flower garden plants. These plants will have their own growth requirements and will only grow in specific conditions. Additionally some plants may require special treatment to grow properly.
Flowering plants that last year after year are called perennials. These plants will return every year but they only produce flowers for about two to four weeks a year. You can chose perennials that bloom at different times of the year so your garden should have a mix of early, mid and late blooming perennials in order to have blooms all season. Perennials will multiply on their own, so you can plan on dividing yours and having new plants for another part of your garden every 3 years or so.
Annuals are flower garden plants that only last for one season as their whole life is contained within one season. These plants produce colorful flowers that will last the entire season. Some popular perennials are nigella, sweet alyssum, blue salvia, spider flowers, marguerite daisies, Brazilian verbena and cosmos. These flowers do produce seeds each year so they can grow again.
Biennials are similar to annuals but their life span lasts for two years. The first year they grow leaves and then it is during the second year that they produce flowers. Despite the fact that they die after two years many gardeners love biennials, as their flowers are exquisite. Verbascums, foxgloves and hollyhocks are all very popular biennials. Many times you will find biennials next to the annuals in your garden store.
Tuber and corms are also called flower bulbs and these plants hibernate underground. Each year they store energy for the following year in their bulb that is stored underground. In order to grow the next year they need to go through a cold season though some bulbs, mainly summer bulbs cannot tolerate temperatures under freezing. Tulips, crocuses, daffodils and snowdrops are all early blooming bulbs and gladioli, dahlias, begonia, calla lilies and canna lilies are summer flowering bulbs. If you live in a very cold climate and want to plant bulbs that can’t tolerate the freezing temperatures, you can dig them up in the fall and overwinter them in your cellar or a cold area, then plant them again in spring.
If you have a small yard and need to focus on vertical space then climbing vines are the flower garden plants for you. These plants are great on a trellis. Some easy growing vines that have lovely flowers are the hyacinth, sweet peas, morning glories and clematis. Ornamental grass is also a different type of flower garden plant as it is mainly used to add texture to a garden. The grass will change color throughout the year while flowering in the fall and it moves when touched by the smallest breeze.
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Some people are lucky and have this innate gift of knowing how to design space, making it a pleasing place to be in. Others don't have this gene and find it very difficult to visualise how the space will work. To create a good design it is important you understand that design is about managing space and people moving around it. The core of good garden design centres round patterns and the space within these patterns. By using geometrical shapes, circles, triangles, rectangles etc. you can achieve a unified feel to your garden. So you need to think about ground patterns and movement around your garden. Where would you like people to go? Ground patterns can be achieved with the use of bricks, paving and plant material such as cut grass etc.
Formal gardens are symmetrical and geometrical and are strict in terms of repeating patterns and plant materials on either side. It is very controlled, plants are clipped, shaped, manipulated regularly and today is often suitable for small gardens like court yards. Urns, balustrades, stone, gravel paths, parterres, formal pools and framed views are all part of the formal garden. There are no surprises, you know what to expect.
Informal designs are asymmetrical and not as regimented. Plant material is allowed to spill over the structural elements such as walls, steps and paths. Plant material is allowed to self-seed and wander around the garden. Informal garden design is softer, full of surprises thus you don't know what to expect.
And semi formal is the combination of the above two. Usually it is the built structures such as retaining walls, paths and steps that are formal and the informal element is the plant material which is allowed to spill over them, softening their hard outlines.
Within these three types, there are many different styles of gardens to choose from such as contemporary, Japanese, Mediterranean, cottage, courtyard, kitchen garden or secret garden.
Contemporary is a modern style that likes to reflect the surrounding but also use a wide range of plant material. Form and texture of foliage are as important as flowers. Hard landscaping is woven into geometrical shaped buildings; all of which flow into the wider landscape. Plants are used as focal points to highlight the architectural forms.
Cottage was a late nineteenth-century ideal to return to the simple cottages of the country. They were planted with hardy bulbs, flowers, fruit bushes and herbs and vegetables. They were geometric, colours were harmonised and luxurious as plants grew well as they were heavily manured regularly.
Mediterranean is not limited to one particular area but are defined according to hot summers and low rainfall. They encompass entertaining areas, shade, good views and dramatic shadows. Hot colourful plants are used and lots of lush green foliage plants to create a cool atmosphere. Plants need to be drought tolerant. Evergreen plants are popular because they cast shade on hot days. Walls are white washed to reflect the sun, pergolas built to create shade and use terracotta pots. There is often a water feature and water provides cooling vibes.
Japanese gardens encompasses religion and Japan's cultural history. Japanese gardens are very symbolic often the symbols relate to nature. Plants are 'tamed' and there is an emphasis on evergreen trees and shrubs. They are very controlled and often minimalist. True Japanese gardens are contemplative a place of meditation and great calm.
Planning
If you feel overwhelmed and don't know where to start when designing your garden, I suggest you break it up into areas called rooms thus dividing one big space into several smaller spaces. For example: there is the front garden, the side garden and the back garden. Once you have decided where they begin and end you can then divide each of those areas up again. For example in the back garden you could have the entertaining area, the grass/children's area, the utilities area (includes the compost heap and shed), the pool area and the vegetable/orchard area. Once you have defined the areas/rooms you can tackle one at a time, thus making a huge project into several smaller projects.
The Three Planning Stages
To create an interesting and exciting garden there are 3 sets of plans (may be four if you need an engineer's structural plans) you need to devise:- Site Analysis Plan, Concept Plan and Planting Plan, usually all drawn to scale.
The First Steps
To design a garden that works there are several things you need to do before buying plants and planting them. If you follow these steps you are more likely to have a successful garden.
Site Analysis
It is important to make an inventory of the area you are designing. Things to include are:
Levels - steep/flat
Aspect - North/south
Sun/shade
Sun Summer/Winter
Shadows
Existing trees and buildings
Wind
Views - good and bad
Soil conditions
Entrances - Front/back doors
Power lines
Underground cables and pipes
Clothes line
Fences
Sheds and garages
Paved and unpaved areas
Patio/BBQ
Lighting
Drainage - runoff of storm watered
Once you have noted the above, it is time to draw up the space. You can draw it roughly (not to scale) but eventually you will have to draw it to scale. Start by measuring the area you are designing, draw it to scale ie. 1:100 and put all the above points onto your drawn plan. All these influences need to be drawn on paper, so that you can gauge any trends. For example there might be a paved path from the back door to the garage, but everyone takes a short cut across the lawn, creating a desire line. No - one uses the paved path. So perhaps pave the desire line and make it the official path.
The next step is the concept plan and this is the plan where you put down you ideas. It can be as wild and as adventurous as you like. Forget cost, enjoy your creativity. This is the stage where you put down your dreams of what you have always wanted. Later on, you hip pocket will decide for you whether you can have them. Anything is possible, so don't be shy, dream away. Again this can be roughly drawn or to scale, it is up to you.
The third and final plan is the planting plan and it is preferable that it is drawn to scale as this allows you to know exactly how many plants you will need. It incorporates all the ideas you have decided upon and shows you how the finished garden is going to look. It is the road map which will guide you to building your new garden.
There may be a fourth plan if your site is steep or you are having major elements built, as you may need the advice of an engineer.
Points to Consider
Think about your soil conditions, is it heavy clay or light and sandy? What plants will grow in these conditions? Are some areas boggy and some always dry?
Sun conditions
The sun is higher in the sky during spring and summer and shadows are shorter. Whereas in winter, the sun is lower in the sky and casts longer shadows. So a plant might be in full sun in summer and complete shade in winter. Can it tolerate this? Also think about the conditions the plants require. Are they full sun plants like roses or shade loving plants like azaleas?
Wind
You also need to think about wind direction. Which way does the prevailing wind come from? Screens and hedges are one way of managing this problem but what problems are they going to cause? Making the block feel narrow, casting shadows etc? It is important to know because some plants don't like wind and it is no good putting the BBQ/entertainment area in an uncomfortable spot.
Views
Views out your window or from your garden are very important. Some are intrusive while others are desired. If you wish to block out flats/neighbours etc. you may need to put in a higher fence or a hedging screen of some kind. Or you may want to design your garden to enhance the view of the mountain, ocean etc.
Utilities and Service Lines
You also need to be aware where your services and utilities are; things like clothesline, overhead power lines etc. If you damage the gas, telephone or electricity lines, you are liable to pay for their repair.
Principles of garden design
To create a well designed garden, it is important to put the right plant in the right position. This means considering the cultural requirements of the plant. For example putting a full sun plant such as rose into a shady position isn't going to work, because the rose won't be receiving the right amount of sunlight for it to grow. The idea of good garden design is to follow this philosophy, using the placement of plants to create mystery, tension and surprise by using tricks of the eye, colours and textures.
Tension, mystery and surprise make a garden interesting. One way to create these is to use hedges, low walls, screens, paths, steps to make individual 'garden rooms' with tension points that captures your attention on the way. For example a narrow oblong garden can be made more interesting if you can't see the back fence - that there is a feature (plant or statue etc.) that obscures the fence. It also becomes more interesting if the path way is narrow then opens up into another room. A winding path adds mystery to the garden if you can't see what is around the corner. Surprise comes when you go around the corner and discover a focal point.
A focal point is something like a seat/statue/water feature that leads your eye directly to it. For example - a pergola that has a statue at the end of it. The statue is the feature and is the reason why you look/walk to see it. Another example of a focal point is a pathway leading through a door that is open and shows a vista of the wider landscape.
The success of the focal point can depend on the how successfully the ground patterns lead you there. If the paving encourages you along this path thus creating some tension and mystery, you are more likely to follow the path to see what's there because you have become inquisitive. Narrow paths encourage you to walk quickly and not to dilly dally along the way, where as wide paths say stroll, take you time, look at the surrounding vegetation. A gentle curve can be negotiated at speed, but a tight curve can't be so people slow down as there is risk involved. Paving is used as a directional tool says don't walk that way, but walk this way. Edging bricks say don't step over this - this is a boundary. Paving can also be used to reflect the ground plane of the house or other shapes in the garden.
Long narrow gardens have a strong directional emphasis that needs to be broken up. Square plots are static. To solve these problems the space's shape needs to be changed. A circular design distracts the eye from the straight lines of the boundary fence. You could also use a series of rectangles using the boundaries as part of the design.
Another method is to turn the garden onto a 45 degree angle. A long diagonal line will immediately create a feeling of space. The paving near the house could be done on an angle and high light the diagonal line of the entire garden.
gardens with a dog-leg in them can utilise the bend by using tension, mystery and surprise to lead you around the corner to a focal point of some kind.
Unified space is created by controlling the movement around the garden. It is the way areas are linked together by paths, bridges, pergolas, steps and terraces that determine whether a garden is successful. Careless placing can ruin the flow of the garden. If you wish to direct someone's attention to a particular point then there must be a clear reason in the design for following this pathway.
Ground levels are very important when designing a garden. If a slope is too steep to walk down safely, steps may be needed and if the entire block is on a slope, the whole area may need to be terraced. What material you use is also important. Steps should not be of slippery materials and gravel may wash away. The surfaces need to be flat otherwise they could be dangerous and people will not want to walk along them and instead they may create a desire lines.
Levels help to create interest and 'rooms' in a garden because you move from one place to another by steps/paths/etc. Allow your levels to gently flow into one another and keep them simple. Don't over decorate them. A slope up from the house will appear foreshortened whereas a slope down from the house will appear larger.
Choosing Plant Materials
There are 3 types of gardens:- the plants man, the garden designer and the gardener's (mix of the first two). The plants man gardens consist of lots of singular plantings, unconnected and often rare and difficult to source. The garden designer's garden consists of plants that are tried and tested - they use plants that they know and how they perform. The gardener's garden has learned that their favourite plants can be more effective if planted in a scheme.
When choosing plants you must consider what the conditions are of your garden. There is no point putting alkaline tolerant plants in acid soil or vise versa. It won't work! You need to think about what your plants you have chosen require moist soils, dry soils, shade, sun, well drained, boggy soils. If you do your research correctly and place your plants in the right position, you are well on the way to a successful garden.
The height and spread of your plants also needs to be considered. Tall growing plants are placed at the back of the garden bed, graduating down to the low plants. Remember some plants send up flower spikes that may be much larger than the plant itself, so they need to be positioned according to their flower spike height. Some plants are bushy so don't forget to leave sufficient room for them to spread. They may need annual pruning to keep them in check.
Colour
Another trick in the designing tool bag is using colour. Colour is the sensation of illumination which is light. The way colours inter-react with each other depends on their position in colour wheel. Manipulating colour is great fun and can create all sorts of illusions. Colours are divided into 2 groups primary red, yellow, blue and secondary green, violet, orange. Secondary colours are made of combining two primary such as mixing blue and yellow together to create green. You can make a space look cold or create distance by using pale and brown colours. You can also make a space looker bigger than it really is by using warm colours such as oranges, reds or yellows. If you want to make a space look closer to you, again use warm colours. As reds, oranges or yellow are very busy colours to the eye, it is a good idea to intersperse white flowers or grey foliage plants to calm the visual scene down. White and grey also intensify blue and pale colours.
One thing to remember about the Australia sun is that the best time to look at our gardens is in the late afternoon when the sunlight is not as strong. Our hot sun tends to fade our flowers colours and the glare at mid-day tends to wash the colour out.
If you are feeling overwhelmed about designing your garden, divide your space up and take it slowly, completing one section at a time. Don't start another part until you have finished the section you are working on and very soon you will have a beautiful garden. Remember gardens are ephemeral, it is a process that is for ever evolving. You never really finish.
Labels: Design, Garden, Garden Designing, Good Garden
Classical Chinese gardens and fountains are more than collections of beautiful plants, trees and water. They are representations of nature, providing insight into the philosophical and spiritual mind of past Chinese artisans and high-ranking citizens.
The principles of classical Chinese gardening can be useful and insightful to garden lovers living anywhere in the world. Chinese design objectives can inspire American home gardeners to try something new such as a garden fountain and encourage the expression of culture and philosophy through gardening.
In the 2,000 years since the imperial family first set aside natural areas for hunting, traditional gardens in China have developed into an art form equal in rank to painting, calligraphy and poetry. Several of the finest gardens, built during the Ming and Qing Dynasties (1368-1912), have survived the ravages of time and politics.
Suzhou, about 50 miles west of Shanghai, is known as "the city of gardens." For generations, rich officials, merchants, landowners, scholars, garden designers and garden crafters settled in Suzhou to enhance its fame. The principles of classical Chinese gardens were well represented in their gardens. Visitors come to learn their secrets and experience their magic.
These gardens provide insight into the traditional Chinese view of nature, which includes the role human's play in the natural order. The gardens hold clues to the ancient Chinese mind through the winding paths, the use of symbolism and the selection of plants. In the traditional Chinese view of nature, humans were equals with everything in the natural world. As the philosopher Lao Tsu wrote in the Tao Te Ching, "Man follows the earth. Earth follows heaven. Heaven follows the Tao. Tao follows what is natural." Traditionally, Chinese people assisted in the expression of nature but did not impose their will upon it.
Chinese gardens were originally designed to symbolize a living entity: rocks formed the skeleton, water and fountains functioned as the blood, while plants provided the clothing. To portray the influence of human beings in nature, architectural constructions (bridges, pavilions, halls, courtyards, gateways, windows, doors and pavings) were integrated into a garden's design. Their purpose was to illustrate the ideal interaction of humans with nature. Together, these elements made up all that is natural on Earth: vegetation, mountains, and bodies of water with gently flowing Chinese fountains as well as human influence. The way they were integrated into the garden expressed the relationships they have in nature.
Gardeners in the West may be unable to mimic the grandeur with which the ancient Chinese gardeners represented nature, but they can include parts of each element. The goal is to create a sense of wholeness within the limitations of the site and to consider all these elements as integral parts of the garden.
Just as a garden's main elements are symbolic of the parts of a living whole, symbols that make up the culture's beliefs are scattered throughout Chinese gardens and integrated in their design. For example, bad spirits were believed to travel in straight lines so pathways were seldom designed straight or flat. It was believed that the many changes in levels and directions made it difficult for these spirits to infect the people enjoying the garden. Dragons, symbols of strength, change and goodness, frequently adorn Chinese fountain walls and roofs of garden structures.
Suitability -- The most appropriate location for every feature of a garden must be found. Seasonal changes in weather and plants as well as the physical requirements of the garden site are considered. In addition to finding the most suitable site for each garden element (plants, rocks, water fountains and architectural constructions), details such as the size, shape, color and placement of railings, windows and doors in a building, for example, are also considered to ensure complete harmony of the surroundings.
Taking Advantage - The Chinese garden designer attempts to use the garden's surroundings, whether near or distant, to the best advantage. Sights, sounds, movement and stillness, the subtle and the obvious, are used as part of the scenes created within the garden. Many of the private gardens in China were small in size -- no larger than the typical garden sites of single family homes in the United States. It is the challenge, then, of the garden designer to create the illusion of spaciousness by incorporating far-off sights and sounds into the garden's ambiance.
Refinement - To define what is refined in the garden design is a judgment rooted in culture. In Chinese gardens, this refinement has meant incorporating a tranquility, gracefulness, elegance, neatness and distinctness that is in accordance with nature. The expression of these characteristics is judged in China against culturally accepted historical standards. Outside of China, gardeners can define what is considered refined according to their own standards.
Simplicity - To Ji Cheng, being simple means not being extravagant. Resources that are on site or nearby are considered the best materials to use in designing the garden. Rare or unusual objects and plants are considered extravagant.
Changeability - This objective is prominent in traditional Chinese gardens because it expresses the natural law of constant change. A garden design can create a sense of change and unexpectedness with scene changes in every turn of a path, an unexpected or different view from each window and aesthetic changes with each season. Designs can include changes caused by clouds, sun, wind, rain, snow, insects, birds, plants and water.
A garden's plants provide a link among all its elements, symbolizing harmony in nature. Plants are the garden's dynamic, living component.
In accordance with the Chinese view of gardens as representations of nature, the trees, shrubs and flowers of a garden are chosen to reflect the unique features of the garden's region. Most traditional Chinese gardeners select native plants, or plants with special meaning in Chinese culture. Bamboo, for example, is common in Chinese gardens because of the many lessons it teaches. Bamboo is strong and resilient. Staying green throughout the winter, it teaches that one can flourish despite harsh conditions. Bamboo grows in clumps, modeling life in the family. Its fast growth illustrates self-development.
The plants are situated in ways that show off an individual plant's unique features. Their arrangements in the design demonstrate their interrelationships with other species as they occur in their natural habitats. The purpose of plants in Chinese gardens is to reflect the inherent order of nature. More than a collection of plants or even an expression of beauty in the purely visual sense, the classical Chinese garden is a physical representation of Chinese philosophy and culture. These gardens embody the best of traditional Chinese thought and culture, which sees humanity functioning as part of a greater natural order.
Today, home gardeners can apply their plant growing talents in the spirit of these old Chinese gardens by expressing their own culture and philosophy toward nature in their garden designs and by applying Ji Cheng's design objectives. The result will be a garden that unites aesthetics, plant cultivation, philosophy and culture.
Tag : garden,chinese garden,fountains,chinese
Discover How To Plan A Backyard Garden: 7 Golden Rules That Will Transform Your Back Yard To An Envious Garden!
0 comments Posted by ariya at 5/02/2009Now that spring is here, it's time begin selecting the best plants and flowers for your garden. But before you do, have you ever been guilty of buying plants on impulse only to discover after planting them they look like the forgotten step child, making your garden look ackward? The goal of this article is to teach you how to plan a backyard garden...right now.
Step 1 - Starting with a Solid Plan
Take the time to assess your garden environment. Determine how much sun and shade your garden gets. What type of soil do you have? Is it the well draining type or does it get waterlogged easily? Take note whether your garden is sheltered or exposed to the sun and wind. Now that you have completed your homework, it's time to buy the best plants for your situation.
- Tips at the nursery:
Remember shade-loving plants need a sheltered area, plants that love the sun thrive in warm spots, drought-resistant plants can should be located either in sunny or shaded areas and don't forget that swamp plants are terrific for the poorly-drained areas of your garden.
- Soil Testing
I recommend testing your soil first, to determine the pH level of your soil and what type of nutrients you need to add is a good idea. You want to find out if the soil is acid or alkaline. There are inexpensive testing kits available and it's not very difficult to do. Most plants prefer soil that is slightly acidic, but there are some that must have alkaline soil to grow. You can alter the soil's pH level, but it's much easier to simply plant for the soil you have.
- Design your layout
As you are planning your new garden how will you organize your plants and flowers? Will you group them or will they be random? Grouping your plants create a sense of organization and can be pleasing to the eye especially with vivid colors. On the otherhand, random planting if done with a natural look can also make your garden look quite beautiful.
- Experiment with your design
Now that you are ready to begin planting, put your chosen plants around the garden bed and step back to see how they will look. Experiment and move them around until you are satisfied. By grouping plants in small sets of threes or fives can visually look better than groups of even numbers. Place tall plants towards the back or put them in the center if you have a walk way around your garden.
- Picking Your Colors
Select interesting combinations of color and texture of plants. To avoid color clashes, you can still plant your flowers side-by-side but be sure they have a different blooming season. Another important aspect regarding color is that foliage have colors ranging from silver, grey or purplish and are just as attractive as the flower. Plan ahead as you will still have attractive plants past the blooming season.
Finally keep your plants away from trees as their roots will steal the necessary nutrients and moisture your flowers need. So with a little planning, plus choosing the best plants and skillfully selecting the right color scheme you will create your beautiful garden for all to enjoy. Now that's how to plan a backyard garden,
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Things to keep in mind for a beautiful garden
Main principles on the garden's design
Bring the Japanese feeling into your garden with these basic steps. First of all, embrace the ideal of nature. That means, keep things in your garden as natural as possible, avoiding to include things that could disrupt this natural appearance.
For example, don't include square ponds in your design as square ponds are nowhere to be found in nature. Also, a waterfall would be something closer to what exists in nature if we compare it to a fountain. So you also have to consider the Japanese concept of sumi or balance. Because one of Japanese gardening design main purposes is to recreate large landscapes even in the smallest place. Be careful when choosing the elements for your garden, because you don't want to end up filling your ten by ten courtyard with huge rocks.
As a miniaturized landscape, the rocks in the garden would represent mountains and the ponds would represent lakes. A space filled with sand would represent an ocean. By that we assume that garden masters were looking to achieve a minimalistic approach, best represented by the phrase "less is more".
The elements of time and space
One of the things westerners notice at first are the many portions of empty space in the garden. In fact, these spaces are an important feature in Japanese gardening. This space called ma, relates to the elements around it and that also surround it. The concepts of in and yo are of vital importance here, they are best known to the Western civilization by the Chinese names yin and yang. If you want to have something you have to start with having nothing. This is an idea quite difficult to understand, but it is a rule of thumb in Japanese gardening.
An important clue in the development of a garden is the concept of wabi and sabi. There's no literal English translation for those words. Wabi is about uniqueness, or the essence of something; a close literal translation is solitary. Sabi deals with the definition of time or the ideal image of something; the closest definition might be time strenghtened character. Given the case, a cement lantern that might appear unique, would lack of that ideal image. Or an old rock covered in lichens would have no wabi if it's just a round boulder. That's why it is important to find that balance.
Ma and wabi/sabi are connected to the concepts of space and time. When it comes to seasons, the garden must show the special character of each one. Japanese garden lovers dedicate time to their gardens every season, unlike the western gardener who deserts in fall just to be seen again in spring.
A very relaxing view in spring is given by the bright green of new buds and the blossoms of the azaleas. In summer, the lush foliage in combination with the pond offer a powerful and fresh image. The vivid spectacle of the brilliant colors of dying leaves in fall are a prelude for the arrival of winter and its white shroud of snow.
The two most important gardening seasons in Japan are spring and winter. Japanese refer to the snow accumulated on braches as Sekku or snow blossoms. Yukimi, or the snow viewing lantern, is another typical element of the Japanese garden in winter. The sleep of the garden in winter is an important episode for our Japanese gardener, while for the western gardener spring is the beginning of the work at the garden. Maybe because of the eastern point of view as death like part of the life cycle, or perhaps the western fear to death.
About garden enclosures
Let's see the garden as a microcosm of nature. If we're looking for the garden to be a true retreat, we have to 'set it apart' from the outside world. Because of that, fences and gates are important components of the Japanese garden.
The fence and the gates have both symbolism and functionality. The worries and concerns of our daily life have to stay out of this separate world that becomes the garden. The fence protects us from the outside world and the gate is the threshold where we leave our daily worries and then prepare ourselves to confront the real world again.
The use of fences is based in the concept of hide/reveal or Miegakure. Fence styles are very simple and are put in combination with screen planting, thus not giving many clues of what hides inside. You can give a sample look of your garden by cutting a small window in the solid wall that encloses your garden if that's the case. Sode-gaki, or sleeve fences, are fences attached to an architectural structure, that will only show a specific view of the garden from inside the house. Thus, we're invited to get into the garden and enjoy it in its entirety. That's what makes the true understanding of the garden, to lose in it our sense of time and self.
Basic Arrangements
Despite the fact that certain rules are applied to each individual garden, don't think that there's just one type of garden. There are three basic styles that differ by setting and purpose.
Hill and Pond Garden (Chisen-Kaiyu-skiki)
A China imported classic style. A pond or a space filled with raked gravel fronts a hill (or hills). This style always represents mountainous places and commonly makes use of vegetation indigenous to the mountains. Stroll gardens commonly use this style.
Flat Garden (Hiraniwa)
It derives from the use of open, flat spaces in front of temples and palaces for ceremonies. This is an appropriate style for contemplation and that represents a seashore area (with the use of the right plants). This is a style frequently used in courtyards.
Tea Gardens (Rojiniwa)
Function has a greater importance than form in this type of garden. The Roji or dewy path, is the main point of the garden, along with the pond and the gates. This would be the exception to the rule. The simple and sparse plantings give a rustic feeling to the garden.
Formality has to be taken in consideration
Hill and pond and flat styles may be shin (formal), gyo (intermediate) or so (informal). Formal styles were to be found usually at temples or palaces, intermediate styles were suitable for most residences, and the informal style was used in peasant huts and mountain retreats. The tea garden is the one that always fits in the informal style.
The garden components
Rocks (ishi in Japanese) are the main concern of the Japanese garden. If the stones are placed correctly, then the garden shows in a perfect balance. So here are shown the basic stone types and the rules for their positions.
The basic stones are the tall upright stone, the low upright stone, the curved stone, the reclining stone, and the horizontal stone. These must be usually set in triads although this doesn't happen always. Two almost identical stones (by way of example, two tall verticals or two reclining stones), one a little quite smaller than the other, can be set together as male and female, but the use of them in threes, fives, and sevens is more frequent.
We have to keep away from the Three Bad Stones. These are the Diseased stone (having a withered or misshapen top), the Dead stone (an obviously vertical one used as a horizontal, or vice versa, like the placement of a dead body), and the Pauper Stone (a stone having no connection to the several other ones in the garden). Use only one stone of each of the basic types in any cluster (the rest have to be smaller, modest stones also known as throwaway stones). Stones can be placed as sculptures, set against a background in a two-dimensional way, or given a purpose, such as a stepping stone or a bridge.
When used as stepping stones they should be between one and three inches above the soil, yet solid underfoot, as if rooted into the ground. They can be put in straight lines, offset for left foot, right foot (referred as chidori or plover, after the tracks the shore bird leaves), or set in sets of twos, threes, fours, or fives (and any combination thereof).
The pathway stands for the passage through life, and even particular stones by the path may have meaning. A much wider stone placed across the path tells us to put two feet here, stopping to enjoy the view. There are numerous stones for specific places. When observing the basic design principles, we can notice the exact character of the Japanese garden.
Water (mizu in Japanese) plays an important part in the composition of the Japanese garden because of Japan's abundant rainfall. Water can be represented even with a raked gravel area instead of water. A rushing stream can be represented by placing flat river stones closely together. In the tea garden, where there isn't any stream or pond, water plays the most important role in the ritual cleansing at the chozubachi, or water basin. As the water fills and empties from the shishi-odoki, or deer scare, the clack of bamboo on rock helps mark the passage of time.
The flow of water, the way it sounds and looks, brings to mind the continual passage of time. A bridge crossing the water stream is often used as a landscaping complement. Bridges denote a journey, just as pathways do. Hashi, in japanese, can mean bridge or edge. Bridges are the symbolic pass from one world into another, a constant theme in Japanese art.
Plants or Shokobutsu may play a secondary role to the stones in the garden, but they are a primary concern in the design too. Stones represent what remains unchanged, so trees, shrubs, and perennials have to represent the passing of seasons. Earlier garden styles used plants to make up poetic connotations or to correct geomantic issues, but these have little meaning today.
As the the Heian style diminished under the Zen influence, perennials and grasses fell out of use. So, for a long time, there were only a few plants that tradition allowed for the garden. However, in modern Japan, designers are again widening the spectrum of materials used. It is highly recommended that native plants are chosen for the garden, because showy exotic plants are not in good taste. Be aware that native plants are used in the garden, because it is in bad taste to use showy exotic plants. Although pines, cherries and bamboo immediatly remind us of Japanese gardens, we encourage you to use native plants of your locality that you can find pleasing. If we choose evergreens as the main plant theme and combine it with deciduous material that may provide seasonal blooms or foliage color we can recreate the look of the Japanese garden.
Now the next thing taken in consideration in a Japanese garden are the ornaments or Tenkebutsu. Stone lanterns are, for westerners, a typical impression of Japanese gardens.Stone lanterns are not important components of the Japanese garden. The reason is that ornaments are subjected to the garden's design. Lanterns, stupas, and basins are just architectural complements added when a point of visual interest is necessary to the design.
A good way to finish yor garden design could be a well-placed lantern. The three main styles (although with many variations) are: The Kasuga style lantern, is a very formal one featuring a stone base. In the Oribe style lantern, unlike the Kasuga style, the pedestal is underneath the ground. The Yukimi or Snow-Viewing lantern is set on short legs instead of a pedestal. Consider the formality of your garden setting to choose the appropiate lantern.
When possible, elements from outside the garden can be included in it. For instance, you can work a far away mountain including the scenery in your design, framing it with the stones and plants existing in the garden.
The borrowed scenery (shakkei in Japanese) can be: Far (as in a far away mountain); near (a tree just outside the fence); High (an element seen above the fence) or low (like a component seen below a fence or through a window in the fence).
As much as it is perceived to contradict our sense of enclosure, it reminds us of how all things are interconnected.
The feel of your garden
The Japanese garden is a subtle place full of contradictions and imperatives. Where firmly established rules are broken with other rules. If you meet the Buddha on the road, you must kill him is a Zen paradox that recommends not to stick so tightly to rules, and the same goes for Japanese gardens.
When building a Japanese garden, don't get too attached to traditions that hold little meaning for you. It would have no function to recreate a Buddhist saints garden. This also applies to trying to remember the meaning of stone placements, as this method is no longer used in Japan, or even in the United States, due to the lack of meaning for us in the modern world.
That's why we have selected a few gardening suggestions that do hold relevance and integrate them into a garden. These three ideas on gardening will give direction to achieve perfect results.
First
The overall setting of the garden should always be right for the location, not the other way around.
Second
The stones should be placed first, next the trees, and then the shrubs.
Third
Get used to the concepts of shin, gyo, and so. This is of great help to start working on the garden.
Have in mind that the real Japanese garden are the traditional ones in Japan. What we can do in America is to shape a garden in the Japanese style. Rikyu once said about the perfect Roji: "Thick green moss, all pure and sunny warm". In other words, techniques are not as important as the feeling you evoke in your garden. Said in other way, the feeling is more important than techniques.
Tag : garden,Japanese garden,gardening,Japan
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Do you have a garden with full of flowers in the backyard of your house? Or are you just planning to create one? If you have plans to create a water garden in your front yard then you have made an excellent decision. Garden with water attracts the interest of many. It gives a pleasing effect to your garden. Moreover, not only front yard but water garden at the backyard is enough to attract the eye-catch of your relatives and visitors.
You must be aware of the fact that there are several types of gardens you can endorse at your home. You can create even a small raised bed garden or an elegant garden with a fountain. There are varieties of water gardens and some of them include waterfalls, small fountains and ponds. And it is easy to maintain too. However, it is vital that you choose the perfect spot to install a raised garden or water garden. Some fish and plants require sunlight and so you need to make sure that you create your pond or a water garden where there is plenty of sun warmth.
Several Factors That Need to Consider
When you plan to start your water gardening there are certain things you should consider:
o Size of the Water Garden: The size of the water garden or the raised bed garden plays a great role in portraying the beauty of your raised gardens. Don't make it neither too big nor too small; just makes it proportionate to your area.
o Budget for the Water Garden: Depending upon your budget and requirements you can set your water garden with rocks, fountains, and other styles to make it look prettier. Be careful in choosing the best useful plants for your garden that suits your budget.
o Plants & Fish selection: Fish cannot alone be a beautiful attraction to your water garden they can keep the pool free from debris. There are various types of plants that you can choose, if you want the one that floats freely you can get them or you can plants that will be submerged too. Get some plants for your garden that provides oxygen, which helps to keep the pool healthy forever.
Apart from building a water garden in your area, you can also build a raised bed garden. These raised gardens enhance the look of your home and you can be comfortable working in raised beds. Building and maintaining a raised bed gardens are easy when compared to the normal gardens. These gardens not only save your time but it will ideally save your lots of money. If you don't have the adequate drainage facility then these raised bed gardens can be the ideal solution.
Raised bed garden is sufficient to offer you better soil conditions, and you can have varied soils from bed to bed. Whether you are interested in growing a vegetable garden or a flower garden, then raised gardens are your preferred choice. This type of gardens can easily drain the excess moisture. Your plants look incredible with these neatly arranged raised gardens. The raised bed gardens provide you with better yields. And the pest control is made easy in the raised gardens. In other words, these raised gardens definitely give your home and garden an appealing look just like water gardens.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Caitlina_Fuller | |
Things to keep in mind for a beautiful garden
Main principles on the garden's design
Bring the Japanese feeling into your garden with these basic steps. First of all, embrace the ideal of nature. That means, keep things in your garden as natural as possible, avoiding to include things that could disrupt this natural appearance.
For example, don't include square ponds in your design as square ponds are nowhere to be found in nature. Also, a waterfall would be something closer to what exists in nature if we compare it to a fountain. So you also have to consider the Japanese concept of sumi or balance. Because one of Japanese gardening design main purposes is to recreate large landscapes even in the smallest place. Be careful when choosing the elements for your garden, because you don't want to end up filling your ten by ten courtyard with huge rocks.
As a miniaturized landscape, the rocks in the garden would represent mountains and the ponds would represent lakes. A space filled with sand would represent an ocean. By that we assume that garden masters were looking to achieve a minimalistic approach, best represented by the phrase "less is more".
The elements of time and space
One of the things westerners notice at first are the many portions of empty space in the garden. In fact, these spaces are an important feature in Japanese gardening. This space called ma, relates to the elements around it and that also surround it. The concepts of in and yo are of vital importance here, they are best known to the Western civilization by the Chinese names yin and yang. If you want to have something you have to start with having nothing. This is an idea quite difficult to understand, but it is a rule of thumb in Japanese gardening.
An important clue in the development of a garden is the concept of wabi and sabi. There's no literal English translation for those words. Wabi is about uniqueness, or the essence of something; a close literal translation is solitary. Sabi deals with the definition of time or the ideal image of something; the closest definition might be time strenghtened character. Given the case, a cement lantern that might appear unique, would lack of that ideal image. Or an old rock covered in lichens would have no wabi if it's just a round boulder. That's why it is important to find that balance.
Ma and wabi/sabi are connected to the concepts of space and time. When it comes to seasons, the garden must show the special character of each one. Japanese garden lovers dedicate time to their gardens every season, unlike the western gardener who deserts in fall just to be seen again in spring.
A very relaxing view in spring is given by the bright green of new buds and the blossoms of the azaleas. In summer, the lush foliage in combination with the pond offer a powerful and fresh image. The vivid spectacle of the brilliant colors of dying leaves in fall are a prelude for the arrival of winter and its white shroud of snow.
The two most important gardening seasons in Japan are spring and winter. Japanese refer to the snow accumulated on braches as Sekku or snow blossoms. Yukimi, or the snow viewing lantern, is another typical element of the Japanese garden in winter. The sleep of the garden in winter is an important episode for our Japanese gardener, while for the western gardener spring is the beginning of the work at the garden. Maybe because of the eastern point of view as death like part of the life cycle, or perhaps the western fear to death.
About garden enclosures
Let's see the garden as a microcosm of nature. If we're looking for the garden to be a true retreat, we have to 'set it apart' from the outside world. Because of that, fences and gates are important components of the Japanese garden.
The fence and the gates have both symbolism and functionality. The worries and concerns of our daily life have to stay out of this separate world that becomes the garden. The fence protects us from the outside world and the gate is the threshold where we leave our daily worries and then prepare ourselves to confront the real world again.
The use of fences is based in the concept of hide/reveal or Miegakure. Fence styles are very simple and are put in combination with screen planting, thus not giving many clues of what hides inside. You can give a sample look of your garden by cutting a small window in the solid wall that encloses your garden if that's the case. Sode-gaki, or sleeve fences, are fences attached to an architectural structure, that will only show a specific view of the garden from inside the house. Thus, we're invited to get into the garden and enjoy it in its entirety. That's what makes the true understanding of the garden, to lose in it our sense of time and self.
Basic Arrangements
Despite the fact that certain rules are applied to each individual garden, don't think that there's just one type of garden. There are three basic styles that differ by setting and purpose.
Hill and Pond Garden (Chisen-Kaiyu-skiki)
A China imported classic style. A pond or a space filled with raked gravel fronts a hill (or hills). This style always represents mountainous places and commonly makes use of vegetation indigenous to the mountains. Stroll gardens commonly use this style.
Flat Garden (Hiraniwa)
It derives from the use of open, flat spaces in front of temples and palaces for ceremonies. This is an appropriate style for contemplation and that represents a seashore area (with the use of the right plants). This is a style frequently used in courtyards.
Tea Gardens (Rojiniwa)
Function has a greater importance than form in this type of garden. The Roji or dewy path, is the main point of the garden, along with the pond and the gates. This would be the exception to the rule. The simple and sparse plantings give a rustic feeling to the garden.
Formality has to be taken in consideration
Hill and pond and flat styles may be shin (formal), gyo (intermediate) or so (informal). Formal styles were to be found usually at temples or palaces, intermediate styles were suitable for most residences, and the informal style was used in peasant huts and mountain retreats. The tea garden is the one that always fits in the informal style.
The garden components
Rocks (ishi in Japanese) are the main concern of the Japanese garden. If the stones are placed correctly, then the garden shows in a perfect balance. So here are shown the basic stone types and the rules for their positions.
The basic stones are the tall upright stone, the low upright stone, the curved stone, the reclining stone, and the horizontal stone. These must be usually set in triads although this doesn't happen always. Two almost identical stones (by way of example, two tall verticals or two reclining stones), one a little quite smaller than the other, can be set together as male and female, but the use of them in threes, fives, and sevens is more frequent.
We have to keep away from the Three Bad Stones. These are the Diseased stone (having a withered or misshapen top), the Dead stone (an obviously vertical one used as a horizontal, or vice versa, like the placement of a dead body), and the Pauper Stone (a stone having no connection to the several other ones in the garden). Use only one stone of each of the basic types in any cluster (the rest have to be smaller, modest stones also known as throwaway stones). Stones can be placed as sculptures, set against a background in a two-dimensional way, or given a purpose, such as a stepping stone or a bridge.
When used as stepping stones they should be between one and three inches above the soil, yet solid underfoot, as if rooted into the ground. They can be put in straight lines, offset for left foot, right foot (referred as chidori or plover, after the tracks the shore bird leaves), or set in sets of twos, threes, fours, or fives (and any combination thereof).
The pathway stands for the passage through life, and even particular stones by the path may have meaning. A much wider stone placed across the path tells us to put two feet here, stopping to enjoy the view. There are numerous stones for specific places. When observing the basic design principles, we can notice the exact character of the Japanese garden.
Water (mizu in Japanese) plays an important part in the composition of the Japanese garden because of Japan's abundant rainfall. Water can be represented even with a raked gravel area instead of water. A rushing stream can be represented by placing flat river stones closely together. In the tea garden, where there isn't any stream or pond, water plays the most important role in the ritual cleansing at the chozubachi, or water basin. As the water fills and empties from the shishi-odoki, or deer scare, the clack of bamboo on rock helps mark the passage of time.
The flow of water, the way it sounds and looks, brings to mind the continual passage of time. A bridge crossing the water stream is often used as a landscaping complement. Bridges denote a journey, just as pathways do. Hashi, in japanese, can mean bridge or edge. Bridges are the symbolic pass from one world into another, a constant theme in Japanese art.
Plants or Shokobutsu may play a secondary role to the stones in the garden, but they are a primary concern in the design too. Stones represent what remains unchanged, so trees, shrubs, and perennials have to represent the passing of seasons. Earlier garden styles used plants to make up poetic connotations or to correct geomantic issues, but these have little meaning today.
As the the Heian style diminished under the Zen influence, perennials and grasses fell out of use. So, for a long time, there were only a few plants that tradition allowed for the garden. However, in modern Japan, designers are again widening the spectrum of materials used. It is highly recommended that native plants are chosen for the garden, because showy exotic plants are not in good taste. Be aware that native plants are used in the garden, because it is in bad taste to use showy exotic plants. Although pines, cherries and bamboo immediatly remind us of Japanese gardens, we encourage you to use native plants of your locality that you can find pleasing. If we choose evergreens as the main plant theme and combine it with deciduous material that may provide seasonal blooms or foliage color we can recreate the look of the Japanese garden.
Now the next thing taken in consideration in a Japanese garden are the ornaments or Tenkebutsu. Stone lanterns are, for westerners, a typical impression of Japanese gardens.Stone lanterns are not important components of the Japanese garden. The reason is that ornaments are subjected to the garden's design. Lanterns, stupas, and basins are just architectural complements added when a point of visual interest is necessary to the design.
A good way to finish yor garden design could be a well-placed lantern. The three main styles (although with many variations) are: The Kasuga style lantern, is a very formal one featuring a stone base. In the Oribe style lantern, unlike the Kasuga style, the pedestal is underneath the ground. The Yukimi or Snow-Viewing lantern is set on short legs instead of a pedestal. Consider the formality of your garden setting to choose the appropiate lantern.
When possible, elements from outside the garden can be included in it. For instance, you can work a far away mountain including the scenery in your design, framing it with the stones and plants existing in the garden.
The borrowed scenery (shakkei in Japanese) can be: Far (as in a far away mountain); near (a tree just outside the fence); High (an element seen above the fence) or low (like a component seen below a fence or through a window in the fence).
As much as it is perceived to contradict our sense of enclosure, it reminds us of how all things are interconnected.
The feel of your garden
The Japanese garden is a subtle place full of contradictions and imperatives. Where firmly established rules are broken with other rules. If you meet the Buddha on the road, you must kill him is a Zen paradox that recommends not to stick so tightly to rules, and the same goes for Japanese gardens.
When building a Japanese garden, don't get too attached to traditions that hold little meaning for you. It would have no function to recreate a Buddhist saints garden. This also applies to trying to remember the meaning of stone placements, as this method is no longer used in Japan, or even in the United States, due to the lack of meaning for us in the modern world.
That's why we have selected a few gardening suggestions that do hold relevance and integrate them into a garden. These three ideas on gardening will give direction to achieve perfect results.
First
The overall setting of the garden should always be right for the location, not the other way around.
Second
The stones should be placed first, next the trees, and then the shrubs.
Third
Get used to the concepts of shin, gyo, and so. This is of great help to start working on the garden.
Have in mind that the real Japanese gardens are the traditional ones in Japan. What we can do in America is to shape a garden in the Japanese style. Rikyu once said about the perfect Roji: "Thick green moss, all pure and sunny warm". In other words, techniques are not as important as the feeling you evoke in your garden. Said in other way, the feeling is more important than techniques.
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