Japanese Landscaping

If you are mulling over the thought of landscaping and wish to have a serene and calm atmosphere then you should go in for Japanese landscaping. Japanese landscaping is meant for combining the architecture and vegetation to give a relaxing effect to its users. Japanese landscaping always consists of plants and flowers full of life and lush greenery with either ponds or waterfalls.

The completely natural look

Japanese landscaping never represents the artificial aspect such as symmetrical placement of plants in rows. Rather they believe in the asymmetrical arrangement of the objects to create the most natural look. Japanese landscaping emphasizes on space and does not appreciate anything which gives a crowded look. Thus the plants are carefully chosen and in limited numbers to avoid chaos and concentrate on enhancing the beauty.

Symbolic creations

The plants and trees used in Japanese landscaping have meanings like the maple and deciduous trees represent the changes throughout one’s life as these trees exhibit different aspects during every season. The evergreen trees are representations of stability and firmness.

The flowers that are planted in Japanese landscaping bloom in a sequence. The colors that are used are subtle and pastel shades. Flowers such as chrysanthemums, azaleas etc are used here and using bamboo will give an oriental look to your landscape.

Water feature

Japanese landscaping is incomplete without a water feature as water is considered to make your surroundings peaceful. So you can use the traditional landscaping feature such as the Koi pond or opt for simpler ponds and waterfalls. You can even place rocks in random positions and watch the water fall from your waterfall onto the rocks and create the most wonderful rendition. You can also use the bonsai trees as additional enhancements. You can have a small bridge and stone steps or stone lanterns to complete the oriental look.

Japanese style gardens

If you are insistent on the Japanese landscaping model for your surroundings then you can choose from any of the Japanese garden styles. You can have an island and pond style garden where you can create a large pond in the center suitable for a boat or for strolling at the pond’s edge. You can have small islands in the pond with a tree or a bush and also build a bridge connecting the island to the shore.

The next style of Japanese garden is the Zen style which uses boulders and rocks of different sizes, lots of gravel and sand. The rocks represent islands and the gravel and sand represent water. You can also create a tea garden with an inner and outer garden. You can also have the stroll garden where there are various paths which will take your guests through exciting turns and reveal new sights. However, if you are unable to create any of these Japanese gardens due to a space crunch and limited budget, you can opt for the courtyard style.