This classic garden provides a calm refuge with natural elements that encourage contemplation and symbolize renewal, wonder, and beauty.
Stones are symbols of longevity and the ever-present forces of nature, providing the garden with an anchor. With stones, we can create a landscape for cascading water, with small hills, a stream, and a pond.
Image by Drobek226 from Pixabay
Water symbolizes continuity with the hereafter. Cascading water, streams and ponds with koi or carp fish providing a flash of gold colour. The cascades also have a practical purpose, as clear, circulating water helps keep the air fresh during summer months.
A bridge might be built of wood, earth, stone, or bamboo. The bridge allows you a higher point to enjoy the garden’s beauty, watch the fish as they swim, and feel the soft breeze. Lanterns are a symbol of enlightenment and knowledge.
Plants and trees
The Japanese express their joy in the way they use plants and flowers. The bonsai tree is a pinnacle in Japanese culture, as this living plant must be carefully clipped ant nurtured to retain its symbolic shape.
Pine trees
are often pruned to keep their shapes in harmony with the garden. Some pines have a widespread silhouette while others are dense, compact. A small grove of pines can provide a screen from outside distractions.
The good news:
Many more flowers and trees require only minor pruning. Their care is often more suited to the household garden.
Serviceberry
is a classic bush, a symbol of youth with a mass of white flowers in spring. In the fall, this plant has beautiful gold and scarlet foliage with tiny blue berries. In the winter, serviceberry shows its silvery bark.
Japanese maple
is appreciated for its lacy leaves and striking autumn colours. In very cold climate, the Japanese maples can be grown in pots and taken indoors during winter months, then brought back outside for warm weather.
Hardier maples
are appreciated as well, allowed to grow naturally without any pruning. These larger maples provide great shade in summer and glorious autumn colours as well.
Lotus
is known as the flower of Buddha, a sacred plant that will rest on a placid pond, the focus of meditation and contemplation. The lotus flower with its huge blooms in summer provide delicate pink and white shades.
Iris
blooms in pink, blue and white tones from May to mid-July. You can choose from many species of irises; their delicacy and grace reflect the Japanese quest for simple, refined beauty.
Shrub peony
bloom in late spring in shades of pink, mauve and yellow, lasting only a few days. They are a symbol of prosperity in Japanese culture, and require winter protection.
Crabapple
blooms abundantly in spring with white and pink flowers, symbolizing youth and renewal. Japanese cherry trees are well-known for their pure white blossoms.
Rhododendrons and azaleas
give us bright pink, red, purple and white blooms in spring — delicate petals that symbolize fragile beauty. These bushes have waxy, lustrous foliage that give the illusion of wooded landscape in the garden.
Our landscape team at Glorious Gardens is happy to discuss these ideas in planning your garden. If you’re considering a “re-do” of your outdoor space, we invite you to call us. We will brainstorm to find the right blend of elements to suit your tastes, your budget and your space.
