How nice a Japanese Garden can be. Important elements in designing a Japanese Garden. Creating a peaceful garden.

Each Japanese garden is unique in its design, and most Japanese gardens are designed in a very singular way, but using common elements that are traditional in Japanese design. The most common elements that are considered for Japanese garden design are rock, water, plants and ornaments. In Japanese garden design, each of these serves a specific purpose.

Rock is considered the foundation of the garden. In Japanese garden design, great care is taken in laying out the stones and the rest of the garden will follow this form. Tall, vertical stones may be used, or long stones may be laid on their sides, arching stone pillars and reclining rocks are all used to contribute to the design. Then stepping stones and rock pathways are formed. Since these rocks have meaning in traditional Japanese garden design, the placement of each stone and rock is crucial. But we may just place them where they look best.

Water is another critical element of the design of the garden. It may really be water, such as a pond or a waterfall, or it may just be suggestive of water, such as stones raked in such a way as to resembel a stream. If you use real water running the water over surfaces such as stone, will add a peaceful sound, and create serenity. The Japanese view water as symbolic of time passing, so it is an important feature of a contemplative garden.

The actual plants in a Japanese garden are secondary to the importance of stone in the garden. But they are crucial to the design and must complement it. They must harmonize with the stone and their placement must be well thought out to do so. Bamboo and Japanese maples are often used, but the kind of plant you use is not as critical as the harmonious placement. Some easy to use and place plants are ornamental grasses, evergreens and many dediduous trees.

The next element is ornamentation. Ornaments are not focal points, but merely serve to enhance the critical elements of the garden such as rock and water. Therefore, they are strategically placed to accent a bridge, a stream or a stone in the garden. You will find lanterns, shallow basins or small sculptures in the garden. A Japanese garden will be situated as to take advantage of surrounding features. For instance, an opening in a gate may frame a distant tree or mountain, or a stone stream may be placed to appear as if it is meandering off into a faraway shore.

Ever walked past someone’s garden and been so enraptured by the front yard that you hardly registered what the house looked like? In these days of the difficult-to-shift property market, that is the kind of garden you want.

Front yards that have appeal may draw a buyer into your home. If they like the way you have finished your yard – they may think that they will like the way you have finished your home.

At this time of the year a yard is more about evergreens and accessories than flowers, as there are very few blooms available. Also – and for this reason – it is at this time of year that the Japanese garden stands out. A Japanese garden can lend itself to almost any climate, from snowy to humid, from rainy to desert.

To get an idea of the look of a Japanese garden, first look in a few magazines or books at the library, or check out some illustrations on the Internet. Pick illustrations that look similar to the same size and shape as the layout of your garden. Depending on your preference you may wish to copy some layout plans or ideas.

Japanese gardens are traditionally ruled by Zen philosophy. Each feature has a deeper representation which you can ponder on, once you are aware of them. As you walk through your Japanese Zen area each day, you may even absorb some of the peace embedded in the Zen philosophy. These ideas for your own Japanese front yard will be discussed in two parts.

Firstly, in “Your Own Japanese Garden: Part 1″, the focus is on ambience, focal points, rocks and lanterns; then a follow up in “Your Own Japanese Garden: Part 2″ explores plants, water, bridges, vessels and aged items. These combined features help to form the Japanese Zen garden.

There are several factors of this look that can be touched on to create an unusual garden. In an abstract way, the qualities that the gardens are representing are peace and tranquility, and in Zen philosophy, this is created by simplicity.

The relaxing ambience that encourages meditation can be achieved by placing a bamboo or rattan chair plus a small table near a wall, or in front of a lattice fence. If your garden is in a hot part of the country, group the seats under a tree or parasol. Stillness is the key word here.

Two other abstract notions suggested in a Zen garden are represented physically by a focal point that is not placed centrally, and secondly, a ‘window’ to a hidden part in your garden.

This can be represented by a piece of tall, latticed fence work, or a tree with shrubs around, or a pagoda, or even simply a bench that is partly concealed. This ‘hide and reveal’ theme is suggestive of the quest for human enlightenment and it also offers privacy. You may wish to incorporate your seating here for that reason.

The introduction of something tall lends itself to the look of the Japanese garden. Western gardens tend to be larger and boast a flat expanse of lawn; Japanese homes usually have tiny gardens. They tend to be more vertical, and tall shrubs will often be placed to hide the house from the street.

For an inexpensive focal point, you can dig a bed and put a bamboo or a red Japanese maple (miniature or full size) plus other plants in it. The bamboo bushes and trees will live in most mild North American areas, though you may have to ‘cover it’ in severe frosts. A very large cactus or groupings of cacti will also make an interesting focal point.

Smaller beds can be dug in across the yard. The center of the yard is deliberately left empty, and a lack of symmetry is desired. This reflects the lack of perfection in the world!

For some authentic Japanese atmosphere, one tall and one shorter black lantern can be well placed along your winding (never straight!) pathway, or sometimes peeking out from amongst a selection of shrubs and plants.

A small pathway can lead to nowhere, and Zen gardens will always have at least one pathway of either white round gravel or gray flattened gravel wending its way through your shrubs; several glimpses of this pathway will satisfy the unity and harmony requirement of Zen gardens.

Whilst lanterns are more of a Buddhist tradition, they have come to represent the essence of the Japanese garden, so they are also included in Zen designs.

One very large Japanese lantern and one smaller one elsewhere can look effective. These usually come in two traditional styles, one more fat-bellied and squat than the other. They are most commonly found in black or pale gray.

Some of the most inexpensive modern lighting will lend itself to the Japanese mode. The ‘push-in’ mushroom type lamps are very easily assimilated into the Zen garden design.

Rocks and stone are a big feature of the Japanese garden, with different sized rocks grouped seemingly at random. Smaller rocks will look good grouped with your focal point, or added to a bush or plant grouping.

Try to find at least one big rock. If you have one big one, you can group smaller ones beside it and finish off with a fern or two. Stones represent life’s immovable mountains.

If that really resonates with you, beware; just one rock will suffice; you do not need a rock for each immovable mountain in your life! If you feel that you have numerous immovable mountains in your life, then move into “Your Own Japanese Garden: Part 2″ where the de-stressing values of water-sounds are discussed!

Located in the Old Town of Shanghai, The Yu Yuan Gardens were built in the Ming Dynasty and are 400 years old.  For anyone planning a trip to Shanghai the Yu Yuan Gardens are a must see.  A classical southern style Chinese garden.  Also known as the Garden of Leisurely Repose, Yu Yuan is the only Ming garden left in Shanghai. 

Upon entering the gardens you will be struck by the sheer beauty of the landscaping. Small ponds surrounded by rocks, trees and shrubbery.  Wonderful sculptures abound as well.  There is also a vibrant bazaar and shopping area where you can barter for souvenirs and gifts.

You will also find Sansui Hall in Yuyuan Gardens.  Sansui Hall was built in 1760 and was originally used to entertain guests. Later it became a place to hold ceremonies for the gentlemen and bookmen. With a height of nine meters (about 30 feet) and featuring five halls, it is the largest and most commodious structure in the garden.

The true treasure of Yuyuan Garden is the Exquisite Jade Rock. Located across from Yuhua Hall.  The rock is 3.3 meters (about 10.8 feet) in height and has 72 holes. What is interesting about this rock is that if you burn a joss stick just below the rock, the smoke will magically float out from all of the holes. Similarly, when you pour water into the rock from top, the water will flow out from each hole creating a spectacular sight to see.

The Inner Garden was a separate garden built in 1709, but is now a part of Yuyuan Garden in the south. The Inner Garden is compact and exquisite, and the rocks, pavilions, ornamental ponds and flower walls offer some of the most attractive sceneries in Yuyuan Garden.

Once you hit upon a new idea it is always nice to implement it and find out many more ways of doing the same old things. Landscaping can also turn boring is you go on doing things in the same old way with the same old materials. Now give it a try with rocks and change the whole concept of landscaping altogether. Let this new hobby of yours be more fulfilling and this way you will be motivated to get more innovative with ideas.

1. Rocks can make a beautiful Landscape
Many may not understand how rocks can be used for landscaping and may laugh at the idea. But if you really think about the way nature has put rocks around certain areas and how good they look, then you will probably understand that rocks can make a statement in landscaping too. For those who go for their morning walk on the beach, you may have noticed the smooth rocks lying around on the beach that enhance the beauty of the sea side, well these same rocks could be used for landscaping too.

2. Start your landscape with rocks at your front yard
Visualize where to put the rocks in your front yard first. These rocks should be fairly large and placed firmly in the ground so that they cannot be dislodged from the ground easily either by weather conditions or by people.

3. Landscaping the front yard or back yard with rocks
You can arrange these rocks around trees to form a border or on the side of the walkway. So if you have a walkway and some trees in your front yard you can use the rocks the same way too. Front yards may differ from one to the other, but you could create effects with rocks so that they blend into a picturesque landscape.

Rocks can be used in the back yard the same way by making borders with them around trees and bushes and at the side of walkways. Rocks can be placed wherever you want in the garden and create an aesthetic effect in the way they are placed.

In a flower garden where you have flower beds with different varieties of flowers, smaller pebbles can be placed in the flower beds in place of mulch. The areas where you have grown different flowers can be separated with these pebbled. Pebbles also stop the growth of weeds just like mulch. The only problem with pebbles is that they move out of place with rain or when people walk on them, unlike large rocks which are stationery. Pebble rocks could be replaced with flagstones is you find them cumbersome.

To get more innovative ideas on the use of pebbles and rocks you can look for books on gardening which will give you a lot of information.

The edging surrounding your garden is practically as important as the flowers themselves. The edging frames your garden, like the frame of a picture. It gives it well defined boundaries to separate your flower garden from the rest of your yard. A good edging enhances the beauty of your flower garden, turning it into a masterpiece.

These is an assortment of edging options to choose from, and it is up to you to pick the one that will best compliment your garden. A low retaining wall, made from brick or rock and mortar, is a popular choice, as it is solid and permanently boarders your garden. These types of wall edgings can be quite expensive; however, and you may decide that you would like to choose something not as permanent to edge your garden. You never know when you will want your garden to expand!

Another option is to simply line up bricks or rocks, using no mortar. Bricks can be lined up, stacked in a short wall, or set up diagonally, leaning against one another. Rocks can also be lined up or stacked to crate an edging for your garden. Rocks should be small enough to be easily moved, while large enough to make a visual impact. Rocks can be found while digging in your garden or for other landscaping projects, or in a friend’s yard or empty lot. Just be sure to ask for permission before taking rocks from someone elses property.

You can also purchase edging materials at a home improvement store or garden center. Have a look around and check out all the options that might look good in your garden. You can choose from plastic edging, which provides a simple border when stuck vertically in the ground, tiny fences, landscaping timbers, and boarders made from artificial rock. The options are almost endless. Just be sure that what ever you decide, that you select a good quality, durable product. You need something that will hold up, so you wont have to replace your edging year after year.

Border plants, such as perennials like alpine phlox, make a beautiful, natural edging. Low growing plants that grow quickly and can be divided and replanted each spring make a nice choice, so that you do not have to purchase new annuals every year. As with selecting any plants for your garden, make sure that you select plants that will work with your climate and the amount of sun your garden receives.

The lush, thick growth of comfrey, make it an excellent choice to border a large garden. It will stop grass from encroaching on your garden with its heavy growth. The flowers are beautiful and will be attractive in your garden, and you can use the leaves as mulch when they fall off. Comfey is only appropriate for large gardens, however, as smaller gardens can quickly become overtaken.

A delicious choice for edging your garden would be to plant strawberries or herbs. You can use the fresh herbs in your meals when cooking – just clip off as much as you need when you visit your garden.

You can select from a variety of plants, rocks, bricks or store bought edging to border your garden. Keep in mind that the edging you select should serve as a frame to accentuate and display your flower garden as though it is a work of art.

When it comes to our gardens we do not always really allow them to reach their full potential. Work and family commitments often get in the way and we simply just do not have time to look after the garden as much as we should do. However, if you do want to make your garden as nice as it can be, somehow you do have to find the time to do it and as hard as that is, it will be worth it once you have finished.

Landscaping the Garden

One way to really make the most of your garden is to completely landscape it. By doing this you will be creating a space where you can come and relax and enjoy the beautiful scenery your garden will have.

The ways in which you can add to the gardens designs include adding rock features, garden furniture, water features and various plants. Basically you can let your imagination go wild and a great way to get ideas is to look at other people’s gardens or look in magazines. A good looking garden will not only be more visually appealing, but it will also add a lot of value onto your home if you ever want to sell.

One of the easiest ways to landscape your garden is to use rocks. Rocks are uncomplicated; they do not need looking after like plants do and surprisingly they can actually look really good too. You can use them to place around plants which will save you money on expensive planters, and you can even create miniature walls. Walls help to separate various sections of the garden and it can make the garden look unique and beautiful too. You could have a flower garden in one section, a place to relax and sit down in another as well as a water feature of some kind in another. Each section would be separate by a miniature rock formation and it really would look unique.

One of the most popular ways in which rocks are used around the garden tends to be as stepping stones. Keep in mind that you should only use flat rocks as stepping stones; otherwise it could be potentially dangerous. You do need to keep safety in mind and if you do build rock formations you need to ensure that you build them as sturdy as possible as you really don’t want them to fall down!

Overall using rocks as part of your landscaping is an excellent idea and it can make it look unique and scenic. You just have to remember to be careful and follow safety guidelines before beginning the landscaping.

Soil primarily had its beginning from rock together with animal and vegetable decay, if you can imagine long stretches or periods of time when great rock masses were crumbling and breaking up. Heat, water action, and friction were largely responsible for this. By friction here is meant the rubbing and grinding of rock mass against rock mass. Think of the huge rocks, a perfect chaos of them, bumping, scraping, and settling against one another. What would be the result? Well, I am sure you all could work that out. This is what happened: bits of rock were worn off, for more details visit to   www.100computertips.com a great deal of heat was produced, and pieces of rock were pressed together to form new rock masses, some portions becoming dissolved in water. Why, I myself, almost feel the stress and strain of it all. Can you?

Then, too, there were great changes in temperature. First everything was heated to a high temperature, and then gradually became cool. Just think of the cracking, the crumbling, and the upheavals that such changes must have caused! You know some of the effects in winter of sudden freezes and thaws. But the little examples of bursting water pipes and broken pitchers are as nothing to what was happening in the world during those days. The water and the gases in the atmosphere helped along this crumbling work.

From all this action of rubbing, which action we call mechanical, it is easy enough to understand how sand was formed. This represents one of the great divisions of soil sandy soil. The sea shores are great masses of pure sand. If soil were nothing but broken rock masses then indeed it would be very poor and unproductive. But the early forms of animal and vegetable life decaying became a part of the rock mass and a better soil resulted. So the soils we speak of as sandy soils have mixed with the sand other matter, sometimes clay, sometimes vegetable matter or humus, and often animal waste.

Clay brings us right to another class of soils clayey soils. It happens that certain portions of rock masses became dissolved when water trickled over them and heat was plenty and abundant. This dissolution took place largely because there is in the air a certain gas called carbon dioxide or carbonic acid gas. This gas attacks and changes certain substances in rocks. Sometimes you see great rocks with portions sticking up looking as if they had been eaten away. Carbonic acid did this. It changed this eaten part into something else which we call clay. A change like this is not mechanical but chemical. The difference in the two kinds of change is just this: in the one case of sand, where a mechanical change went on, you still have just what you started with, save that the size of the mass is smaller. You started with a big rock, and ended with little particles of sand. But you had no different kind of rock in the end. Mechanical action might be illustrated with a piece of lump sugar. Let the sugar represent a big mass of rock. Break up the sugar, for more details visit to www.art-of-astrology.com and even the smallest bit is sugar. It is just so with the rock mass; but in the case of a chemical change you start with one thing and end with another. You started with a big mass of rock which had in it a portion that became changed by the acid acting on it. It ended in being an entirely different thing which we call clay. So in the case of chemical change certain something is started with and in the end we have an entirely different thing. The clay soils are often called mud soils because of the amount of water used in their formation.

The third sort of soil which we farm people have to deal with is lime soil. Remember we are thinking of soils from the farm point of view. This soil of course ordinarily was formed from limestone. Just as soon as one thing is mentioned about which we know nothing, another comes up of which we are just as ignorant. And so a whole chain of questions follows. Now you are probably saying within yourselves, how was limestone first formed?

At one time ages ago the lower animal and plant forms picked from the water particles of lime. With the lime they formed skeletons or houses about themselves as protection from larger animals. Coral is representative of this class of skeleton-forming animal.

As the animal died the skeleton remained. Great masses of this living matter pressed all together, after ages, formed limestone. Some limestone’s are still in such shape that the shelly formation is still visible. Marble, another limestone, is somewhat crystalline in character. Another well-known limestone is chalk. Perhaps you’d like to know a way of always being able to tell limestone. Drop a little of this acid on some lime. See how it bubbles and fizzles. Then drop some on this chalk and on the marble, too. The same bubbling takes place. So lime must be in these three structures. One does not have to buy a special acid for this work, for even the household acids like vinegar will cause the same result.

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Then these are the three types of soil with which the farmer has to deal, and which we wish to understand. For one may learn to know his garden soil by studying it, just as one learns a lesson by study.

As the school busses begin to rumble down the road again we are
reminded that the gardening season is drawing to a close. For
the gardener with an eye toward next spring, however, the season
still promises plenty to be done in preparation of a showy
spring to come. Early fall is the time when we should be
planting our bulbs.

Good soil drainage is paramount for spring-blooming bulb
success. If you have a mostly clay soil be sure to mix in
organic material such as compost to lighten the soil. The soil
pH should be between 6 and 7. If you need assistance in
determining your soil pH or in discovering how to manage its
level refer to your local agricultural extension service for
help.

Spring flowering bulbs are great for beds, in borders, and in
rock gardens. These early risers prefer to be planted in areas
which will not receive direct sunlight during the midday,
especially once the hot summer months roll back around.

Wait until soil temperatures are below 60 F (16 C) before
planting. If you purchase your bulbs before the cold season sets
in you may keep them in your refrigerator until the soil has
cooled sufficiently. The fall planting ensures the bulbs will
have adequate opportunity to develop a strong root system before
they come up in the spring and early summer to greet you.

When you are ready to plant your bulbs, follow the directions
carefully for the depth and spacing requirements and be certain
to loosen the soil beneath the depth of planting. The easiest
fertilization method for your spring bulbs is a single
application of a sulfur-coated, slow-release fertilizer
incorporated into the bottom of your bulb hole at planting time.
After having placed the bulbs in their new home, begin to cover
them with the soil you removed to dig the hole. When you have
covered the bulbs halfway give them a thorough soaking before
covering them with the remaining soil.

With such wonderful options as corn lily, grape hyacinth and
tulips your work will be rewarded in the spring with the finest
of gardening pleasures. The joy can possibly only be compared to
the sound of the school busses rumbling down the road

Rosary Plants are unique and interesting little succulent plants.  Crassula rupestris is also called Baby Necklace or Tom Thumb.  The leaves are just barely 1/4” long and shaped like slightly elongated triangles.  The are arranged neatly along the stem giving it the appearance of beads on a string or a stack of buttons.  Although much smaller, crassula rupestris looks similar to Chinese Pagoda (crassula perforata).  They grow close to the ground and slowly form mounds from 6 to 10 inches high.  In hanging baskets they drip over the sides like a vine with the tips pointing up.  The base of their stems take on a stiffer feel with withered brown leaves and woody look as they age.

Rosary Plants are perfect for a windowsill or the patio table where you can admire their unique charm.  They are great to mix and match with other succulents or cacti with similar growing requirements.  Use them to fill in the bare spots in your containers or rock gardens.  Try trailing Baby Necklace with Aloe Vera or an upright crassula like Jade Plant (crassula ovata).

Crassula rupestris gets pale pink clusters of tiny flowers with 5 petals from early spring through summer.  The attractive blossoms form on the ends of the stems and seem large in proportion to the tiny plant.

Rosary Vine is a drought tolerant plant suited to dry landscapes.  They take monthly watering in my hot southern California garden.  If you are growing them in direct sun, they may appreciate a bit more water during the heat of summer.

All succulent plants are sensitive to cold weather.  Outdoors these plants will need overhead protection from frost and should be brought indoors or covered if temperatures drop below freezing.

Older Rosary Plants can start to look leggy and bare at the bottom of their stems.  This is the perfect time to trim them and create more plants.  Propagation of crassula rupestris is easiest by rooting their stem cuttings.  Bury the woody part of the branch in the soil and keep them slightly moist for the first few weeks.  My cuttings seem to need a few years to get growing before they begin flowering.  Seeds from crassula rupestris are very tiny and are carried by the wind like powder.

Thanks to their slow growing habit and small size Rosary Plants work well in dish gardens or succulent plant wreaths. It is easy to become enchanted by Baby Necklace no matter where you grow them or by what name you call them.

Drop by http://www.theGardenPages.com for more flowering succulent plants and photos.  Good luck and happy gardening!

Planning is an essential part of any activity. From the smallest task to the largest one planning can make your life easier and get the desired results faster.

Home landscaping design is not an exception to this. If planned with definite guidelines landscaping can be a fun activity. Here are some important points that can help you to plan out the landscape activity for faster results.
 
1) The first step is to get a clear idea about the purpose of your home garden. The purpose of a landscaping garden can be different for everyone. Some of the possible causes to grow a garden around home can be

a) Adding value to your home.
b) For maintenance purpose.
c) For yourself so that you can enjoy quality time with your family.

2) Write down your requirements or the elements that would like to see in your garden. This may include

a) Outdoor Patio
b) Fishponds / Rock gardens / Fountains
c) Statues
d) Walkways
e) Sandpits for kids to play

3) Once the purpose is finalized it’s time to make observations about your home yard. This required writing down all the existing elements already present in and around your home. Here is a sample list of existing landscaping elements for your reference.

a) Existing big tree and their positions from home building
b) Sunlight directions and their intensity
c) Wind flow and it’s direction
d) Presence of tall buildings around your home building (because they will obstruct sunlight)
e) Presence of street traffic/railway lines etc.
f) Presence of Lake/seashore/flowing River etc.

4) Once these simple observations are done it becomes easier to draft out a simple plan or layout using the requirements and the existing elements. You have a choice to completely remove some of the existing elements or even use them in the new design. You can create a number of alternatives or design options and then finalize one.

5) There are number of ways to execute your home landsaping design on ground. The first method is to simply hire a landscaping contactor to do this job and pay him for that or you can even do it yourself using some simple methods.