Japanese landscape design, photo. Piece of the Land of the Rising Sun

A harmonious combination of human influence and natural elements is the goal of each park complex. This harmony is most fully reflected in the traditions of the Land of the Rising Sun, so the Japanese-style garden has survived centuries of change and is popular even today.

Deep into history

The first written sources in which the hieroglyph "field" (garden) is found date back to the eighth century AD. At first, this term meant a certain space, without natural or artificial fences. Later, man-made elements appeared - fences, pebbled paths, small architectural structures.

The concept of the Japanese garden is associated with painting. The stunning color schemes of the gardens of the Heian period coincided with the rise of the Yamato-e school. The appearance of Buddhist monasteries and temples fell on the era of samurai - pomp and decorativeness gave way to conciseness and monochrome, the era of a dry landscape has come.

The combination of the incongruous marked the so-called tea garden - another direction of Japanese garden art, which arose already in the 16th century.

Japanese garden - principles of style creation

Three pillars on which the park complexes of temples and palaces are based:

• the indispensable combination of water and stone, symbolizing the masculine and feminine principles in Eastern philosophy;
• naturalness of plants, stone blocks, decorative design;
• asymmetry of the landscape with an emphasis on one or more individual details of the composition.

Additional conditions for the structure of the Japanese corner include the presence of an open area, the use of discreet, harmonious color shades.

Photo: landscape design of a summer cottage

Garden styles

In modern landscape design, there are four types of Japanese-style garden design. These variations are successfully used to organize the space.

1. - a small part of the yard or house with an open roof.
2. - a site with a minimum of plants. It is not difficult to create such a site, but the decorative design will be relatively small.
3. . This landscape complex differs from the European park tradition familiar to us. A characteristic feature is the maximum use of natural plants and forms, as well as following the seasons.
4. - characterized by the combination of two types of green spaces with different landscapes. In shady corners, there is certainly a pavilion - wabi, in which the tea ceremony takes place - tyanoy.

Let's consider each of these green corners in more detail and highlight the principles of their creation.

The garden appeared during the development of urban architecture of the early Middle Ages. The name itself speaks of the diminutiveness of the landscape composition - the word "tsubo" means a small area, 3.3 square meters. m.

Such a garden is located both in tiny areas of the courtyard in the open air and indoors.

Photo of a classic tsubo:

The main goal of laying out a miniature garden is to let light and nature into the limited urban space.. Plantings for a green corner are selected depending on the cardinal points. For example, sun-loving plants are not planted in the northern part, and moss compensates for the lack of flowers.

The territory of the tsubo is laid out with stones, leaving a small piece of land for planting. In the center of the composition there are several plants corresponding to the style of the building. The easiest way to create such a Japanese garden in a summer cottage is to install a tsukubai lantern, make paths from “flying stones” - tobiishi and harmoniously arrange several plants.

Users often search:

The lack of light is compensated by lamps, lanterns or an ingenious gallery of mirrors that saturate the boring walls of a city house with bright and warm sunlight. Decorative lighting will be a small touch that completes the composition of the tsubo.

This is a poetic interpretation of an archaic motif - the search for the islands of eternal youth and immortality. Ancient legends are reflected in the structure of the rock garden. Although landscape design does not pay enough attention to Japanese philosophy, it continues to use the age-old principles of building stone gardens.

For the Japanese, stone has never been a building material - only an object of worship and admiration. Echoes of the cult attitude to stone blocks are presented in the classical methods of arranging compositions. When creating an oriental design, boulders are placed in the following ways:

• Mount Horai - one stone in the middle of the pond as a symbol of this distant peak.
• Mount Xumi is a composition of three stones located in a reservoir or on a small hill.
• The Three Jewels is a placement method based on Buddhist traditions.
• Crane and turtle islands - repeat folk tales and legends in the landscape of the garden.

The Japanese attach great importance to the choice of stones. Since boulders are often used in groups, it is not the shape of a single object that is important, but the harmony of the composition. The design of the Japanese garden welcomes the inclusions of ancient stones covered with mosses and lichens, with rounded outlines. According to the beliefs of the Japanese, such blocks bring peace and harmony to the house, without them it is impossible to design a garden in the style of the Land of the Rising Sun.

When creating a composition, they adhere to clear principles for arranging stones. The difficulty lies in the correct placement of the main boulder crowning the entire landscape design. The remaining elements naturally frame the central boulder, creating miniature compositions symbolizing islands or mountain ranges. A Japanese-style garden gives vent to fantasy, but at the same time dictates its own rules.

It is not customary to place stones in an ascending or descending line - the Japanese do not like artificial symmetry. Do not combine river, mountain and sea stones in one composition.

In order for the boulders to stand steadily, they are dug in. To hide defects and chips, a low-growing shrub or grass is planted near the stone composition. Plants for the Japanese rock garden are selected in wild, modest color shades.

The appearance of this territory is the most familiar to the European view: open space, water flow and a lot of green spaces. Both evergreen and deciduous trees grow in shady corners - this is how the alternation of flowering of each seedling depending on the season is achieved.

A good addition to the trees is trimmed bushes of boxwood, rhododendron, cotoneaster, etc. Such plants, if necessary, hide the walls of houses, garbage containers or compost structures (if the garden is planned to be placed in the country). And vice versa, the decorated bushes serve as a natural frame for the view of the river bank or the endless field.

Of great importance in the garden of trees is given to decorative elements - hedges, bridges, lanterns, gates ... As a rule, internal barriers are made light and airy using a wooden picket fence or bamboo. But the external fences are made of stones and decorated with tiles.

Part of the traditional Japanese tea ceremony. Its main purpose is to create the necessary atmosphere of peace and tranquility. Its area is not large and imitates a fragment of the mountainous area where the eastern sages settled.

At the far end of the garden is the tea ceremony hut, the chashitsu. This is a small ascetic house, reminiscent of the dwelling of the sages. Both the appearance and the interior of this building are very concise. It is believed that this is the only way to achieve true harmony and tune in to contemplation.

The garden itself seems to prepare a person for the ceremony, being the boundary between the vain world and the territory of spirituality.

It is decorated in a restrained style close to nature. Plants and stones are arranged in a natural, as if chaotic order. Lighting should be weak, barely sufficient to see the path.

Lanterns - an indispensable attribute of the Japanese garden, are used both for decoration and for lighting the area. At first, decorative lamps were present only in tea gardens, but later they became the hallmark of any Japanese-style landscape design. As a rule, only one lantern is installed, made of stone. Pedestal models - tachigata - brightly illuminate the surrounding area. The luminous flux of hidden lanterns - ikekomigata - is directed downwards.

Photo: the bridge performs a decorative function

Bridges in a Japanese garden do not always serve as a crossing to the other side - rather, they are used as another design element. Unlike Chinese or European designs, the Japanese bridge is flat, sometimes not designed for walking at all. Extremely decorative is the Yatsuhashi bridge, built of eight elements - stones or wide boards.

The details of the structure are stacked in a zigzag, so it can be difficult to walk along it. Such bridges fit well into the landscape park, are installed over artificial ponds, depressions with wet ground, or directly above the lawn.

Japanese gardens can tell a lot about the character of the inhabitants of the Land of the Rising Sun. And for Europeans, it is a magnificent combination of light, greenery, stone and water, a kind of door to understanding the culture and traditions of the East.

Video: miniature Japan on the site

Japan has always attracted the minds of people, primarily with its mystery, mystery and unusualness. The Japanese garden is incompatible with a riot of colors, its main purpose is not to admire beautiful flowers. The main thing is to make a person think about the sublime, at least for a short time to forget about the imperfection of the surrounding world.

Types of Japanese gardens

At first glance, achieving such an effect on your own is extremely difficult. Especially if you start learning the basics of creating Japanese gardens from complex compositions, but don't give up. Before you start thinking about the layout and selecting elements for decoration, it would be useful to familiarize yourself with the types of Japanese-style gardens.

There are 4 types of gardens:

• park gardens - we can say that the gardening art of Japan began with them, the first representatives of this type appeared around the 6th-7th centuries, having migrated from China;

• palace - appeared in the IX-XII centuries, the name makes it clear that mere mortals cannot have such gardens;
• temple ones - they are arranged at monasteries and should set a person to think about high matters;
• the home type is the most common, not only in Japan, but also abroad.

park garden

Its distinctive feature is a large area, most often such gardens were located on a flat area, where a river flowed or a lake was located. In some cases, rice fields located in the neighborhood were used as part of the decoration.

This is not the property of one person, but rather a national treasure, especially since such gardens in their original form have practically not been preserved. This is a great place for creativity and relaxation. In the past, these were the places preferred by imperial families for recreation.

This type became the basis and the garden art of later Japan borrowed much from the design of the early gardens. For example, strict colors and minimalism in design.

Palace gardens

Like the park ones, they occupied a significant area, and were used mainly for the pleasant pastime of the imperial family and the nobility. The main element is an island and a lake (or even several), connected to the shore by graceful wooden bridges.

Otherwise, the design strongly resembled park gardens, the only thing that was emphasized was that the reservoir had to be visible not only from the ground, but also from the building. The size of the reservoir had to be sufficient for boat trips, such a pastime was loved by the Japanese emperors.

temple gardens

In Zen Buddhism, the beauty of nature is not the last place. It is believed that contemplating the beauty and perfection of wild nature, a person can become a little closer to knowing the truth. That is why the Japanese garden is an integral element of every self-respecting temple in the land of the rising sun.

It is worth noting the new stream in the design of the territory. It was here that for the first time habitual plants began to be replaced by boulders and small stones (depending on the area of ​​the garden). We are talking about the famous "stone gardens" and.

Boulders, pebbles, small stones, pieces of moss were used as the main design elements. Particular attention is paid to the relative position of individual elements, the subtleties of creating a rock garden are discussed below.

Note!
When using boulders and stones among vegetation, moss on them will be appropriate.
Such a technique will only enhance the overall impression of hoary antiquity, and this will benefit the overall impression of the garden.

home gardens

In Japan, the problem of free territory has been acute for many years, but even in such conditions, many houses have their own small garden. It comes to the fact that its area can be calculated literally in a few square meters.

Visually, such a Japanese garden should create a feeling of continuing the space of the house. It is desirable to use water, its murmur will contribute to peace. The ideal option is to combine a series of small reservoirs with cascades of low waterfalls.

As a subspecies in this category, tea gardens can be distinguished - tea drinking is a serious ceremony and requires a separate approach. The tea garden was supposed to lead a person along a winding path to the source of water, and after the traditional washing of hands, it was tea time.

Features of Japanese gardens

Each Japanese-style garden is unique, but there are a few general guidelines that apply to any garden design. You can also bring a number of elements, skillfully combining which, and an unusual atmosphere is achieved.

When designing a site, the following recommendations should be followed:

• the use of stones can only be encouraged;
• water is also one of the recommended garden design elements. Of course, not everyone can afford to arrange a small lake on the site, but the effect of the water surface is worth the financial cost;

• if nothing works with the reservoir, then you can try to arrange a dry stream. The main task of the designer is to create the feeling that a small stream has just dried up;
• paths in a Japanese garden should not be bent at sharp and right angles. In nature, only soft curves and smooth contours can be found, and paths should be made in the same style;

• lighting - everything is simple with this, you can just buy ready-made in Japanese style and install them in suitable places;
• well-chosen vegetation also plays a big role;

Note!
Lighting should be soft, flooding the entire area with bright light is completely useless.

• if the size of the plot allows, then on the shore of the lake you can install a small pagoda or at least a couple of benches for rest and reflection;
• in some cases, a Japanese garden will look incomplete without a "shishi-odoshi" (scarecrow for deer) or "tsuku-bai", the same scarecrow, only of a more complex design.

rock garden

To create it, you will need several large stones, gravel to decorate the space between them and, possibly, some moss.

The main difficulty in arranging stones is not to violate the basic rules of a stone garden:

• large boulders can be in the garden in splendid isolation;
• smaller stones can be grouped by 3.5 and even 7 stones. It is recommended to combine elongated and ordinary forms;

Note!
It is strictly forbidden to place oblong stones in a horizontal position.
So they will resemble a lying human body, that is, evoke associations with death - not the best effect for a garden.

• no need to try to achieve symmetry. When designing a garden with your own hands, it is better to choose the right point of contemplation and start from it;

• the space between separate groups of stones is filled with gravel, it is leveled and wavy lines can be drawn on its surface with an ordinary rake - this will symbolize the sea.

Note!
Not always at hand there are boulders of the desired shape, and not everyone can work with a lot of weight.
The way out of this situation can be home-made stones with a filler made of plastic bags and a frame made of reinforcing mesh, their surface is coated with a layer of cement mortar and after drying, such a stone does not differ from natural.

Water in a Japanese garden

When arranging a reservoir, it is important to feel a balance between the size of, for example, a pond and the size of the garden itself. A stormy waterfall will look out of place in a small garden and become more of a source of anxiety than a calm mood.

Not a single Japanese landscape garden is complete without ponds (as an option, "dry ponds" can be used). A cascade of small waterfalls or a simple stream will look good, but static ponds are also widespread.

Particular attention should be paid to the following features:

• coastline - correct rounded outlines are contraindicated for Japanese gardens. It is best if the coast is broken;
• reflection in the mirror of water - a good solution would be to plant plants on the shore that will hang over the water;
• large boulders will be appropriate at the bottom of the lake;
• if dimensions allow, then a small island is required in the center of the lake, to which an elegant wooden bridge should lead from the shore.

Dry reservoirs

Japanese parks and gardens often do without water in their usual form, in which case the so-called "dry streams" or ponds are often used. The main task of the designer is to give the viewer the impression that the water disappeared just a few hours ago and that the next rain will fill the reservoir.

For the simplest version of a dry stream, the instruction looks like this:

• a stream is formed. To do this, the sod is removed and a recess is made in the ground;
• the channel is laid out with pebbles (other materials can be used, for example, granite);
• plants are planted on the banks, which usually grow near water bodies;

Note!
A couple of plants can be planted in the very bed of the stream.

• small bridges are allowed.

Paths and vegetation in the garden

When organizing paths in the garden, long straight sections should be avoided, but frequent sharp breaks will be superfluous. The path should bend smoothly and, passing along it, a person should see all the hidden corners.

As for the appearance, you should not adhere to the correct forms, that is, the paving slab will not work. The best option is large stones with a flat surface, if traces of weathering are visible on them, this will only benefit. Along the edges, such large stones can be decorated with moss, there are many options, and the price of such a path will be even less than from ordinary tiles.

Stones can be called the basis (skeleton) of the garden, but without plants (without flesh), any garden will look empty. But not every type of vegetation is suitable, if in an ordinary garden bright spots only benefit, then when decorating in the Japanese style, the color scheme should be more calm.

Most often, evergreen species are used, which are important primarily because they allow you to create interesting forms that persist all year round. And the eternal greenery prompts reflections on the eternal.

As for specific species, such plants can be used for a Japanese garden in Russia:

• Japanese maples (you will have to carefully insulate for the winter), other types of maples can be used;

• coniferous plants - we are talking about different types of pines;
• bamboo is rarely used, in Russia only sazu can be mentioned - a small bamboo that will grow up to a maximum of 1.5 m in warm weather;
• from shrubs, azaleas, rhododendrons, euonymus can be noted;
• from perennials, irises and chrysanthemums are suitable;

• ferns and moss are also often used in decoration.

Note!
When choosing a plant for a Japanese garden, you need to take into account the climate of Russia.
Some of them do not tolerate severe frosts.

Summarizing

The Japanese garden is a great place not only for simple relaxation, but also for reflection on the eternal. This place sets you in a calm mood and makes thoughts flow smoothly and measuredly like the waters of a deep river.

Despite the outward simplicity, you need to take into account a lot of nuances when designing, the information in this article will help you understand this issue. The video in this article discusses the main nuances of decorating a Japanese-style garden.

Where to start when arranging a Japanese-style garden? First of all, with the composition. In order to determine what it will be, you need to pay attention to the relief. It is worth starting from this, thinking about the arrangement of decorative elements, sculptures, plants, stones and water. Be sure to take into account the microclimate. This is necessary for the correct selection of plants.

Creation features

Philosophers of the ancient East say that everything in the world must obey the action of positive and negative principles. In this case, the opposites must balance each other. The Japanese garden is the embodiment of a skillful combination of opposites: water and stones, plants and architectural forms, light and darkness.

Creating an oriental garden with your own hands is quite difficult. In view of this, it is recommended to make his project. It prescribes to the smallest detail where and how the individual components will be located. It is better to immediately make a complete project, otherwise alterations in the garden will cost a pretty penny.

The Japanese-style garden looks attractive throughout the year. It often takes up little space. Of the trees, conifers are used - they pacify and are easy to care for.

The heart of the garden is water. It symbolizes the transience of life. Not the last role is played by stones and wood. Stones are a symbol of perseverance and longevity, wood is a symbol of gradual development and improvement. The Japanese believe that these two materials are endowed with magical powers.

The Japanese style garden is designed to give you a sense of eternity. The main goal is to recreate a miniature model of the landscape of Japan's nature, with its vegetation, waterfalls, streams.

The project is carried out in such a way that a wonderful landscape in miniature opens up to you from all sides. Each stone is a mountain, a pond is a lake. It is important to use the right color scheme and relief. Stones of various breeds and materials traditional for Japan are used - bamboo, gravel, wood.

Balance

Another important condition is to maintain balance. Many gardeners note: when doing a Japanese garden with your own hands, you need to make sure that some emptiness remains. There should be no pomp or pomp. The void is the key.

We all want to fit as much as possible on our 6 acres. But it's not right. If a rock harmoniously looks against the backdrop of the endless sea, this does not mean that it will look just as good surrounded by hundreds of different plants, it will simply get lost and cease to be a key element. This means that you have to carefully select decor elements!

Chamber of the Eastern Garden

Another characteristic of the composition is intimacy, some detachment and closeness from the outside world. This is a place to achieve peace and meditation.

To achieve privacy, the garden will have to be closed from prying eyes. For this purpose, gates and fences are used. You can also use a hedge - they plant a sharp and shiny cotoneaster spirea. The landscape garden of the presented type is designed for family recreation, contemplation of the beauties of nature and solitude.

Important Points

For a European, a Japanese garden appears as something laconic, made not for prying eyes. The styles in which such gardens are implemented can be different. In any case, it will be difficult to get the job done if you do not have special skills. The compositions are based on Japanese philosophy and religion. The composition can be any:

• philosophical garden;
• hill garden;
• place for walking;
• place for tea ceremonies.

The main principle that must be taken into account when creating is that nature should remain the ideal for each person. And we should all imitate her.

Any dominants as pointed cones have no place here. Shapes should be round. Flowers are used very rarely. Plants should be low - brown, gray or green.

Plant selection

To create an oriental atmosphere, it is necessary to plant appropriate plants.

Low Perennials and Ground Covers

In order for the Japanese garden to turn out beautiful and harmonious, you will have to make a lot of effort. That being said, even if you place water, rocks, and architectural structures correctly, the voids between them can ruin the whole look. You can fill them with perennials. They participate in the formation of the lowest tier. As a rule, mosses and small ornamental plants with small flowers are used in the composition.

Trees and shrubs

When planting a Japanese garden with your own hands, you should pay attention to trees and shrubs. They should be chosen in the style of symbolism or minimalism, combined with architectural forms.

coniferous plants

The Japanese garden is characterized by the presence of coniferous plants. It is they who distinguish it from the European garden. Moreover, there are not so many plants in the Japanese garden. Often it becomes a place where only one type of tree or other vegetation is represented. the site recommends planting in the Eastern Garden, the features of which were described in previous publications.

DIY Japanese garden (video)

tall perennials

A Japanese-style garden is distinguished by the fact that perennials play a secondary role in it. But there are a number of plants that must be present in it. We are talking about peonies, irises and chrysanthemums.

The choice of plants for the Japanese garden is not so small. At the same time, you should not give preference only to traditional species, since they are unlikely to take root in central Russia. Even if they do not die, they will freeze over, which means that the picture will be spoiled. Winter-hardy plants do not need shelter. If you still opt for non-hardy vegetation, be prepared for the fact that fungal infections will form if the shelter is not properly laid.

In winter, the garden benefits from the presence of conifers. Mountain and ordinary pine will allow the formation of garden niwaks. Important! They can take years to form. But, if you do not want to wait, you can buy them in a specialized store. Of course, they are not cheap, but the result is worth it. Niwaki should not be much. Just one beautifully shaped tree can drastically change the landscape.

Japanese garden architecture

The landscape garden of the presented type often includes various architectural forms:

• gazebos;
• gates;
• tea houses;
• pagodas;
• benches;
• lanterns and bridges.

The presented forms should be combined with other elements of the composition, be in harmony with them. The materials from which buildings can be made are metal, wood, stone and bamboo.

Creating a Japanese garden will require a lot of effort and patience from you. The key elements are water, stone and wood. Everything in the garden should look harmonious. At the same time, the area must be hidden from prying eyes to achieve privacy. The main role is given to coniferous plants. Small architectural forms and ponds will perfectly complement the landscape.

Japanese garden (video)

Garden with the mood of Japan (20 photos)

A harmonious combination of human influence and natural elements is the goal of each park complex. This harmony is most fully reflected in the traditions of the Land of the Rising Sun, so the Japanese-style garden has survived centuries of change and is popular even today.

Deep into history

The first written sources in which the hieroglyph "field" (garden) is found date back to the eighth century AD. At first, this term meant a certain space, without natural or artificial fences. Later, man-made elements appeared - fences, pebbled paths, small architectural structures.

The concept of the Japanese garden is associated with painting. The stunning color schemes of the gardens of the Heian period coincided with the rise of the Yamato-e school. The appearance of Buddhist monasteries and temples fell on the era of samurai - pomp and decorativeness gave way to conciseness and monochrome, the era of a dry landscape has come.

The combination of the incongruous marked the so-called tea garden - another direction of Japanese garden art, which arose already in the 16th century.

Japanese garden - principles of style creation

Three pillars on which the park complexes of temples and palaces are based:

• the indispensable combination of water and stone, symbolizing the masculine and feminine principles in Eastern philosophy;
• naturalness of plants, stone blocks, decorative design;
• asymmetry of the landscape with an emphasis on one or more individual details of the composition.

Additional conditions for the structure of the Japanese corner include the presence of an open area, the use of discreet, harmonious color shades.

Photo: landscape design of a summer cottage

Garden styles

In modern landscape design, there are four types of Japanese-style garden design. These variations are successfully used to organize the space.

1. - a small part of the yard or house with an open roof.
2. - a site with a minimum of plants. It is not difficult to create such a site, but the decorative design will be relatively small.
3. . This landscape complex differs from the European park tradition familiar to us. A characteristic feature is the maximum use of natural plants and forms, as well as following the seasons.
4. - characterized by the combination of two types of green spaces with different landscapes. In shady corners, there is certainly a pavilion - wabi, in which the tea ceremony takes place - tyanoy.

Let's consider each of these green corners in more detail and highlight the principles of their creation.

The garden appeared during the development of urban architecture of the early Middle Ages. The name itself speaks of the diminutiveness of the landscape composition - the word "tsubo" means a small area, 3.3 square meters. m.

Such a garden is located both in tiny areas of the courtyard in the open air and indoors.

Photo of a classic tsubo:

The main goal of laying out a miniature garden is to let light and nature into the limited urban space.. Plantings for a green corner are selected depending on the cardinal points. For example, sun-loving plants are not planted in the northern part, and moss compensates for the lack of flowers.

The territory of the tsubo is laid out with stones, leaving a small piece of land for planting. In the center of the composition there are several plants corresponding to the style of the building. The easiest way to create such a Japanese garden in a summer cottage is to install a tsukubai lantern, make paths from “flying stones” - tobiishi and harmoniously arrange several plants.

Users often search:

The lack of light is compensated by lamps, lanterns or an ingenious gallery of mirrors that saturate the boring walls of a city house with bright and warm sunlight. Decorative lighting will be a small touch that completes the composition of the tsubo.

This is a poetic interpretation of an archaic motif - the search for the islands of eternal youth and immortality. Ancient legends are reflected in the structure of the rock garden. Although landscape design does not pay enough attention to Japanese philosophy, it continues to use the age-old principles of building stone gardens.

For the Japanese, stone has never been a building material - only an object of worship and admiration. Echoes of the cult attitude to stone blocks are presented in the classical methods of arranging compositions. When creating an oriental design, boulders are placed in the following ways:

• Mount Horai - one stone in the middle of the pond as a symbol of this distant peak.
• Mount Xumi is a composition of three stones located in a reservoir or on a small hill.
• The Three Jewels is a placement method based on Buddhist traditions.
• Crane and turtle islands - repeat folk tales and legends in the landscape of the garden.

The Japanese attach great importance to the choice of stones. Since boulders are often used in groups, it is not the shape of a single object that is important, but the harmony of the composition. The design of the Japanese garden welcomes the inclusions of ancient stones covered with mosses and lichens, with rounded outlines. According to the beliefs of the Japanese, such blocks bring peace and harmony to the house, without them it is impossible to design a garden in the style of the Land of the Rising Sun.

When creating a composition, they adhere to clear principles for arranging stones. The difficulty lies in the correct placement of the main boulder crowning the entire landscape design. The remaining elements naturally frame the central boulder, creating miniature compositions symbolizing islands or mountain ranges. A Japanese-style garden gives vent to fantasy, but at the same time dictates its own rules.

It is not customary to place stones in an ascending or descending line - the Japanese do not like artificial symmetry. Do not combine river, mountain and sea stones in one composition.

In order for the boulders to stand steadily, they are dug in. To hide defects and chips, a low-growing shrub or grass is planted near the stone composition. Plants for the Japanese rock garden are selected in wild, modest color shades.

The appearance of this territory is the most familiar to the European view: open space, water flow and a lot of green spaces. Both evergreen and deciduous trees grow in shady corners - this is how the alternation of flowering of each seedling depending on the season is achieved.

A good addition to the trees is trimmed bushes of boxwood, rhododendron, cotoneaster, etc. Such plants, if necessary, hide the walls of houses, garbage containers or compost structures (if the garden is planned to be placed in the country). And vice versa, the decorated bushes serve as a natural frame for the view of the river bank or the endless field.

Of great importance in the garden of trees is given to decorative elements - hedges, bridges, lanterns, gates ... As a rule, internal barriers are made light and airy using a wooden picket fence or bamboo. But the external fences are made of stones and decorated with tiles.

Part of the traditional Japanese tea ceremony. Its main purpose is to create the necessary atmosphere of peace and tranquility. Its area is not large and imitates a fragment of the mountainous area where the eastern sages settled.

At the far end of the garden is the tea ceremony hut, the chashitsu. This is a small ascetic house, reminiscent of the dwelling of the sages. Both the appearance and the interior of this building are very concise. It is believed that this is the only way to achieve true harmony and tune in to contemplation.

The garden itself seems to prepare a person for the ceremony, being the boundary between the vain world and the territory of spirituality.

It is decorated in a restrained style close to nature. Plants and stones are arranged in a natural, as if chaotic order. Lighting should be weak, barely sufficient to see the path.

Lanterns - an indispensable attribute of the Japanese garden, are used both for decoration and for lighting the area. At first, decorative lamps were present only in tea gardens, but later they became the hallmark of any Japanese-style landscape design. As a rule, only one lantern is installed, made of stone. Pedestal models - tachigata - brightly illuminate the surrounding area. The luminous flux of hidden lanterns - ikekomigata - is directed downwards.

Photo: the bridge performs a decorative function

Bridges in a Japanese garden do not always serve as a crossing to the other side - rather, they are used as another design element. Unlike Chinese or European designs, the Japanese bridge is flat, sometimes not designed for walking at all. Extremely decorative is the Yatsuhashi bridge, built of eight elements - stones or wide boards.

The details of the structure are stacked in a zigzag, so it can be difficult to walk along it. Such bridges fit well into the landscape park, are installed over artificial ponds, depressions with wet ground, or directly above the lawn.

Japanese gardens can tell a lot about the character of the inhabitants of the Land of the Rising Sun. And for Europeans, it is a magnificent combination of light, greenery, stone and water, a kind of door to understanding the culture and traditions of the East.

Video: miniature Japan on the site

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An exotic Japanese-style garden will differ from those familiar to our eyes with a higher degree of thoughtfulness. Due to the limited territories in Japan, traditionally each meter carries a certain style load. Therefore, compactness and diversity are the main features of Japanese gardens. There are no flower beds, flower beds and straight paths. In the first place, stones and gravel, winding streams and waterfalls, dwarf trees are sure to catch your eye.

Japanese gardens are mysterious, they affect the beholder with the perfection of forms and beauty, green tints and laconism of artistic techniques. The essence of the landscape of the Land of the Rising Sun is in the harmony of 3 elements - water, stone and plants. The structure of the landscape is given by stones, it is very important to comprehend the art of their placement. Small placers of pebbles, stones and boulders should lie asymmetrically, and if they become overgrown with moss over time, this will make the composition even more natural.

Compositional construction of a garden in the Japanese style

If you decide to build a Japanese-style garden with your own hands, then you need to start with the composition. The garden can be flat or hilly. The hilly area allows you to create more textured compositions. If you have a relatively flat area, you can make artificial hills. There are 2 types of composition that you can look at in the photo in the article - these are:

• a lonely composition, where a rock, a lantern, a statue, a miniature pagoda or a waterfall can act as the main element;
• group, where there are many equivalent elements.

The composition should be such that the garden reveals itself in its beauty from any vantage point. It should not have blind ugly zones. Another feature of the layout is that it should not fully open. With each step, some miniature new composition should open up: around the corner - a stream, behind a tree - a lantern.

Embodiment

So, you have decided to make a Japanese-style garden design. It is quite feasible to lay a Japanese-style garden on a small plot - for example, only on the notorious 6 acres. Mandatory elements present on the site should be stones and water. Think about how you implement it. Reservoirs can be implemented in different ways. It can be a peaceful river, a bay with islands or a waterfall. You can make a dry stream, in which water is depicted with pebbles and sand. Then wavy lines are drawn along the pebble stream with a rake.

Paths should not lead directly to the house or somewhere else. The garden should have walking paths, winding, passing along the periphery of the garden. The paths are laid out from stone slabs of different textures or from a wooden covering. The middle of the garden should be free from paths.

The design of the Japanese-style garden, as in the photo, suggests the presence of wooden benches and bridges, traditional stone lanterns. Traditionally, a tsukubai stands in a Japanese garden - a barrel-shaped stone bowl filled with water, 20 to 60 cm high. In this bowl, the Japanese traditionally wash their hands before participating in the tea ceremony.

Plants in a Japanese garden

It's time to choose plants for a Japanese-style garden. Green dominates here. In our climate, the main plantings are evergreens: conifers and shrubs. The main plant is pine, symbolizing eternity, plum is the most common choice for flowering plants, among shrubs, rhododendron confidently holds the palm. Japanese plants are unlikely to take root in our climate, so it would be appropriate to replace sakura, for example, with irga, which has no less beautiful spring flowering.

Flowering perennials and annuals are almost absent here. Bright spots should be seasonal, short-term and few - peonies and irises, rhododendrons in bloom, spring flowering shrubs, autumn maples. Periods of flowering and fruit formation will bring rhythm to the quiet life of the garden.

If you decide to create a Japanese-style garden in the country, then it must be covered from prying eyes. Intimacy is one of the features of this place, because it was originally created for meditation. Gates, hedges, a hedge of sharp and shiny cotoneaster spirea are indispensable elements.

Of course, creating a Japanese garden will take a lot of time and effort, but the result will be worth it. After all, this is an ideal place for a quiet peaceful pastime.