The Japanese Garden

The Japanese Garden design is considered a form of high art in Japan with many Japanese gardens now among the most impressive and internationally respected designs in the world. The Japanese Garden has its roots in the ancient Chinese forms but has taken this one step further. There are three basic types of gardens in Japanese Garden design.

Japanese Gardens are epitomised by kare sansui, or gardens that feature ambiguously shaped rocks in raked gravel. The best know of these gardens is Ryoan-ji in Kyoto. A typical characteristic of Japanese Gardens is the non use of straight lines or symmetry, instead the gardens are a miniaturisation of the Japanese landscape. Another characteristic is the art of incorporating meandering paths which lead the viewer through a carefully controlled set of scenes. The third basic type of garden is the tea garden, or chaniwa. This garden supports the traditional Japanese tea ceremony, both as a backdrop and a place to conduct the ceremony.

Bonsai is the art of growing trees, or woody plants shaped as trees, in containers. Bonsai does not require genetically dwarfed trees, but rather depends on growing small trees from regular stock and seeds. Bonsai uses cultivation techniques such as pruning, root reduction, potting, defoliation, and grafting to produce small trees that mimic the shape and style of mature, full sized trees

Step-By-Step Guide to Identifying, Finding, Cultivating, Protecting & Maintaining Beautiful Bonsai Trees!