The Japanese garden is a place of peace and quiet as opposed tonoise and bustle of the big city. In this article, we will tell you how to create your own piece of the Land of the Rising Sun Harmony, contemplation, nature - these are the words that best characterize the essence of a Japanese garden, created for leisurely relaxation. It should fit into the surrounding landscape, that is, strictly speaking, its arrangement is subject to the rules of landscape gardens. The best location is to the south or southeast, since in this case it will be easier to select plants.
Pond The central element in a Japanese gardenis . It can be a lake, a small pond or even a stream. The water should look as if it has been there for centuries, and not just since yesterday. This effect can be achieved by placing stones and moisture-loving plants, such as moss, irises or water lilies, along the edges or in the center of the pond. To get as close to a real Japanese garden as possible, you can release koi carp into the pond, but they will require additional care, especially in winter.
Vegetation The greatest difficulty inThe arrangement of a Japanese garden in temperate latitudes is represented by . It should not only survive our winters, but also be of calm colors, dull, mainly decorative foliage. The main tone in the composition is set by several large trees, up to 2.5 meters high. Medium-sized trees and shrubs perform an auxiliary function, they fence off a quiet corner from the outside world. Do not plant plants too crowded, because the contemplation of a Japanese garden largely depends on the space between them. Accents are placed with the help of what we can find in the forest. These can be roots of an unusual shape, mossy stumps or stones. A Japanese garden cannot be imagined without sakura, sprinkled with delicate pink flowers. It prefers neutral soils and partial shade, is thermophilic, does not tolerate frost. Therefore, in cold regions, you can graft sakura on a rootstock of northern cherry varieties, or replace it with steppe almond or ornamental plum.
The traditional plant of the garden is maple.Japanese. It has beautiful dissected leaves, which, depending on the variety, can have different colors - from green to crimson. The maple prefers slightly acidic humus soils and fertilizing with a slow-acting fertilizer once a year. An adult plant has very fragile branches that can break from wet snow, sensitive to frost.
If the climate does not allow you to enjoy Japanesemaple, it can be replaced with black elderberry. Unfortunately, it does not have such a wide range of leaf colors, but interesting dark red varieties can be found here. Elderberry is unpretentious in care, only once a year it requires additional feeding in the form of mineral fertilizers.
They are perfect as shrubs.cold-resistant varieties of rhododendrons, such as the Yakushimansky or short-fruited rhododendron. They can withstand frosts down to -30°C. But these rhododendrons are also covered with thick material for the winter, and a layer of mulch is placed on the roots. In early spring, delicate buds and leaves need to be protected from the sun; for this purpose, shading material is fixed to stakes on the southern side.
The unpretentious ones look no less impressiveshrubs barberry thunbergii and spirea japonica. Barberry is an excellent ornamental foliage plant, perfectly preserving the given shape. Spirea, on the contrary, wins due to the many small pink flowers.
Conifers are often used in Japanese gardens.plants. You can safely choose different types of pines, firs, spruces and junipers. From tall and green to dwarf and blue, suitable for your soil type. In addition to classic plants, the use of is allowed in a Japanese garden. This is especially important for cold regions, because they can be easily removed into the house for the winter.
Small architectural forms Separately incompositions use small architectural forms. Harmony in the soul is especially well achieved in a comfortable or at least on a bench. They can be made not just of wood, but of bamboo, especially since it is impossible to plant it live in a cold climate. A bridge thrown over a pond can connect the recreation area and the rest of the garden.
Stone structures can become a special feature of the gardensculptures related to Japanese philosophy, or stone lanterns. The latter can be made traditional - for candles, or you can run electricity to them, in any case, this will create a mysterious and romantic atmosphere. It is important not to overdo it, each detail should have its place and not overload the space.
Paths in a Japanese garden are most often made of, less often made of gravel. At the same time, they are winding and of different widths, because in nature there are no perfectly smooth paths. The stones are selected flat, uneven in shape, due to the large gaps, a feeling of neglect is created. Paths can lead to a dead end, to show people that sometimes it is worth stopping and just enjoying the peace.
The Japanese garden: the instruction on arrangement and the list of plants
