The Japanese garden is silence and peace as a counterbalancenoise and hectic 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 words best describe the essence of the Japanese garden, created for leisurely rest. It must be inscribed in the surrounding landscape, that is, strictly speaking, its arrangement follows the rules of landscape gardens. The best location is in the south or south-east, because in this case it will be easier to pick up plants. 
A body of water The centerpiece of a Japanese gardenis an . It can be a lake, a small pond, or even a stream. The water should look like it has been here for centuries, not since yesterday. This effect can be achieved by placing stones and moisture-loving vegetation, such as moss, irises or water lilies, along the edges or in the center of the reservoir. For the closest approach to a real Japanese garden, koi carps can be released into the pond, but they will require additional care, especially in winter. 
Vegetation The greatest difficulty inarrangement of a Japanese garden in temperate latitudes represents. It should not only survive our winters, but also be of calm colors, dull, mainly decorative leafy. The main tone in the composition is set by several large trees, up to 2.5 meters high. Medium-sized trees and shrubs serve an auxiliary function, they enclose 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 set using what we can find in the forest. These can be oddly shaped roots, mossy stumps, or stones. A Japanese garden cannot be imagined without sakura, sprinkled with pale pink flowers. She prefers neutral soils and partial shade, is thermophilic, does not tolerate frost. Therefore, in cold regions, you can graft sakura on a stock of northern varieties of cherries, or replace it with steppe almonds or ornamental plums. 
A traditional plant of the garden is a mapleJapanese. It has beautiful dissected leaves, which, depending on the variety, can have different colors - from green to crimson. Maple prefers weakly acid humus soils and top dressing with a slow-acting fertilizer once a year. The adult plant has very fragile branches that can break from wet snow, it is sensitive to frost. 
If the climate does not allow you to enjoy Japanesemaple, it can be replaced with blackberry. Unfortunately, it does not have such a wide spectrum of coloring of leaves, but interesting dark red varieties can be found here. Busina unpretentious in care, only once a year requires fertilizing in the form of mineral fertilizers. 
As a shrub excellent fitcold-resistant varieties of rhododendrons, for example rhododendron Yakushimansky or short-bodied. They can withstand freezing to -30 ° C. But these rhododendrons are covered with dense material for winter, and a layer of mulch is placed on the roots. In the beginning of spring, tender buds and leaves need to be protected from the sun, for this purpose, a shading material is fixed on the stakes on the south side. 
No less impressive are the unpretentiousshrubs barberry Tounberg and Japanese spiraea. Barberry is an excellent ornamental plant that perfectly preserves the desired shape. Spirea, on the contrary, wins through a lot of small pink flowers. 
Conifers are often used in the Japanese garden.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, use is allowed in the Japanese garden. This is especially true for cold regions, because for the winter they are easily cleaned into the house. 
Small architectural forms Separately in the compositionsmall architectural forms are used. Harmony in the soul is especially well achieved in a comfortable one, or at least on a bench. They can be made not just from wood, but from bamboo, especially since it will not work to plant it live in cold climates. The recreation area and the rest of the garden can be connected by a bridge thrown over the reservoir. 
A special feature of the garden can be stone sculptures,related to Japanese philosophy, or stone lanterns. The latter can be made traditional - for candles, or conduct electricity to them, in any case it will create a mysterious and romantic atmosphere. It is important not to overdo it, every detail should have its place and not overload the space. 
Paths in a Japanese garden are most often made from,less often from gravel. At the same time, they are winding and of different widths, because in nature there are no perfectly flat paths. The stones are selected flat, uneven in shape, due to the large gaps, a feeling of neglect is created. Tracks can lead to a dead end to show people that it is sometimes worthwhile to stop and just enjoy the peace. 
The Japanese garden: the instruction on arrangement and the list of plants
