In the world there are a huge number of gardens. But not one of them can be compared with the Japanese. It can be created on a large territory and a small summer cottage. What design elements are needed, from which plants a hedge is made , and about much more, read the article.
Japanese gardens
Gardening art, the Japanese express their attitude to nature. For centuries, epochs succeeded each other. But the attitude towards nature remained and remains unchanged. The Japanese have it special. In any adversity, the magnificent gardens for the Japanese people remain the place where a person is calm and comfortable.
Views of Japanese gardens are different. For many centuries, the Japanese have created new styles, adding more modern elements to their design. Read about some of them in the article below.
Imperial gardens
They were the very first in Japan. Their creation was greatly influenced by the art of China. A Japanese-style garden appeared in the country a long time ago, in the 6-8 centuries. Imperial gardens are not preserved. They were destroyed by civil wars, fires and natural disasters.
Mandatory components of gardens of the distant past were islands and lakes. They were built artificially and connected to the shore by a bridge. The garden was a favorite resting place for the family of the emperor and the court nobility. They made boat trips on the lake and on foot along the shore. Such gardens began to create aristocrats.
Gardens of temples and monasteries
They differed in that there were no plants in them or there were very few. The use of the main components: stones, sand and pebbles - was mandatory. The gardens of temples and monasteries gave rise to a completely new type, which began to be called symbolic or philosophical. You will not meet them anywhere in the world. The rock garden in Japan is fraught with mystery, incomprehensible to Europeans.
The basic principle that the masters adhered to when creating was imitation of nature and a great desire to learn from it. The main purpose of the rock garden was the contemplation of what was seen. The territory was necessarily surrounded by a fence of bamboo or other wood. The hedges were living plants.
The fenced area was a special world where each component is responsible for a certain part of the overall plan of composition, which symbolizes the Universe.
Building a Japanese rock garden
It was equipped on a small rectangular platform measuring 30 x 10 meters. Its surface was covered with white gravel. Fifteen stones were placed throughout its territory, united in groups of three.
Each group of stones was framed with green moss. Gravel was plowed with a rake. It turned out grooves, similar to ripples of water. The garden around the perimeter was fenced with a low fence.
The value of stones in the garden
According to one version, stones are mountain peaks. They pass through the clouds to rise to the sky. According to others, these are islands in the ocean. Someone considers the stones to be a tigress with cubs, which crosses the sea with the water boiling in it. Stones are associated with an infinite number of living creatures and fictional characters.
This Japanese-style garden has other puzzles. The most incredible thing is that, looking at the garden from any direction, a person sees only fourteen stones. One stone always remains invisible. Perhaps Soami, a monk from the monastery, wanted to show the immensity of the world. An invisible stone is commensurate with the unknownness of the world in which people live.
Another mystery is the special effect of stones on the human psyche. Looking at them, people focus, find peace, completely immerse themselves. In different seasons of the year, hours of the day, a person looks at stones differently and each time he finds for himself a new one peculiar only to him. The mysteries of the rock garden are impossible to comprehend. They are mysterious and beautiful.
Landscape style
Japanese gardens form in 10-12 centuries. The heyday of the art of creating gardens and parks was achieved in the 14-16 centuries. The main style is landscape. It was borrowed in China. Based on the traditions of the nation, the identity of the culture, the Japanese-style garden was perfected. Elements for creating gardens have not changed for centuries. But there were new ideas for their use in accordance with all the features of a particular era.
This style continues to evolve. Varieties appear. The landscape style is formed by nature itself: islands, mountains of unprecedented beauty, winding rivers and unique vegetation.
Abstract style
A garden created in this style resembles a rock garden, where the viewer plays the leading role. Each person comprehends what he saw and arranges his elements as he would like to see them. The Japanese-style garden "Abstract" was created by our contemporary sculptor from Japan. For work, gravel, stones and a minimum of vegetation were needed. As conceived by the author, his creation is called the Abstract Garden, a variety of which is the Dry Landscape Garden.
The basis is the image of water with components that have nothing to do with it. Such gardens create two types:
- The first is "With Water." The main elements are gravel and sand. They symbolize water. Around the stones, small grooves are made in a rake parallel to each other, like waves that appear on the surface of the water if a stone is thrown into it. Large longitudinal lines are associated with the serenity of the waves.
- The second option as if narrates that there was water, but dry air absorbed it, and it left. With this type of abstract landscape, you can interestingly decorate your garden. Many elements are involved in its design. The Japanese-style garden design is created using all the same basic components. They make waterfalls, rivers, streams. All this is accompanied by vegetation. An abstract landscape made of natural materials replaces water, which gives the garden an originality.
Tea ceremony
The shape of the garden for this action is nothing new, except the presence of a vessel for washing hands. His appointment has changed. Tea drinking is a ceremony in Japan and is a national tradition. At first it was held in monasteries, being part of the action of a certain ritual. Then it became entertainment at the court and, finally, began to be held in all social strata of society.
A special house is being built for it. It was possible to approach him bypassing the garden, which helps the ceremony participants to get positive emotions. The garden should correspond to the ideals of the ceremony: to be simple, modest, discreetly charming. Actors must spiritually unite.
Usually a garden is equipped in a small area. It has a path along which guests come to the house, a bench for waiting for an invitation to the ceremony, a vessel with water, a lantern made of stone.
Stone paths in the garden were uneven, so visitors had to look under their feet so as not to fall. There were even paths, people stopped at them and admired the beauty of the garden.
Characteristics of Japanese Gardens
Currently, the Japanese garden style is a trendy trend in landscape design. Specialists have developed many unique projects that create unique personal plots, including a Japanese-style mini-garden. Characteristic for them is the presence of flowering plants, waterfalls and lake systems, stone arbors and paths. A characteristic feature of the Japanese garden is unity with nature, the creation of landscapes from natural components.
Garden stones
They are the basis of composition, are considered in Japanese culture as a symbol of constancy and immutability. The use of the main stones: high and low vertical, curved, inclined and horizontal - is mandatory in the garden. Usually they are placed in groups, each with three stones. An odd amount is used in the composition, starting with three and ending with fifteen.
The design of the garden in the Japanese style is unacceptable using stones of three types:
- Deformed.
- Dead, this means that in the natural environment their location was one, and in the garden they were given a different position.
- Not compatible with other stones.
The Japanese-style garden in the country is designed using only one stone from the main group. If necessary, the composition can be supplemented with smaller stones that do not carry a large semantic load. They can be used for bridges, paths and sculptures.
Garden path stones should extend a few centimeters above the surface. They are laid in straight lines or in groups. Paths symbolize the life path of a person. Here, each stone has its own meaning.
If a person while walking puts his feet on a wide stone located across the path, he should stop and look around. How many components, so many values. But a person does not have to remember everything by heart. To maintain the spirit of a truly Japanese garden, it is important to observe the basic principles of eternity and constancy. Stones look old if moss grows on them. If you do not want to wait until it grows, you can bring it from the forest and plant it in your garden in the right place. Moss should be regularly moistened so that it takes root more quickly.
Water in the garden
Natural reservoirs can have different shapes and purposes. These include shallow ponds, falling waterfalls, running streams. Water absorbs sounds and attracts all living things. If it is not possible to create a natural body of water, you can replace it with an artificial one, using smooth pebbles and pebbles. If everything is done skillfully, the impression is that the water has recently evaporated, but it will rain and it will return again. Plants that naturally grow near water bodies will help to experience such sensations.
Water in the gardens of Japan carries a huge semantic load: it is a symbol of the transience of time. Often in the design of Japanese gardens, bridges crossing water bodies are used. They symbolize travel.
Garden plants
They play a secondary role, although they form an integral part of it and help a person notice seasonal changes. Plants adorn the relief and emphasize color contrast. They are carefully selected, since many Japanese plants do not grow in our climate and soil. The garden should be designed so that it can always be enjoyed and admired.
In spring and summer, flowering plants of one group should replace another. But there are those whose presence is required in the garden. This is dwarf spruce, juniper, Karelian birch, rhododendron. Giant trees (oaks, spruce, pine, elm) are a great addition to the garden. Ephedra are the center of composition; they represent longevity, courage and strength. In the garden there are always a lot of cherries, apple trees, apricots and plums, the flowering of which is incredibly beautiful.
Shrubs are used as exposure components for the Japanese garden. From different varieties of barberry, you can get a fast-growing perennial hedge. Beautifully blooming hawthorn will become a spring decoration of the garden, and its fruits - summer.
Grassy plants with large leaves are planted near fences. From them create a fast-growing perennial hedge. Such plants include ferns, chrysanthemums, rogers, hosts.
Elements and decor
Creating a Japanese garden with your own hands, you can use external elements, although this is not a prerequisite. Looks good mountain, which is at a fairly large distance from the garden. It needs to be framed by garden plants and design elements. The decor elements look great in the exposition of the garden, which include:
- Stone lanterns. They are placed on stones with a flat surface near ponds.
- Stone or bronze statues.
- Rain chains that allow water to drain during rain.
- Bells, gongs.
- Bamboo sticks.
- Pergolas and benches.
- Bridges.
The basic principles in the selection and use of these elements should be: symbolism, asymmetry, naturalness, flow and balance.