Types of Japanese gardens, basic elements and rules for their placement, principles of site formation, step-by-step instructions. The Japanese garden is an unusual recreation area that is designed to relax and restore the human nervous system; this is one of the ways to decorate a house area. We will talk about the rules for arranging such an element of country design in our article.
Description and types of Japanese garden
It is very difficult to combine the design concepts of a Japanese garden and a summer cottage in the European part of the country, so the most acceptable option would be to allocate an isolated place for construction. The space between the house and the fence, a platform near the gazebo or a shaded place for which the owner has not made any plans for a long time will do. The background can be a wall of a building, painted white, a hedge of shrubs, a simple fence, braided with honeysuckle.
The idea of a Japanese garden is to be in harmony with nature and tranquility. Being on its territory, a person tries to comprehend eternal truths, to understand the harmony of the world, to find beauty in the simplest things. Such a site stands out for its harmony, simplicity, modesty, lack of splendor and excessive brightness. In order to comply with all the rules for decorating a recreation area, before starting work, they carefully think over the location of all its elements.
Japanese gardens are not like our traditional plantings. They do not break flower beds, do not grow fruits and berries. The main objects of the recreation area are stones, water and plants, which carry a certain meaning. In addition to them, there are many other auxiliary elements on the site designed to create comfort. These include lanterns, walkways, bridges, pagodas, etc.
There are several types of Japanese gardens:
- Rock garden … He best expresses Eastern philosophy and wisdom. The rules for its creation are based on the teachings of Zen, but planning is carried out depending on your own concept of the unity of man and nature. It is based on cobblestones of various sizes, shapes and colors, arranged in a certain order on a sand base.
- Flower garden … Used for decorating plots. Evergreens are planted on the flower beds, which delight the owners all year round.
- Tea garden … Created for tea ceremonies. The whole composition is conducive to solitude or a pleasant pastime together.
- Miniature garden … It is formed in a limited area, therefore, it is rather difficult to execute due to the need to place a large number of objects in a small area.
- Walking garden … Built for leisurely walks at any time of the year. It features a large number of beautifully designed paths and an original landscape.
A feature of decorative areas of all types is the large gaps between elements, which are necessary to emphasize the importance of each object.
Features of the device of the Japanese-style garden
The site is formed from simple and laconic objects, but this does not mean a boring collection of stones and vegetation. If you follow all the rules of the oriental style, you can get an excellent result even from nondescript materials. Consider the main stages of building a Japanese garden in the country: the choice of parts, their placement, as well as the sequence of work.
Choosing elements for a Japanese garden
All objects used in the composition are very symbolic and have a certain meaning. It is believed that only a person who can choose the right combination of all parts and make a garden that looks like the world can create it.
The main elements of a Japanese garden are:
- Stones … They symbolize consistency and form the basis of the composition. In the Japanese garden, round cobblestones of various sizes, shapes, colors are used, preferably having an ancient look. To age them, moss is planted on the cobblestones. The stones are placed in groups in a certain order, asymmetrically, often half buried. Large specimens are always located in the center of the group, the rest are at the edges.
- Water … Displays time and vitality. A stream or pond is often built on the site, in which the water is located at the shore level. The location of the reservoir and its dimensions create the style of the garden. To create a lake, it is enough to enclose a small hollow with moss and plant reeds. The fish is started at will. The favorite building of the Japanese is a waterfall. It is created away from home so that the room remains quiet. Streams can be made multi-stage. Often, instead of real, they build dry, from small stones and gravel, which imitate flowing water. The banks are necessarily winding, low plants are planted on them.
Secondary details are the following elements:
- Trees … There shouldn't be many of them. In the Japanese garden, plants are planted in which the leaves have different shapes and shades. The dominant color in the recreation area is green. The most popular are evergreens. The most common tree is pine, which symbolizes longevity. In the European part of the country, species characteristic of Japan do not take root because of the climate. Therefore, they select those varieties that grow in a given area, adhering to this concept: darker ones are planted in the background, light ones - in the foreground, thus creating the depth of the composition. Plants with yellow or brown leaves also work well in a Japanese garden. You can plant heather, irises, dwarf pine, ferns, or grow green moss on rocks.
- Furniture … Furniture made from bamboo is often installed on the site. A hedge made from this plant gives a Japanese flavor to the recreation area.
- Bridges … Very common decorative elements that represent the transition from one world to another. Valuable tree species are used for manufacturing. A winding path leads to the bridge.
- Tracks … They always become twisty, tk. they signify the paths leading through life, and connect its fragments into a single whole. They are made from natural materials and are beautifully designed.
- Lanterns … They are an obligatory attribute of the Japanese garden, symbolizing the fourth element - fire. In the old days, they were intended for lighting, but now they are decorative. Lanterns are traditionally made of stone. Some designs allow for installation inside the candle. There are several types of stone products, each for its own occasion. High-legged (tachi-gata) - for lighting, low - for the winter period, allow you to admire the snow cover. Lanterns are mounted in the main places - near the pond or at the highest elements. To shade them, the products are placed in front of the tree.
- Backlight … In the Japanese garden, the lighting of the main elements is necessarily organized. Usually light sources are placed at the bottom and masked. The lighting is organized in such a way that all the elements are illuminated in a non-standard way, so on a dark night the site looks mysterious and fabulous.
- Fence … It is necessary to create privacy, it is made deaf and tall from all sides. Traditionally, a fence is made of bamboo, but it can be made of stone or wood. If the site is located near the house, cover the walls with mats or bamboo stalks.
It is allowed to add your own elements to the Japanese garden, but they must preserve the general concept of the composition, corresponding to the national spirit.
Rules for the arrangement of garden elements
Often all the main elements in the garden are arranged according to a heptagonal structure. According to this scheme, the stones are placed so that a heptagon is obtained. To design a composition in this style, low elements are used, their number should be minimal, and the distance between them should be large enough. If everything is done correctly, all the elements of the garden will be visible from either side. In this case, the place for meditation will look beautiful and original.
It is not difficult to make a Japanese garden with your own hands, the main thing is to adhere to the following principles:
- Arrange objects asymmetrically, like everything in nature.
- All the details on the site should carry a certain meaning. Random items are not allowed. Large stones represent the mountains, the pond - the sea, paths - the path of life.
- In promenade gardens, the elements are opened one by one, after passing the next point.
- The site is usually closed on all sides, but the landscape behind the fence should always be visible, which complements the composition.
- Objects should not be placed densely; sufficient space is left between them.
- The basic shape of all parts in the garden is rounded.
- On the site, they do not use too bright and catchy figures.
- Green lawns are not used in Japanese-style compositions.
- The central track is made wider than all the others. She usually divides the territory into two equal parts.
- In the middle of the central path, they equip a platform of the correct shape, on which the main object is placed.
- There must be a point in the garden from where the entire plot is visible.
- The area of the central part is always larger than any other element, for example, a flower garden. Good care is required for the parterre area.
Step-by-step instructions for creating a Japanese garden
Consider the technology of arranging a dry or stone Japanese garden. First of all, develop a composition project. He must take into account the location of the site, its style and composition. Draw a sketch and apply all the elements, select the main ones and mark the points of view.
Next, do the following:
- Remove debris and roots from the area.
- Remove the soil layer to a depth of 10-15 cm. If the soil is clay, dig a hole deeper to arrange drainage. For drainage, cover the bottom with a geotextile substrate, and pour a layer of rubble 10 cm thick on top.
- Level the surface with 15 cm coarse sand. If the groundwater is too close to the surface, use perforated drainage pipes.
- Fence the area around the perimeter with a curb - large cobblestones, which are half buried in dense soil, or fix with cement mortar. The border will limit the backfill of the stone garden. The border of the lawn is also marked with pebbles or rubble.
- Pick up oblong or round boulders that resemble flat hills. They should look absolutely natural, without any traces of processing.
- Arrange them in such a way that they resemble a natural picture of nature. They are installed in groups of 3-5 stones. Install one of them, the largest, in the middle, the rest on the sides.
- For stability, bury massive stones 1/3 of the height in the sand. Flat samples do not need to be buried.
- After placing, look at the resulting composition from the side and evaluate it. In order not to move massive objects at the initial stage of work, initially light objects of the same dimensions can be installed instead.
- After obtaining a satisfactory result, fill the area with sand 5-7 cm thick. Choose loose material in cold colors, it compares favorably with light sand.
- Choose the elements that should match the style of the composition and set them according to the project.
- Use a rake to create small ripples or circles on the surface around the island stones. Curved stripes mean stormy streams, straight lines mean calm waters, circles around cobblestones mean waves. To obtain patterns, use a special rake with attachments.
- In accordance with the teachings of Taoist philosophy, create a "Tao" road on the site. It should look like a winding step-by-step path. A solid array is discouraged. To create it, use flat slabs of limestone, dolomite or basalt, laid at different intervals.
- Instead of a path, a "dry" stream is often built, winding between the islets. It is made from slate, shungite or other rocks of black, dark olive or bluish color.
- Tall plants in a stone garden are usually not used, so plant a variety of mosses that look good on cobblestones.
- Install statues, bridges, or other elements on a large area.
How to make a Japanese garden - watch the video:
When forming a Japanese garden with your own hands, pay attention to the little things and maintain harmony between the elements. Only a landscape created according to all the rules allows you to relax and escape from the problems and fuss.
