Find Calming Serenity In Simple Yards

What is it about a Japanese garden that fills us with such contentment and serenity? To answer this, we must understand the concept of the Japanese garden. “It is a work of art that captures everything that surrounds it - the sky above, the shape of the land, space, forms and textures, water, stones and plants. It also responds to the movement of the daylight and the changing of the seasons.”

Many of us visualize a Japanese garden as a place of serenity - water gently cascading over a hill of mosscovered stones to a pool. Trees and shrubs with exquisite shapes, textures and colors complement the surrounding features. Lanterns, bridges, stones and plants are always in exact proportion to the landscape. Deep, rich green evergreens seem to be the predominant plant and color. Deciduous trees and shrubs are used, but more for form and interest. Bright colors are rarely seen. The feeling is peaceful.

If we wish to capture this serenity in our own gardens, we must become artists and follow a few basic design principles.

Simplicity: The look that we are trying to achieve will determine the type of plants and other features that will be placed in the garden. No matter how austere, how abstract or how earthy and natural, we must keep it simple. A few well-placed stones surrounded by washed gravel may be enough to suggest depth and interest in a small courtyard. Add to that the delicate framework of amur or Japanese maple and a lacy evergreen shrub and we have created a pleasing garden.

Even the densely planted look in a Japanese garden is created with careful thought and plant selection. Choose one shrub and repeat it often. If the rhododendron is that plant, choose some with mediumsized leaves and some with small leaves for contrast. Complement the rhododendrons with stiff or softtextured plants, such as hemlock or pine.

Enclosure: The Japanese garden is always separated from the world around it - whether it’s enclosed by a natural-looking fence (aged and weathered is most appropriate), a living fence (trees or shrubs), or the house. If it’s the house, it must blend with the garden, for it is part of the landscape. The view from the garden to the house should be just as pleasing as the view from the house to the garden.

Overhead enclosure is also very important. Trees provide this element. Not only do they break the expanse of the sky, but they allow for filtered light to create shadows and movement of light across plants and the ground below. Never allow the canopies of trees to block the majority of the sky. Keep the canopies open by developing and shaping a selected number of branches.

Sometimes scenery can be borrowed. If neighbors have existing pines, firs or cedars near the property line, pull those into your garden by planting one similar evergreen tree or shrub on your side of the fence. Now you’ve created an interesting grouping of plants instead of a flat line of trees half-hidden behind the fence. If cedars and firs are too large for your yard, look for sub-alpine fir, columnar Japanese white pine or gold thread cypress.

Manipulation: In some cases it may be necessary to fool the mind’s eye. To make a small garden look larger, place large trees, shrubs or stones in the foreground and smaller plants and stones in the background. To further enhance this effect, use strong-textured, dark green plant material in front and fine textured, gray-green or muted colors in back. Start paths wide in the foreground and let them taper off to the back.

To make a large yard look a little more cozy, simply reverse the above. Use larger forms and bolder colors in the background and softer, lessdetailed plants in the foreground.

If you would like to know more about Japanese gardens, the WSU Master Gardeners will host a free tour of the Japanese Garden at Manito Park, Thursday at 7 p.m. Please meet at the Japanese Garden.