Hi,

Thanks for visiting. I am at present designing and building a small Japanese Zen garden in my rear garden. You may have heard about a drought in the United Kingdom – well this past week it has rained and rained in absolute buckets! This means that the first stages of landscaping are on hold until the ground dries out a little but rest assured that as soon as we get going again I will post on this site the developments with pictures and video.

If you are thinking of making a Japanese garden or upgrading one that you may have I thought it would be useful to write about Japanese garden plants. These are a really striking addition when you are making a Japanese garden.

Japanese gardener’s usually select plants that are more suitable for Japan’s climate and culture. Depending where you are located in the world will determine where you can plant certain plants and trees AND how successful you will be in growing them.

One of the most popular additions to a Japanese garden is Bamboo and even Bamboo grass. To the Japanese Bamboo signifies vitality and life as it grows a quite a pace. It is strong and hardy and generally in a Japanese garden FOUR types are used : Take,Dake, Chiku and Sasa and particularly in Japanese Tea gardens its presence is essential.

Bamboo will grow tall and wide but is quite stunning when it sways in a breeze, and, adds to the serenity and calming effect of a Japanese garden.

If you are keen on a pond you don’t have to keep KOI – Goldfish signify luck and the plants you would place around it are Lotus plants – Hasu variety are very popular. Moss, grass and ferns also have an important role to play in a Japanese garden. Moss looks great inbetween tiles and can easily be created by placing natural yoghurt over any area that you would like it to be.

In wetter climates you will not need to do this , infact if you are anything like me then you spend a lot of time trying to get rid of the stuff! Moss in Japanese is Koke and is often used on raised platform areas within a garden to contrast with the rocks and stones.

Bonsai plants in a Japanese garden are grown in small containers or pots. Trees are another very important ingredient in any Japanese garden and bonsai plants are a very welcome addition as well. Japanese black pine and Japanese white pine are very popular – the black variety being the most popular as it is hardy , looks green all the time and llive for a long while. This investment will be worthwhile if you choose the right long lasting variety.

Maples are often considered when making a Japanese garden and the bonsai Maple plant can be used very effectively when planted in rock garden.

Herbaeceous plants to consider: Peony ( with their beautiful flowers) , Daisy, Aster, Lily turf,White radish, white Chrysanthemum, Water parsley,Iris , Spider lily and Kuzu vine to name but a few! They all flower brilliantly in many colours and have green leaves providing contrast with stones and rocks. A balance to view, and, that is crucial in a Japanese garden as you know.