Japanese landscaping is one of the oldest forms of landscape design on earth, and it has deep roots – not only in your garden under your flowering plants and blossoming vegetables – but in traditions of the Asian style of arranging things in our lives.
Japanese landscaping, just like some of the other art forms from Japan, is rather simple, but not that simple to design unless you have a good eye for the oriental design style.
One type of Japanese landscaping, for instance, involves little more than the placement of smooth stones next to each other, to form a square or circular patterns. These stone landscapes can be done outside, or they can even be done in spaces small enough to fit on a bedside table or on the windowsill of your office. To get the proper stones, one usually needs to go to a Japanese garden dealer, or to find them elsewhere, after identifying the proper kind of stone. Many of them are smooth, small, flat, and shiny black, and they are fun to arrange in various patterns. You can find many traditional patterns by looking in books or on the Internet under the subject of Japanese or Oriental gardening design.
You can, of course, and plants to your Japanese landscaping. It is a good idea to contact someone with experience in this area, to help you choose plants that fit the style but will also work well and thrive in your particular yard. Some plants, for instance, need more shade, while others will die without lots of direct sunlight.
A great way to venture into Japanese landscaping is via the path of Bonsai trees and plants or bamboo. The art of bonsai is a skill that sometimes takes years to develop, but there are plant dealers and florists who sell the trees and you can take them home and create your own collection of these exotic and miniature little trees. Some even produce fruit or flowers.
Our friends at Plano Trees, a full service tree care company tells us that even they have been called to perform tree service in Plano on some bonsai for their customers. All the way in Texas!
And bamboo is always perfect for any Japanese landscaping, but some will suggest that you keep it in flower pots or other kinds of containers, because if you give it a chance, it will spread all over your yard and is almost impossible to get rid of. One it begins to grow and spread, it will spring up everywhere, even in your other flower beds. It grows so fast that in some historical cases, it was used to create fences that were needed in a hurry. It comes up fast, strong, and tightly knit together, so that if you end up with a forest of the beautiful skinny plants, you will have an impenetrable fence.