Create Your Own Meditation Garden on a Budget

Over the past decade Japanese gardening has become a very popular hobby for Americans. Though wealthier homeowners can choose from a wide variety of landscapers who specialize in Japanese garden design, the average American may not be able to afford such an extravagance. The good news is that Japanese gardening can be an accessible and rewarding past time for everyone ,regardless of budget or skill level. In fact creating a Japanese meditation garden is an ideal method for those who want to create a low cost, low maintenance garden with a lot of impact.

The first step in designing your garden is to get a good overall idea of what you want to see in your garden area and where you want to spend time. Japanese gardening includes many styles and can be suited to the taste and neighborhood of almost anyone. Consider your must haves. What about water? In some styles of Japanese gardening a water feature plays a major role in the garden, in others rocks and gravel or sand are key elements in the overall design. Some of the most beautiful Japanese gardens in the world consist only of an assortment of various shapes and sizes of rocks and gravel, such as the Ryoan-ji Temple garden in Kyoto. Decide which of these elements you would want to play the leading role in the design of your garden. Remember to keep your budget and maintenance concerns at the forefront of your decisions. If you have very little upkeep time and a constricted budget , for instance , but love the idea of a water feature, you may need to consider a small stone basin instead of a high maintenance koi pond. Once you have decided on the strongest element, then consider some basic ideas for overall layout of the garden.

One of the most outstanding elements of Japanese design is the symmetry. While the overall shape of the design may not, at first glance be apparent to you, it is the underlying linear and balanced shape of Japanese gardening that creates the foundation for the calming effect that you immediately feel upon entering the garden. An easy way to get this feel is to lay out the parameters of the area you wish to use on a sheet of paper. What geometric shape does this are most easit is the overall shape of the garden you are working with? If you are having trouble getting things laid out within an abstract area consider what you can do to pull the area together into a simple circular, square or rectangular layout. If you can live with a basic geometric shape it can be a good starting point to simplify your planning. Place your strongest feature in the center, where it will be at all times viewable by any one at any point in the garden. Many traditional gardeners place a water and stone feature in the center of the garden, placing the stone upright as a representation of the mountain at the center of the universe. If you are not using water in your design a stone by itself or a large specimen plant work equally as well.The paths are then laid out around that center so that one may keep their eyes upon that stone at all times while traversing the garden paths. Lay out your paths as you would like to traverse them, but be sure and plan a few interesting stops along the way! Once you have an idea of how your garden will begin to take shape, research the types of plants you will be using.

Nothing gives us the feeling of being in a Japanese meditation garden like beautiful Japanese maples. These are one of natures finest works, and the price tag says so, right? Not necessarily! While the sales person at your local garden center may be insistent that you consider the thinner leaved more expensive red laceleaf maples that run as high as one hundred dollars for a small sapling, consider the broader leaved red Japanese maples, that can be picked up for around twenty dollars a piece at two or three feet in height. While these less expensive maples do not have the feathery shaped leaves they do lend a beautiful flavor to the garden, and can easily be trained to twist to create a 'bonsai' shape. Also, remember that evergreen shrubs and trees play a huge, low maintenance role in the Japanese gardening style. Forego the three digit price of the gorgeous twisted Japanese black pine for the easily affordable Juniper. Japanese black pine is highly susceptible to disease in North America, whereas the much less expensive Juniper is both hardy and versatile. Juniper comes in a variety of species that can be easily trained to grow into any desired shape even though it creates a beautiful specimen when allowed to grow out naturally.

Whether you are starting anew with all new plants and design, or just incorporating Japanese elements into an existing garden space, remember to have fun with it, and keep your own personal style in mind. Look to some of the masters for inspiration, such as The Portland Japanese Garden's online page and let your imagination run wild!