Japanese Garden Planning and Planting

A Japanese garden involves creating a space, no matter how large or small, that is a retreat from the normal stresses of life and nature lives in peace and harmony. A traditional Japanese garden has everything from a water feature to trees and flowers. No matter what you decide to put in your garden it will be a beautiful addition to your home. Here is a quick guide to making an Japanese garden.

Planning

Japanese gardens are usually spread out with many features in them. You should plan on leaving enough space in your garden for water, a small bridge over the water, and some trees, at minimum. Smaller plants can be worked in around the larger ones.

Koi fish are also an element to a Japanese garden pond. They come in many different colors and will require some kind of water pump to keep the water oxygenated. You'll also need some fish food if you wish to keep your koi fish fed and growing. Koi can grow large if they live in a big space, so your pond area should have an appropriate number of fish for its size.

For ornamental purposes you can include a small stone pagoda statue and even a likeness of a large bell that Buddhists use to meditate. Having a bench to sit on along the water or under a tree is also appropriate. You'll need to make a path of mulch, stone, or just compacted dirt to connect both ends of the bridge for walking.

Planting

Putting in your water feature before anything else is important since it will take up a good portion of permanent space. If you have a small space or large space, the water feature needs to be made first. The size of your pond will determine the size pump you will need.

Trees that are appropriate for your Japanese garden include the beautiful Japanese cherry tree, Japanese maple with fiery red leaves in the fall, or the Japanese flowering crabapple. I suggest planting these trees first and give them the appropriate space to grow as it will take a few years for saplings to mature.

Other plants to include are bamboo, hydrangea, azaleas, and jasmine plants. Bamboo grows very quickly once it is planted. You may want to purchase a larger sized bamboo plant at first so it will be more stable in the ground. Azalea bushes will need a little space to spread out so make sure you leave some room around the planting.

Maintaining

The most important part of maintaining your garden will be the koi. If you purchase smaller koi you will want to introduce them into the water in warmer weather. When it gets to be winter, the larger koi will have a greater chance of survival.

You may also want to clean up the leaves of the trees in the fall to help uncover any weeds that may crop up and to help keep your garden free of any snakes that may hide under accumulated leaves.