Transformation from Tangled Side Yard to Japanese Tea Garden - You Can Do It, Too!

When we purchased our current home (from a romance novelist and her lawyer husband, who were obviously too busy in their glamo-lives to tend to something as mundane as yard work), we inherited eighty years worth of overgrown vegetation in a city lot a little over a third of an acre.

There are many things neglected here, including huge yet dying oak and ash trees and perennials that should have been divided forty years ago. The first year, I cleared out a large area for my vegetable garden, terraced the area and chopped down bushes and vines.

This year's project was to take a small corner of my side yard and transform it into a Japanese tea garden.

My inspiration was the Japanese Tea Garden at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. This serene park is one of my favorites anywhere. I was immediately impressed with the well-manicured and extraordinarily beautiful grounds. I took many photographs, and noted the type of plants used at the Tea Garden. I returned home to Michigan determined to transform a part of my yard into an Asian-inspired garden.

There are several good books available on the subject of the Japanese garden. I first purchased The Art of the Japanese Garden, by David and Michiko Young, IBSN 13:978-0-8048-3598-5. This book contains beautiful photographs and history of gardens in Japan. The other books I used included Infinite Spaces, The Art and Wisdom of the Japanese Garden, based on Sakuteiki by Tachibana no Toshitsuna, IBSN 0-8048-3259-5, and Creating Your Own Japanese Garden by Takashi Sawano, IBS-13: 978-0-87040-962-2. The Sakuteiki originally was written sometime around 1100 AD. Sawano's book offers practical tips for the modern gardener who wishes to install a Japanese themed garden.

My side yard is on the east side of the house, and is protected by a large magnolia tree and my next-door neighbor's house. This area is shady most of the time. We inherited a pond and crumbling waterfall, which is in this area. The rest of this part of the yard was overgrown with hosta and ferns, which looked to me to be original to the house, which was built in 1927.

My first task was to remove the vegetation. This took many weekends of backbreaking work. We transplanted the ferns (which fetch $20 a piece here) into other shady areas of the yard. Half of the hosta met the same fate, the rest were discarded.

Next, I had to disassemble the waterfall feature. The waterfall was poorly constructed and consisted of many small to medium sized stones, giving it a rustic feel. It was falling apart from raccoons and other animals walking over it, so for the most part, moving small stones was relatively easy to do. The heavier stones were dragged to the sidewalk for later removal.

After consulting some pond experts as to the proper way to construct a pond (meaning digging out more earth, using a flexible pond liner instead of the pre-formed one already there), they informed me that in our climate, a pre-formed plastic liner would likely fail at some time. Due to monetary considerations, I decided to have a landscaping company actually rebuild just the waterfall feature and maintain my pre-formed pond.

I purchased gray Canadian flagstone, as I wanted the new water feature to have a more linear and clean look instead of the babbling "brook" we had started out with. Once the waterfall was in place, I set about placing my plants and other features.

I had ordered some hardy bamboo (so they say, ask me how hardy they are after the next Michigan winter) from a company in California. These were placed at the lot line. Eventually, I would like to see this area so thick with bamboo that I can't see into the neighbor's yard.

Next, I found a couple of plants to showcase. The one thing to remember is that you want to use plants that are small and easy to trim. One tree I chose is a tall, dwarf Hinoki cypress. I love this tree because although it's an evergreen, the leaves are soft and buttery to the touch. The Hinoki cypress has a maximum height of 6 to 8 feet, and will not overgrow the garden. I also found a small bush like Hinoki cypress to place at the front of the area.

I also found a green Japanese maple to complement the red one we already had in the area. While I didn't like the shape of the leaves, I chose this plant because it also will not get very tall, and has a wide spread.

The main feature of many Japanese gardens is to have the illusion of water. Since my side yard is relatively small (about 20' x 25'), the waterfall and pond are scaled to size. To add to the illusion of a continuing stream, I placed stepping-stones, which look like wood but are actually formed from concrete in a path along the garden. (These can be obtained from your local nursery or Home Depot.) I also chose to use black mulch to make the contrast with the other items in the garden is much more noticeable.

Japanese gardening, unlike Western gardening, involves constant tending, so that the landscape in general and each plant specifically is enjoyed for its own being. Because of this, I chose plants which would either not grow quickly or are small to begin with. For smaller plants, I chose some smaller variegated grasses to add a light green interest. I also purchased Japanese iris, small ferns that will not overgrow the garden, azalea and ground cover.

The granite Japanese lantern, or yukimi (called the snow viewing lantern because of the pleasing way its flat roof looks with snow on it), which was purchased from an import company, was a splurge purchase, but adds a nice touch. Each component of the lantern weighs about 25 pounds, but comes in pieces for easy assembly. (What wasn't easy was getting it out of the crate it was shipped in!) The lantern is also practical; you can put a candle inside.

Finally, I added some water plants, including a water lily, water lettuce and hyacinth.

I purchased an iron wind chime at a store in Japantown in San Francisco. Although the pendulum is black paper, this chime makes a beautifully subtle tinkle.

A huge old stone was one of many unearthed in our excavation. We think it was part of an original sidewalk. Now it's part of the Zen-like garden.

I've included some final views of the garden. Notice the little granite mushrooms?

This is a wonderful place to have tea and read. I will likely extend this landscape into more of the yard next year.