The first time I ever saw a Japanese garden was at the Huntington Library when I was 10. I think I also saw a Gutenberg Bible but that experience has been lost to memory. The garden stayed with me all these years.

The next one I saw was the one in Portland and it was spectacular! We hit it just right and the place was in bloom - wow! Always wanted one of my own.

I tried to create one in CA for years but it just didn’t work. Wrong climate, wrong soil, wrong water. The Japanese garden in Phoenix (a very strange place) non-withstanding, you need cool temps and acid soil.

FF to today. I have the soil, I have the water and God knows it’s cold enough. I’ve hired a landscape architect to create the back yard of my dreams. I’m stoked!

But what kind? There are several. I can’t see chaining myself to the elaborate trimming and sand raking required by the classic Zen or rock garden. Portland had several less formal areas, a style I think is called Wabi Sabi - a style based on things that aren’t perfect. It appears to be more of a philosophy than a style really, covering many areas - gardens, art, interior design, maybe life.

What do you know of it?

Here’s the company I hired.

Lifestyle Landscaping

I’m crazy about their work and I like their designer. Seem like good businesspeople, too.

Oh this is exciting!!

I don't know a lot anything about gardening. But I think you're right to have as your starting point what will work for you. IOW, you don't need to get hung up on trying to follow some set of rules super closely... I don't need to tell you that though...

I think you should start with recalling what you liked best about that first garden, and then maybe do a little googling to get a few more ideas or inspiration, then go into your yard and try to imagine what elements of Japanese gardens you think would work best there, and which ones you like the best.

Also, wabi sabi itself isn't a term specifically for gardens (maybe you know that) but it's a general approach to appreciating aesthetic beauty or value in a more natural when, hence, beauty within imperfection.

You might get more inspiration from reading about it, or looking at non-garden examples?

I’ve been doing that.

YouTube has been especially helpful but like a lot of concepts (and words) in Japanese the definition seems to be a bit vague and dependent on context. Various videos show everything to well manicured but slightly bushy gardens to weedy, overgrown messes.

I do like the emphasis on rough, natural materials.

Steve, is this the company you hired?

https://lifestylelandscaping.com/

I love Ken Druse's landscaping books; I have several of them, including The Natural Shade Garden. I see he's updated it...The New Shade Garden.

Here's his garden:

https://kendruse.com/kens-gardens

I've picked up used copies of his books for super cheap on Amazon.

quote:

Originally posted by wtg:
Steve, is this the company you hired?

https://lifestylelandscaping.com/

Yes.

If you click on the hamburger in the upper right corner and click portfolio you can see the pictures that inspire me. I drove by their shop and they have huge piles of big rocks with my name on them!

quote:

Originally posted by wtg:
I love Ken Druse's landscaping books; I have several of them, including The Natural Shade Garden. I see he's updated it...The New Shade Garden.

Here's his garden:

https://kendruse.com/kens-gardens

I've picked up used copies of his books for super cheap on Amazon.

Beautiful work! He gets it.

The style isn’t common here. People go with “The Meatball Look” - plants selected from a list of about fifteen standards, all trimmed in to tight little balls about 3 ft. apart. Mulch. Lots and lots of mulch.

The only place I’ve seen plants that close together is at the Botanical Garden downtown.

I’ve heard it in reference to Japanese pottery, where some imperfection is deliberately left in.

Relatedly there is Beausage, (beauty in usage) where the scrapes and nicks acquired over time make the object more beautiful than if it were kept pristine.

How exciting Steve! Love Japanese gardens. If I had one I definitely would do sand raking. When we put in our stone patio it was set in sand and I loved raking it.

Good for you!

quote:

Originally posted by piqué:
How exciting Steve! Love Japanese gardens. If I had one I definitely would do sand raking. When we put in our stone patio it was set in sand and I loved raking it.

.

Between the dog and the daily rainstorm I wouldn’t have time to do anything other than rake. I’d rather putter, prune and photograph.

SK, were there any gardens you saw when you lived there? Have you any links?

Might you do some planting at your new place?