Welcome to Landscaping Guide
Residential Landscaping Article
. For a permanent link to this article, or to bookmark it for further reading, click here.
8. Zen Gardens - The Japanese Art of Gardening
from:The origin of Zen gardens landscaping has its base in Japan. Basically the warriors of Japanese samurai, who were the followers of Zen Buddhism, perfected the art of Zen gardens landscaping. They believed that by leading a simple and humble life they will achieve their way to enlightenment. The gardening skills of Zen priests were very developed and thus they developed Zen garden landscaping, which corresponds with their humility and also shows the power which nature possesses. Yin and Yang are the two essentials of any Zen garden. Yin and Yang are believed to be complimentary forces and either Yin or Yang is always present in each and every element of Zen gardens. The biggest challenge in creating a Zen garden is to create a balance between Yin and Yang. The important five elements of a Zen garden landscaping are space, plant, water, sand, and stones.
The most important part of any Zen garden is stones. Stones are considered as Yang elements and their placement in the garden as well as their size and shape have specific rules. Stones represent mountains and islands. Any stone can be characterized by their age and size. For designing a Zen garden landscape stones, which are horizontal or vertical, are used. Generally 3-5 stones are used to make a design.
Sand has Yin elements and in any Zen garden landscaping, water is represented by sand. Gravel is also used instead of sand. Gravel can be white or darker. White represents the Yin and darker gravel represents Yang.
The idea behind using plants is to create an aesthetic design in the garden. Pine trees are used quite often in Zen gardens because they can survive on low maintenance. Bamboo is also an important part of a Zen garden. Bamboo trees are invasive in nature so they are very carefully used in the design. Moss is also used if the climate is humid because moss grows really well if the climate is humid. Japanese maples in Zen garden landscaping represent life cycle.
In Zen gardens it is believed that the movement of water creates positive energy so water is always used in its natural shape. Water represents the Yin element and waterfalls are an integral part of Zen garden landscaping. Cluttered spaces are believed to be not good as they do not allow the flow of positive energy, so open spaces are a must in Zen gardens.
These days Zen gardens are a rage in the West. Zen gardens are environmental friendly as well as healthy for you, are low maintenance and easy to create. Besides they are believed to relax your body, soul and mind. Zen gardens created in small boxes also known as small Zen gardens are widely used in offices where stress levels are generally high.
Other Residential Landscaping related Articles
Zen Gardens The Japanese Art Of Gardening
The Benefits Of Energy Efficient Landscaping
Creating Beautiful Walkways
How To Choose A Landscape Contractor
How Does Rain And Snow Affect Your Landscaping
Do you want to contribute to our site : submit your articles HERE
Residential Landscaping News
Boynton woman's garden wins national landscaping award - Sun-Sentinel
Boynton woman's garden wins national landscaping award Sun-Sentinel "Her landscaping was just beautiful," said Gerger, who nominated Janssen through District 10. "There are so many different clubs and she won the Residential Landscape Award." Janssen lives in a mixed economic neighborhood and bought her historic house ... |
A bright idea to cover city costs? - Manteca Bulletin
A bright idea to cover city costs? Manteca Bulletin By Dennis Wyatt Managing Editor dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com 209-249-3519 The next wave of residential development won't impact the City of Manteca's general fund as much. But it will also mean buyers of new homes will have a higher cost of annual ... |
Beware the Mathalca Overlay plan - Pine Island Eagle
Beware the Mathalca Overlay plan Pine Island Eagle As you know there is a proposal before the commission to institute a Matlacha Residential Overlay that will restrict the use of our properties. Though some of the proposed restrictions are probably OK, there are several that are vehemently opposed to ... |
Nominations now being accepted - SooToday.com
 SooToday.com | Nominations now being accepted SooToday.com ... in creative landscape design, general property maintenance and community building. Categories are: Front Yard, Backyard, Commercial/Institutional, “Feature in a Garden Award” (sponsor – Lemieux Composting), “Most Improved Residential Property”, ... |
Nursery to Set Up on New Bullis Road - East Aurora Advertiser
Nursery to Set Up on New Bullis Road East Aurora Advertiser by Adam Zaremski As he continues to design his landscape and gardening center for Bullis Road, Bryan Young will temporarily move the business to New Bullis Road. The plan upset at least two residents who live on the street. |