Choosing the Best Japanese Landscape Design

Easy To Maintain Japanese Landscape Design

For a Japanese landscape design, you will find a list of specific items to consider.  Now, some Japanese gardens are simplistic while others include everything that would be found in a traditional Japanese landscape design.  Therefore, the first thing you would need to do before shopping for the various types of Japanese garden supplies and materials is to determine the completed look you want.

Try making a drawing laying out exactly what you would like to have in your Japanese garden.  Draw in a strolling rock path leading past interestingly trimmed foliage, flowers and a stream. Consider a spot for a Japanese stone bench possibly near a small koi pond.

Japanese Garden Bridge

With a Japanese garden bridge, you would actually walk over the water features or simply stand or sit on the bridge to soak up the gorgeous view.  After all, a Japanese garden design also features tons of greenery in the form of plants, flowers, shrubs, and trees, bamboo fences, waterfalls, statues, lanterns, lily pads, pebble walkways, and so on.  In fact, for the larger gardens, some will also feature a teahouse, which is authentic.

The Japanese garden bridge is typically constructed from wood or stone with a design that fits with the Japanese style.  In Japan, these bridges are used to connect a shore with an island or in some cases, even to connect one island with another island.  Of course, in a smaller residential Japanese landscape design, the Japanese garden bridge goes along with a strolling garden, again to go over a pond or stream.

Now, there are also dry Japanese gardens in which case sand is raked into a swirl design that represents water.  In the center of the sand is a rock or boulder, which is symbolic of an island.  Even in this garden design, a Japanese garden bridge could be used to create the same appearance of having a bridge going over water.

Where to Find Japanese Garden Supplies

The thing to remember is that when shopping for Japanese garden supplies to include a bridge, you want to choose the size that will work with the size of the garden, and then go with the style and material that looks best.  After all, in Japan, the bridge is believed to be a journey, taking a person from one place to another.  For this reason, the bridge in your own Japanese garden needs to represent your own personal journey and the movement involved.

You can be as creative as you like with your design.  True to Japanese tradition, it must be simple but at the same time include many features such as the dry garden with the sand base and stones, a pond or other water feature with a waterfall and a Japanese bridge.  Japanese Lanterns lining the paths would also be a nice addition.

If you would like more landscaping ideas go to Landscape Patio Design.