How to create a small Japanese Garden in the Dacha - Ideas and Principles. Japanese style garden Japanese style garden on a small plot

Japanese aesthetics are completely special. Luxury and intricacy, redundancy of objects are alien to her. Japanese beauty lies in calm balance, harmony of shapes, lines, shades and sounds.

The Japanese landscape is not just a picturesque picture, but a way of understanding the world, which is based on a very respectful, poetic attitude towards nature.

Garden design in Japan, of course, is also the result of the work of masters, but, above all, it is a product of intellectual labor. A Japanese gardener will not “reshape” the relief and remake the landscape, trying to adapt the area to his own whim. He is a student of Nature and, creating a landscape, follows its laws.
Even the tiniest one Japanese kindergarten- a cast of the surrounding nature, a philosophical interpretation of the environment that is characteristic of a particular area. There is nothing random in it, not a single meaningless detail: every stone, lantern or stump is a symbol of a certain concept and is “responsible” for luck, health, and material well-being.

Advantages and features of a Japanese garden

Why does the Japanese landscape captivate Europeans?
Mysterious thoughtfulness, clarity of lines, smooth flow of shade into shade... But it also has other interesting qualities.

The Japanese garden promotes the formation of a reasonable, equanimous attitude towards life; it pacifies and develops the sense of taste.

A Japanese garden is an excellent stress reliever. And also, since it is dominated by Feng Shui, the doctrine of the circulation of energies, it is also a place of strength and physical healing.

Finally, such a garden is wonderful suitable model for a plot of any size, even very small. It will also fit perfectly into areas non-standard shape– too narrow, located on a slope, with rocky, hummocky soil.

However, realizing the Japanese dream is not so easy.

What does this require?
— Firstly, to have a truly refined taste.
— Secondly, quite extensive knowledge about Japanese culture. Moreover, you need to share a worldview that will become the conceptual basis for your garden. In particular, remember that absolutely all objects must be full of meaning and be located where they are prescribed by Feng Shui.


The unshakable rules that should be followed when setting up a garden in Japanese include:

  1. multidimensionality. A garden is created, first of all, for contemplation, therefore, at every turn of the path, from every elevation, a new perspective should open up. To achieve this, level differences, bridges, and hills are widely used.
  2. Lack of symmetry. Nature does without rulers and compasses, and the Japanese garden, let us remind you, repeats nature in everything.
  3. The main elements in the Japanese worldview are plants, water and stones. This is, if you like, the “holy trinity” of the Japanese garden.
  4. There are traditionally a lot of stones. They are located in groups, forming local rock gardens; paths are laid out of them, and dry streams are made.
  5. An important nuance is the use of local materials. There is no need to bring picturesque stones from afar - they will be alien to your area.
  6. Water is welcome in any form. It could be a pond, stream, fountain.
  7. Composition is another priority Japanese landscape. Individual objects should be combined into picturesque groups: a stream, a bridge and a textured pine tree, for example, or a stone, a bush and a lantern above them.

If you dream of decorating your entire personal plot, then first break it into parts of irregular, arbitrary shape. It is desirable that they coincide with the main functional areas.
Then take care of a soft, natural transition from zone to zone: use stones, trees, and discreet accessories as conditional boundaries.

However, do not try to recreate Japan among Russian aspens and birches; do not mindlessly copy garden samples from Kyoto and Okinawa. Main - general principles. And choose plants, stones, flowers from the local habitat: only such a landscape will look believable, which ultimately corresponds to Japanese philosophy.

Basic colors of a Japanese garden

In the Land of the Rising Sun, they believe that a large number of wildly flowering plants of various types can unbalance a person, deprive him of peace and thoughtfulness.
A legend has been passed down from generation to generation, according to which a certain shogun, having heard about the beauty of one of the gardens, notified the owner that he would come to him for a tour. When the bishop stepped through the garden gate at the appointed hour, he did not see a single flowering plant– all the flowers were mercilessly cut off. The guest got angry... But the owner invited him to the gazebo, where there was a flower on the table - the only one, unique. Such a dramatic reception made the shogun’s heart tremble with surging feelings.

In other words, the charmingly restrained range of the Japanese garden, consisting of shades and halftones, smooth transitions. The pinnacle of skill is to ensure that a certain corner of the garden is designed in numerous shades of one single color. Let's say white, yellow or purple.
But gray, moss green, muted brown and non-blinding white can be called the basic colors for the Japanese landscape.

Metaphysics of trees in a Japanese garden

A classic Japanese plot is unthinkable without three, one might say, sacred plants - plum, pine and bamboo. The first symbolizes spring, the triumph of life and is considered the tree of the samurai.
The tradition of admiring plum blossom branches (hanami) is no less strong than in the case of sakura.
Pine represents courage, fortitude and longevity; a crooked, wind-worn pine tree is one of the most recognizable emblems of the Land of the Rising Sun.
And bamboo is associated with flexibility, strength, and the ability to overcome any circumstances.

Deep symbolism, however, was formed later. And the first Japanese gardeners simply used those trees and shrubs that grew nearby. At the same time, mountain plants were planted in areas where there were a lot of stones, and valley plants were used to decorate estates located in the lowlands. This means that it is not at all necessary to buy Japanese seedlings and seeds; familiar, local flora is quite suitable for the garden.

Bamboo, for example, can be replaced with willow, fargesia, saza, and tall Sakhalin knotweed.
Siberian cedar from Russian forest will cope with the role of white and black Japanese pine, and native cherries will bloom and smell no worse than Japanese ume plums.

When choosing plants, remember: your task is not to make the garden shimmer with colors from the first days of spring until late autumn. And the point is that bright bursts of flowering alternate with long dormant phases.

Cherries, smooth elms, oaks and especially maples also look very Japanese - the pattern of their leaves, rich autumn palette fully meet Japanese ideals of beauty and harmony.

Bushes, herbs and flowers

When choosing shrubs, you should consider the architecture of each plant, the texture and shades of its leaves. More often landscape designers barberry, cotoneaster and hawthorn are recommended. Thanks to the berries and the shade of the foliage, these crops are quite effective and also hold their shape for a long time after being cut.

It is impossible to do without periodic pruning: tradition requires that the garden have spherical-shaped plants. It is given not only to cotoneaster, barberry, boxwood, but even to low elms, thujas, dwarf yews, and rhododendrons. These and other trimmed plants are often used to form hedges.

To create green walls and carpets use different types spirea, deutia, as well as herbs - molinia, feather grass, miscanthus. Mosses, decorative sedges and grasses are widely used.

Arrange several miniature monogardens. They can be formed from hostas, ferns, that is, plants of the same type, supplemented with stones. Such artistic method fully corresponds to the spirit of the Japanese garden.

Flowers in the Eastern worldview have as many meanings as trees. Everyone knows, for example, that the chrysanthemum is the same symbol of Japan as a sakura branch or the silhouette of a pine tree. Daylilies, irises, and bulbous plants are also in high esteem.

Plant chrysanthemum-shungika. It's special edible species flower, very popular in the East. The Japanese prepare many dishes from the leaves of this chrysanthemum, claiming that they have healing properties.

Peonies are appropriate in the Japanese garden, symbolizing love, amaralis, a symbol of modesty, as well as white roses - a sign of nobility. However, there should be flowers in moderation and it is better to place them not in common flower beds, but in separate lawns.

Stones and more stones...

Their importance for the Japanese garden is enormous.

Firstly, stones are used to lay out a recreation area - a patio. As well as the main path going deep into the garden. For it, large slabs with uneven edges are chosen, and smaller samples are used to cover secondary paths and boundaries between zones.
Secondly, stones are needed for a dry landscape, in other words, for. The fact is that in the old days the Japanese believed that gods lived among scattered blocks and boulders. Since then, the rocky landscapes have been a place where monks meditate.

At the heart of the rock garden is a heptagon of lines, at the intersection of which large fragments of flagstone, granite, and quartz are installed. The space between them is covered with pebbles, on the surface of which waves are drawn.

Stones are selected taking into account both shape and color. Gray and bluish are identified with the element of water, greenish with vegetation, and stones of strange shapes symbolize animals in the garden.

The stone garden should be located in such a way that the sun does not blind the eyes of those who admire it.

The more varied the shape of the fragments, the better. In this case, there must be a lying, horizontally elongated stone; curved; flat; low-vertical and stone statue. Without the latter, the Japanese say, a garden is not a garden.

Variety of reservoirs

There should also be a tsukubai bowl made of stone, a low tub that was once used as a washstand. Tsukubai these days are part of the decor, as well as a reminder that water is the eternal, philosophical companion of stone.


If space and possibilities allow, you can dig a pond, characteristic detail for the estates of Japanese aristocrats. Often in the middle of such a reservoir an island is poured (a symbol of the habitat of souls, that is, immortality), connecting it to the shore using wooden flooring or stones (stone slabs).

Almost always there is a waterfall in the Japanese landscape. The jets fall from a piece of rock into a narrow channel formed by smaller stones. Splashing and murmuring are considered one of the best music in Japan, and flying water adds dynamics to the landscape.

You can organize traditional Japanese ponds without extra costs, resorting to modern means. Tsukubai bowls, for example, today are made from polyvinyl chloride, painted to resemble old, mossy stone.

Small architectural forms and lighting

If you intend to follow the canons of Japanese landscape art in everything, then you cannot do without a tea house. Moreover, the first Japanese gardens arose around such houses as an addition to the traditional tea ceremony.

Actually, today a tea pavilion can be an ordinary wooden gazebo in the shape of a pagoda or cube, painted red, brown, white.

Another important attribute is the zigzag yatsuhashi bridge. Its elongated, serpentine silhouette symbolizes sinuosity life path, the road that a person travels in search of truth.

Bridges can also be curved, resembling a rainbow, imitate ships, be made of wood and stone, and extend not only over reservoirs, but also over dry streams.

Near a pond, waterfall, or rock garden, don’t forget to install benches - straight, ascetic in shape, consisting of stone supports and flat wooden seats.

Stone lanterns are a tribute to tradition that should not be abandoned. Such lamps come in a variety of shapes and heights - from squat ones, reminiscent of rounded stones, to tall pillars.

There are also hanging lanterns, lamps made of bronze, in the form of pagodas, carved squares, cylinders, polygons... Some of them shine upward, others are designed to illuminate the ground...
If you arrange these devices correctly - along the paths, along the perimeter of the patio, at the edge of the pond, near the gazebo - the area will receive the optimal dose of natural light: dim, but a little mysterious, like the entire garden.

When creating Japanese-style gardens, they are guided by the principles of Zen aesthetics. This garden design, like other compositions, has a deep philosophy. Japanese culture is fundamentally different from European culture. Japanese-style garden design can create a peaceful atmosphere in your garden.

Rough, unprocessed stones are an essential attribute of a Japanese garden. Their size should be different and their location non-parallel.

Zen aesthetics is based on two religions: Zen Buddhism and Shinto, where nature and man are considered one. The Japanese worship nature. In their opinion, mighty mountains, rocks, rivers, lakes and forests are endowed magical properties. Such ideas were the basis for the creation of Japanese gardens. The main purpose of the structure is to create a scaled-down model of the universe on a modest site.

The first Japanese gardens were an imitation of the sea coast - they were equipped with artificial ponds, rocks and islands. The main elements of a Japanese garden are trees. coniferous species, sakura. As additional elements moss and an artificial pond are used. All these elements must be alive. The only thing that is permissible is to use stones as water, creating waterfalls and other mesmerizing compositions.

When creating a Japanese-style garden, you need to follow the basic rules:

  • adhere to natural principles;
  • avoid symmetry and parallel lines;
  • do not make the garden too large;
  • exclude the presence of umbrellas, lanterns, and flower beds on the site.

To create a flat Japanese style garden you will need sand, small stones, moss For example, to arrange the Reanji garden, the sand will need to be raked. This will be an imitation of the sea. Stones can be laid out in a chaotic manner, and moss around the perimeter.

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Diagram of a water bowl in a Japanese garden.

If we are talking about hilly gardens, then they can be created without the use of greenery. A beautiful landscape can be created if mountains, stones, and sand are created. The presence of stones is the main rule. A stone installed vertically will symbolize a mountain, while flat cobblestones are considered an imitation of mountains. The purpose of the pebbles is to represent a body of water.

Japanese style involves the design of flower beds and patios. These elements are allowed provided that the facade of the house is made in the appropriate style. If the construction was carried out in European style, the picturesque Japanese corner should be located further away, deep into the plot, so that the trees obscure the facade of the house.

The main elements of a Japanese garden

Places to stay

An integral element The Japanese garden is considered to be a gazebo. This building is intended for a tea ceremony. It is important that it has a modest size and is made of materials such as stone or wood. The gazebo must be located in a secluded corner of the garden and must fit harmoniously into its design. According to Japanese customs, the slats of the structure are placed from west to east, and south side should cover its blank wall. This will help protect people who relax in the gazebo from the bright scorching sun in the summer.


Scheme of the gazebo in oriental style.

Lanterns for the Japanese garden

Stone lanterns have not only a purely decorative function. Previously, they were installed to help guests find the way to the temple or gazebo in the dark, because it was in the evenings that people would retire to the gazebo for peace after a hard day of work. Lanterns can be made in any color scheme, shape and size. Despite the fact that today they are used for the purpose of decorating a composition, we should not forget that previously they contained deep meaning. The light of the inekomi-gata lanterns should fall on the ground. It is unacceptable for the flower garden, trees, and recreation areas to be illuminated.

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Tachi-gata lanterns are designed to illuminate figures and ornamental plants in the garden. It should be taken into account that their height should not be higher than 3 m. With the help of oki-gata lights, you can illuminate reservoirs. Eki-gata are white lanterns with the effect of being covered with snow. Used to illuminate the gazebo.

Bridges in a Japanese garden

For almost every one of us, a bridge is, first of all, a structure with which you can cross to the other side. However, the bridges in the Japanese garden have a slightly different purpose. Such designs carry a semantic load - they indicate a person’s life path. For making bridges should be used natural wood. Stones that need to be placed in a chaotic manner in the corners are suitable as decorative elements. To make the structure on the site look aesthetically pleasing, the path to it can be laid out using oblong small stones. On each of its sides you should place a mini-flower bed, the edges of which can also be trimmed with decorative stones.

Other decorative elements

Japanese culture is a bit stingy with decorations. In this regard, the Japanese are more restrained than the Europeans. Most of them prefer symbolic towers and statues. In their gardens you can often see figurines of pilgrims, Buddha, and animal figurines arranged. When creating a Japanese garden on your site, give preference to discreet sculptures that will fit harmoniously into the composition. Statues of lions and lionesses would be appropriate near the entrance to the house; figurines of any animals can be installed on the coast of reservoirs.

The towers should be made in the form of an octagon. Their number must be odd. They should be located near an artificial reservoir.

A Japanese-style composition should be the embodiment of the fusion of man and nature. It is important that it is not overloaded with decorative elements that do not have a deep meaning.

The creation of Japanese-style gardens is based on the principle of Zen aesthetics.

A Japanese-style garden, like other structures, has a deep philosophical meaning.

Rough, unprocessed stones are an essential attribute of a Japanese garden. Their size should be different and their location non-parallel.

Japanese culture is the complete opposite of European culture. Even in this style it will help you create an atmosphere of calm and tranquility in the area.

Zen aesthetics originated from the fusion of two religions: Zen Buddhism and the indigenous religion of the Japanese, Shinto. The fusion of cultures has formed a completely new system views and values, where nature and man interact with each other.

Nature was considered divine: majestic mountains and rocks, lakes, forests - all this was endowed with magical properties. Such unusual ideas formed the basis for the creation of Japanese gardens. The main goal of the garden is to create a scaled-down model of the universe on a fairly small piece of land.

The first Japanese gardens imitated sea coasts using artificial reservoirs, where the same artificial rocks and islands were located in the center.

The main elements of a Japanese garden are always coniferous trees, cherries (sakura). The composition is complemented by moss and water in an artificial pond. All of the above elements must be alive. The only exception is that it is allowed to replace water with stones, imitating waterfalls and other beautiful compositions.

When creating a Japanese-style garden, remember the main rules:

  • compliance with basic natural principles;
  • complete lack of symmetry and parallel lines;
  • uniqueness, oddness and incompleteness of elements;
  • the garden should be small;
  • it should contain various umbrellas, lanterns, bridges and a flower bed.

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Japanese gardens: flat and hilly

A flat garden in the Japanese style is created using sand, small stones, and moss. A striking example is the Reanji garden: the sand is processed with a rake, thereby creating waves (sea), then stones and moss are laid out in random order around the perimeter.

Hilly gardens can be created even in the absence of greenery. Mountains, stones, pebbles, sand - all this will help you create a good landscape. The use of stones is the main rule. Thus, a vertically installed stone symbolizes a mountain, flat cobblestones resemble slopes, and pebbles represent a pond.

Flowerbeds and patios are often decorated in Japanese style, provided that the façade of the house is made in appropriate colors. If the house is decorated in a European style, then it is better to move your picturesque Japanese corner further away, placing it in the depths of the site, where trees will cover the facade of the house.

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The main elements of a Japanese garden

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Places to stay

A gazebo for a Japanese garden should be a small house in which tea drinking ceremonies will be held, nothing more. The main task is to move away from the bustle of the world and calm down. The gazebo should be made of stone or wood. The design should be combined with the design of the garden, it should be located in the most secluded corner of the garden. According to Japanese customs, the slats of the canopy are placed from west to east; the south side should cover the blank wall of the gazebo. In this case, people relaxing in the gazebo will be protected from the hot scorching sun.

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Lanterns for the Japanese garden

Stone lanterns are used for decorative and functional purposes. They can be made in any color, shape and size. Previously, lanterns were installed to help guests find their way to a temple, gazebo, house in dark time days, because it was in the evening that people relaxed in a cozy gazebo after a difficult working day. Lanterns are placed, as before, along narrow paths in the garden. Although now lanterns serve an exclusively decorative function, remember that in the past a special deep meaning was invested in these luminaries. The light of inekomi-gata lanterns should fall exclusively on the ground, the flowerbed should not be illuminated in any way, and the light should not come into contact with foreign objects, trees, or resting places.

But lanterns called tachi-gata are specifically designed to illuminate figurines and ornamental plants in the garden. The height of such lanterns should not exceed 3 m.

Oki-gatas are designed for illuminating bodies of water (natural and artificial).

Eki-gata are snow-white lanterns with the effect of being covered with snow; they are used to illuminate the gazebo.

The Land of the Rising Sun is famous for its distinctive culture and traditions. Here, each item has its own philosophical meaning and centuries-old history.

The main word that characterizes Japanese culture is harmony. She reigns in everything. The unity of man with nature creates an atmosphere of tranquility and makes one think about the eternal. That’s why the Japanese style has become quite popular in our country.

How to create on your site the original atmosphere of the land of philosophers and samurai?

Planning principle

The main accents in the formation of a Japanese garden: asymmetry in the arrangement of elements, smooth lines, the predominance of green, red, yellow, orange, purple shades, simplicity of design techniques.

Visually, such a garden is divided into two zones. In one zone, the main one, decorative elements, stones are installed, and plants are planted. The second zone, in contrast to the first, remains deserted.

In addition, in the main zone, the “visual distance” method is used to effectively reveal the landscape:

  • large plants are planted in the foreground or voluminous stones are installed
  • in the background - medium in size
  • on the third - the smallest

Then, while walking around the garden, new elements of the landscape will open up to you with every step. Everything resembles the untouched, fascinating naturalness of nature.

Philosophy and symbols of the garden

"There can be a garden without flowers, but there cannot be a garden without stones." This is what the Japanese sages said.

The Japanese garden differs from the garden plantings we are used to and combines three main components - water, stone and vegetation, which are in harmony with each other. The harmony of the elements is especially important here.

There are few or no plants. And the main elements, the basis of the garden, are stones skillfully installed on the territory.

No less important in landscape design is water - the “blood” of the garden. A waterfall, stream, spring or pond are essential elements of your Japanese corner.

Rock Garden

The stone symbolizes perseverance and strength, and when collected in a composition, they symbolize the endless and unknowable Universe. That is why the stones are laid out so that no matter your location on the territory, you would not see all the stones at the same time.

We begin laying out the composition of stones (necessarily an odd number) from the left corner of the site diagonally. Try to use stones in the same color scheme or in groups different colors, without any processing, just as they are in nature. Overgrown with moss, the boulders will look even more natural. Compositions of large and small stones are also possible. We plant plants with attractively colored or unusually shaped foliage nearby.

Smooth winding paths paved with stone is exactly what makes a Japanese garden calm, balanced and fills the atmosphere with harmony. A path of smooth flat stones symbolizes a journey through life without obstacles or problems. What will the path in your garden look like?

Using river pebbles, sand or pea gravel (all of which traditionally represent water), you can create a "dry stream" or small waterfall.

Sandstone and natural slates are also used to decorate the garden.

Plants for the Japanese garden

Each of the plants carries a philosophical meaning:

  • pine is a symbol of long life, courage, strong character, longevity
  • weeping willow - modesty and obedience
  • plum tree represents the beauty of the soul
  • maple - a symbol of wisdom, knowledge
  • bamboo - assertiveness, fortitude, striving forward
  • bindweed - poetry of life
  • moss, lichen - personify maternal kindness and love, protection and reliability

Therefore, when choosing plants for your garden, take this aspect into account.

An extraordinary decoration for your garden can be niwaki grown in a special way plants with a beautiful extravagant crown. They are also called “garden bonsai” for their strong similarity to these plants. The main principle in landscaping the area is the “wave principle”: plants are selected in such a way that you can admire something at any time of the year.

Shrubs and low-growing trees, such as rhododendron, juniper, Karelian birch, dwarf spruce, are combined with tall ones - oak, pine, elm. Fruit trees (cherry, apricot) can easily replace Japanese sakura and they will also delight you during flowering.

Among herbaceous plants, you should choose large-leaved species, such as hosta, fern, chrysanthemums, and Rogers.

Bamboo and baobab are heat-loving and may not take root in our area. An alternative to bamboo can be black alder "Imperialis" or Sakhalin buckwheat.

If the area of ​​your garden is in the shade, plants such as rhododendrons, Japanese primrose, three-row polygonum, and light rose will be suitable. On sunny side good: Japanese spirea, dwarf Weymouth pine, Ginnala river maple. Bright periwinkle or Siebold's hoofweed will also be appropriate in your flowerbed.

Water

Water is a symbol of vital energy, purification, prosperity, positive energy. A Japanese-style garden is unthinkable without a water feature. This is a waterfall (symbolizes the beginning human life), stream (streams of water - the river of our life), fountain, small pond. You can plant moisture-loving plants along the banks of your pond.

An alternative could be a “dry stream” or “dry pond”, as well as wavy lines drawn on sand or shallow fill.

Irreplaceable interesting element There will be a tsukubai in your garden - this is a stone bowl for washing your face and hands (symbolizes purity and innocence). Water is collected from tsukubaya using a bamboo ladle. Usually tsukubai are placed near the house or at the entrance to the garden.

The space around the tsukubai is filled with the “sea” - black pebbles. Tsukubai can be combined with the Oribs lantern (no other lanterns are suitable for this role). This type of blowing will perfectly highlight the style of your garden and fill it with the melody of rushing water.

We can talk endlessly about Japanese culture, it is so interesting and fascinating. And you can't go wrong if you decide to decorate your garden in Japanese style. After all, it is here that you will feel on the same wavelength with nature, which is so important in our modern dynamic pace of life.

Relief

Depending on the characteristics of the site, you can create a garden in flat or mountainous terrain.

Reanlzi Garden- an example of a planar composition. For this design you will need sand, small stones and moss. Draw transverse stripes-waves on the sand with a rake - they will symbolize the water area, a “dry pond”. Arrange moss and stones randomly.

For hilly terrain, sand, pebbles and large structural rocks are useful. Place a large elongated stone vertically - this is your mountain peak. Make flat rocks into the sides of your hill.

Bridge in Japan it is a symbol of the path of life, so it is made from valuable wood species. For a harmonious combination, lay a stone path to your bridge. You can also lay stones on both sides of the bridge or plant a flower bed. Sitting on the bridge with a cup of tea, you can think about the main values ​​of life.

A harmonious combination of human influence and natural elements is the goal of every park complex. This harmony is most fully reflected in the traditions of the Land of the Rising Sun, which is why the Japanese-style garden has survived centuries of change and is popular even today.

Deep into history

The first written sources in which the hieroglyph “niva” (garden) is found date back to the eighth century AD. At first, this term meant a certain space, without natural or artificial fences. Later, man-made elements appeared - fences, pebbled paths, small architectural structures.

The concept of the Japanese garden is related to painting. The stunning color schemes of Heian period gardens coincided with the rise of the Yamato-e school. The appearance of Buddhist monasteries and temples occurred during the era of samurai - pomp and decorativeness gave way to laconicism and monochrome, and the era of dry landscapes began.

The combination of incongruous elements also marks the so-called tea garden - another direction of Japanese park art, which arose already in the 16th century.

Japanese garden - principles of creating style

Three pillars on which the park complexes of temples and palaces are based:

  • indispensable combination of water and stone, symbolizing masculine and feminine in Eastern philosophy;
  • naturalness of plants, stone blocks, decorative design;
  • asymmetry of the landscape with an emphasis on one or more individual details of the composition.

TO additional conditions The structure of the Japanese corner includes the presence of an open area, the use of restrained, harmonious color shades.

Photo: landscape design summer cottage plot

Garden design styles

In modern landscape design, there are four types of Japanese-style garden design. These variations are successfully used to organize space.

  1. - a small part of a yard or house with an open roof.
  2. - a site with a minimum of plants. It is not difficult to create such a site, but the decorative effect of the design will be relatively small.
  3. . This landscape complex differs from the European park tradition that is familiar to us. Characteristic feature– maximum use of natural plants and forms, as well as following the seasons.
  4. – characterized by the combination of two types of green spaces with different landscapes. In the shady corners there is certainly a pavilion - wabi, in which the tea ceremony - tyanoyu - takes place.

Let's take a closer look at each of these green corners and highlight the principles of their creation.

The garden appeared during the development of urban architecture in the early Middle Ages. The name itself speaks of the miniature nature of the landscape composition - the word “tsubo” means small area, 3.3 sq. m.

Such a garden is also located in tiny areas of the yard under open air, and indoors.

Photo of a classic tsubo:

Main purpose of breakdown miniature garden– let light and nature into limited urban space. Plantings for a green corner are selected depending on the cardinal directions. For example, in the northern part sun-loving plants are not planted, and the lack of flowers is compensated for with moss.

The tsubo territory is lined with stones, leaving a small piece of land for planting. In the center of the composition are several plants that match the style of the building. The easiest way to create such a Japanese garden at your summer cottage is to install a tsukubai lantern, make paths from “flying stones” - tobiishi, and harmoniously arrange several plants.

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The lack of light is compensated by lamps, lanterns or an ingenious gallery of mirrors, which saturate the boring walls of a city house with bright and warm sunlight. Decorative lighting will be a small touch that completes the tsubo composition.

This is a poetic interpretation of an archaic motif - the search for islands of eternal youth and immortality. Ancient legends are reflected in the structure of the rock garden. Although landscape design does not pay enough attention to Japanese philosophy, it continues to use the age-old principles of constructing stone gardens.

For the Japanese, stone has never been a building material - only an object of worship and admiration. Echoes of the cultic attitude towards stone blocks are presented in classical methods of arranging compositions. When creating an oriental design, boulders are placed in the following ways:

  • Mount Horai is a single stone in the middle of a pond as a symbol of this distant peak.
  • Mount Sumi is a composition of three stones located in a pond or on a small hill.
  • The Three Jewels is an arrangement method based on Buddhist traditions.
  • Crane and turtle islands repeat folk tales and legends in the garden landscape.

The Japanese attach great importance to the choice of stones. Since boulders are often used in groups, it is not the shape of the individual object that is important, but the harmony of the composition. The design of the Japanese garden welcomes interspersed ancient stones, covered with mosses and lichens, with rounded outlines. According to the beliefs of the Japanese, such blocks bring peace and harmony to the house; without them it is impossible to decorate a garden in the style of the Land of the Rising Sun.

When creating a composition, they adhere to clear principles for arranging stones. The difficulty is correct placement the main boulder crowning the entire landscape design. Other elements naturally frame the central stone block, create miniature compositions symbolizing islands or mountain ranges. A Japanese-style garden gives free rein to imagination, but at the same time dictates its own rules.

It is not customary to place stones in an ascending or descending line - the Japanese do not like artificial symmetry. River, mountain and sea stones are not combined in one composition.

To keep the boulders stable, they are dug in. To hide defects and chips, low-growing shrubs or grass are planted near the stone composition. Plants for a Japanese rock garden are chosen in wild, modest colors.

The appearance of this territory is the most familiar to the European view: open space, water flow and a lot of green spaces. Both evergreen and deciduous trees grow in shady corners - this is how the alternation of flowering of each seedling is achieved depending on the season.

A good addition to trees are trimmed bushes of boxwood, rhododendron, cotoneaster, etc. Such plants, if necessary, hide the walls of houses, garbage containers or composting facilities (if the garden is planned to be located in the country). Conversely, the decorated caps of bushes serve as a natural frame for the view of a river bank or an endless field.

Tree gardens play a big role in decorative elements– fences, bridges, lanterns, gates... As a rule, internal barriers are made light and airy using wooden picket fence or bamboo. But external fences are made of stones and decorated with tiles.

Part of a traditional Japanese tea ceremony. Its main purpose is to create the necessary atmosphere of peace and tranquility. Its area is not large and imitates a fragment of a mountainous area where eastern sages settled.

At the far end of the garden there is a hut for the tea ceremony - chashitsu. This is a small ascetic house, reminiscent of the home of the sages. AND appearance, and the interior decoration of this building is very laconic. It is believed that this is the only way to achieve true harmony and tune in to contemplation.

The garden itself seems to prepare a person for the ceremony, being the border between the busy world and the territory of spirituality.

It is decorated in discreet style, close to natural. Plants and stones are arranged in a natural, seemingly chaotic order. The lighting should be low, barely enough to see the path.

Lanterns are an indispensable attribute of a Japanese garden; they are used both for decoration and for lighting the area. At first, decorative lamps were present only in tea gardens, but later they became business card any landscape design in Japanese style. As a rule, only one lantern made of stone is installed. Pedestal models - tachigata - brightly illuminate the surrounding area. The luminous flux of hidden lanterns - ikekomigata - is directed downwards.

Photo: the bridge serves a decorative function

Bridges in a Japanese garden do not always serve as a means of crossing to the other side; rather, they are used as another design element. Unlike Chinese or European designs, the Japanese bridge is flat, sometimes not intended for walking at all. The Yatsuhashi bridge is extremely decorative, composed of eight elements - stones or wide boards.

The parts of the structure are laid in a zigzag pattern, so walking along it can be difficult. Such bridges fit well into a landscape park and are installed above artificial ponds, depressions with wet soil or directly above the lawn.

Japanese gardens can tell a lot about the character of the inhabitants of the Land of the Rising Sun. And for Europeans it is a magnificent combination of light, greenery, stone and water, a kind of door to understanding the culture and traditions of the East.

Video: miniature Japan on site