Japanese Gardening

Over the years, Japanese gardeners have fine-tuned a distinctive set of pruning techniques that coax out the essential characters of their garden trees, or niwaki. In this highly practical book, Western gardeners are encouraged to draw upon the techniques and sculpt their own garden trees to unique effect. After first discussing the principles that underpin the techniques, the author offers in-depth guidelines for shaping pines, azaleas, conifers, broadleaved evergreens, bamboos and deciduous trees. Throughout the text, step-by-step illustrations accompany the instructions, while abundant photographs and anecdotes bring the ideas surrounding niwaki vividly to life.

An in-depth exploration spanning 800 years of the art, essence, and enduring impact of the Japanese garden. The most comprehensive exploration of the art of the Japanese garden published to date, this book covers more than eight centuries of the history of this important genre. Author and garden designer Sophie Walker brings fresh insight to this subject, exploring the Japanese garden in detail through a series of essays and with 100 featured gardens, ranging from ancient Shinto shrines to imperial gardens and contemporary Zen designs. Leading artists, architects, and other cultural practitioners offer personal perspectives in newly commissioned essays.

A practical guide to planning and constructing a Japanese garden. Step-by-step instructions explain every facet, from displaying plants and rocks to mastering drainage and lighting, to creating bamboo fences and hedges.

Over 700 photographs and illustrations include step-by-step features, colour plans and diagrams, and inspirational pictures of a stunning array of Japanese gardens throughout Europe, Japan and the US. Presents 15 projects for creating complete Japanese gardens, together with clear explanations, illustrations and photography - each complete garden consists of three special features. Special sections on the five Japanese garden styles (pond gardens, dry gardens, tea gardens, stroll gardens and courtyard gardens) explain the characteristics of each style with practical tips on how to achieve them. This is an invaluable, comprehensive guide to creating the Japanese gardening style in locations ranging from large gardens to small yards. A plant directory gives a detailed evaluation of the various types of plants with advice on flowering habits, key growth stages and hardiness.

Filled with gorgeous photographs, this book explains the theory, history, and intricacies of Japanese gardening. The creation of a Japanese garden combines respect for nature with adherence to simple principles of aesthetics and structure. In Japanese Garden Design, landscape architect Marc Peter Keane presents the history and development of the classical metaphors that underlie all Japanese gardens. Keane describes the influences of Confucian, Shinto and Buddhist principles that have linked poetry and philosophy to the tangible metaphor of the garden in Japanese culture. Creative inspiration is found in the prehistoric origin of Japanese concepts of nature; the gardens of Heian aristocrats; the world-renowned Zen garden, or rock garden; the tea garden; courtyard garden; and stroll garden. Detailed explanations of basic design concepts identify and interpret the symbolism of various garden forms and demonstrate these principles in use today in Japanese landscape architecture. Topics include: Design Principles Design Techniques Design Elements Godspirit in Nature Poetry in Paradise The Art of Emptiness Spiritual Passage Private Niches A Collector's Park

This book offers detailed step-by-step advice on how to design and construct Japanese gardens in various environments, using only materials widely available in the West.

Learn how to create a tranquil outdoor space at home with this practical and inspiring guide! With instructive drawings and step-by-step techniques, Inside Your Japanese Garden walks you through designing and creating your very own Japanese garden. From small projects like benches and gates, to larger undertakings like bridges and mud walls, this book provides a wide variety of ways to enhance the space around your home, no matter the size. Instructions on how to work with stone, mud and bamboo--as well as a catalogue of the 94 plant varieties used in the gardens shown in the book--round out this complete guide. This book also features 20 gardens that author Sadao Yasumoro has designed and built in Japan, and some--like those at Visvim shop in Tokyo and at Yushima Tenjin in Tokyo--are open to the public. From small tsuboniwa courtyard gardens to a large backyard stroll garden with water features, stairs and walls, these real-life inspirations will help spark your own garden plan. These inspirational garden projects include: Tea Garden for an Urban Farmhouse featuring a clay wall with a split-bamboo frame and a stone base The Landslide That Became a Garden with a terraced slope, trees, bushes, long grasses and moss A Buddha's Mountain Retreat of Moss and Stone with vertical-split bamboo and brushwood fencing Paradise in an Urban Jungle with a pond, Japanese-style bridge, and stone lanterns Each garden is beautifully photographed by Hironori Tomino and many have diagrams and drawings to show the essential elements used in the planning and construction.

Japanese Style Companion Planting brings the techniques of a master farmer in Japan to home gardeners all over the world, with over 175 easy-to-follow color illustrations and detailed texts. Japanese gardeners typically work with small plots and are experts at making the most efficient use of available garden space. They have long understood that when compatible vegetables and fruits are grown together, the result is increased yields, healthier plants, fewer pest problems and better taste. Vegetables from small gardens are the mainstay of Japan's famously healthy cuisine and movement towards farm-to-table dining tradition. Author Toshio Kijima is head of the Biotechnology Department at Tochigi Agricultural Station in Japan and principal of the Nogyo Daigakko School of Natural Farming. In this book, he provides 88 different plant pairings, including common favorites such as: Tomato with basil Eggplant with green beans Carrots with edamame Iceberg lettuce with broccoli Strawberries with garlic Green beans with arugula Blueberry bushes with mint …and dozens of other pairings that yield tasty, nutritious vegetables and fruits, all grown without the need for pesticides or chemical fertilizers. This book also covers excellent combinations for relay planting, such as watermelon followed by spinach, spinach followed by broccoli, broccoli followed by potato, and many more. Clear and precise instructions are given for each combination--from planning and preparing your plot to planting depths and spacing--all accompanied by detailed color drawings and photographs. Information on the theory and basics of companion planting will ensure a smooth transition to sustainable gardening techniques that millions of home gardeners are using!