There are four essential ingredients of a Japanese garden: water, rocks, plants, and decorations. Odd numbers, asymmetry, and crisp, geometric lines juxtaposed with soft edges are important components. There are lanterns and bridges, always in harmony with their surroundings. There are the mosses, artfully carved pines, and maples; paths—the more precarious the better—invite a careful, contemplative pace that becomes a meditation.
Embrace Asymmetry
When selecting plants, opt for a variety of shapes, textures, and sizes, like a structural fatsia with weeping cherry and fountain grass. Try to group foundation plantings like columnar trees and evergreen shrubs in odd numbers for good luck. Asymmetry can be easily accomplished with the artful placement of containers; try to group them at angles to one another rather than in tight rows.
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Listen Carefully
Soothing sounds are just as important as the plants and rocks when it comes to creating the experience of nature in a Japanese garden. Grasses and bamboo rustle in the wind to provide a pleasant soundscape, and furin (wind chimes) are hung in the summer to help create a cooling effect to the listener with their gentle tinkling. A water feature such as a wabi basin or ceramic urn outfitted with a fountain pump provides the refreshing sound of bubbling water, helpful for drowning out city noise.