Japanese Gardening

I would love to know more about the Japanese gardening style. I think I “know it when I see it”, but I really don’t know all that much. When I think of a Japanese garden I think of a serene place that is very naturalistic - nature is tamed to present the best of itself. A Japanese garden is comprised of plants, and structures, such as small buildings, lanterns, paths, bridges, and ponds. Ideas may be represented in the Japanese garden, for example, water may be represented by gravel or sand, and plants may represent life.

When I think of a palate of Japanese plants, I think of iris, camellia, rhododendron, azalea, pine, and maple. I also think of a very distinctive pruning style, which showcases the trunks, branches, and leaves of each tree. The aesthetic pruning class series that I have been taking at Merritt College is heavily influenced by Japanese gardening.

Pine tree

My garden benefits from the pruning skills of Yakito who is a pruning artist in the Japanese style. His artistry has found its way to many of the trees in my garden.

Maple tree