Zen Gardens

Zen gardens, also called Japanese rock gardens were first created by Buddhist monks in Japan as a place to aid meditation.  Amidst our busy challenging lives right now, it would be nice to have something that gives us a moment of peace. 

Designing a Zen garden on your property is a great way to reduce stress, improve your focus, and develop a sense of well-being.

Zen gardens have several main elements, each with their own purpose. These elements are bridges, islands, flowers or plants, sand, stones, trees and water. There is symbolism to the elements, stone being one of the most important. Upright or vertical stones can be used to represent trees, while flat, horizontal stones represent water, arching stones represent fire.

When you create a Zen garden, a reflecting pool, a serene water feature will add an exceptional element of peace and tranquility to your garden retreat. Adding glass or metal globes will reflect surroundings, such as a woodland setting, colorful gardens and trees. Properly placed landscape lighting will create an array of reflected light at night such as a starry sky. A fountain in the Zen garden will further create a relaxing atmosphere with its calming sounds of cascading water.

There are popular choices for trees to plant in your Zen garden including Japanese maples, flowering plums and cherry blossom trees. Shrubs to consider include azaleas, rhododendrons, hydrangeas and wisteria which are shade loving plants that can be planted around trees. Flowering perennial plants native to our area are recommended as they can withstand our summers and winters.

A Zen garden is a representation of the natural world. If you are craving some extra peace and tranquility, adding a Zen garden to your property is a great way to get some.