How to Fill Your Zen Garden Fast

Zen gardens are designed to evoke balance and natural form.

Since the 14th century, Zen Buddhist priests have created gardens for meditation and appreciation of beauty. Those gardens were built with the intent to express appreciation of timeless natural processes. Modern interpretations of Zen gardens have new elements, but are still rich with Asian design and display a deep respect for nature. We don’t have the generous amount of time available to Buddhist priests, but with a focus on natural elements and a few fast growing plants you can build your serene space quickly. Does this Spark an idea?

Things You'll Need

• Stones
• Pebbles
• Sand
• Gravel
• Ornamental elements (Bamboo, statues, water, lights) optional
• Plants with natural and interesting forms

Instructions

1. 

   Use large areas of gravel, split with boulders and pebbles, to help fill zen gardens.

   Design your hardscape. Stones and boulders are viewed in the Japanese garden as islands. They can also be used for bridges and stepping pads. Use pebbles to create foundations around plantings, dry streambeds, and to outline stepping stone paths. Sands and finer gravels are used to create an image of water. Whether as a dry streambed, or in artistic designs raked to create a flowing or rippled effect, this is the best way to cover large areas of ground and to serve as the basis for designing the planting.

2. Add non-traditional decorative elements to the Zen garden to cover ground fast and make your garden feel established. Ponds, streams, fountains, and waterfalls will add a sound and movement. Stone statues will help you adorn the garden. Enclose your garden with bamboo fence and door panels. These functional enclosures become a vital part of the garden's vertical appeal. Add light to your garden with pagoda lights. They were originally made of carved stone, but now come in a variety of materials.

3. 

   Japanese maple stands out in fall with vibrant color.

   Design your planting. Select specimen plants that evoke movement, color and texture. Plants of the Zen garden reflect the four seasons. Azaleas, Apricots and Cherries define the spring, Japanese maples define the fall. Summer is felt in the movement of grass. In winter, the emphasis shifts to evergreens.

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4. Plant fast growing trees that have interesting form. Japanese Maples are a traditional plant in a Zen garden, but are usually very slow growing. One maple that grows much faster than the rest is Acer palmatum "Atropurpureum". Another tree to consider is Prunus mume, commonly known as Japanese apricot, which is a flowering small tree often used in Japanese gardens for the scented pink flowers in early spring and the small bitter fruits in summer. Japanese apricot will grow fairly quickly to 15 to 20 feet.

5. Pick a groundcover that will fill your Zen garden quickly with texture. Hakonechloa 'Aureola', or Golden Japanese forest grass is a lovely plant to reflect the movement of flowing water. It will grow 12 to 16 inches tall in light shade, filling an area of a few feet. Plant 18 inches apart for a quick fill. Also, Sagina subulata and S. subulata Aurea , Irish and Scotch moss make excellent substitues for the traditional slower growing moss usually used. Plant these 8 to 12 inches apart

References

• San Jose State University: Japanese Gardens: Historical Japanese Gardens
• University of Florida IFAS Extension: Acer palmatum 'Atropurpureum'
• Fine Gardening: Hakonechloa macra 'Aureola’ (Golden Japanese Forest Grass)

Resources

• Brooklyn Botanical Gardens: Japanese Hill and Pond Garden