How to Create a Zen Garden

By eHow Home & Garden Editor

Rate: (1 Ratings)

Having a Zen garden or dry landscape garden in a backyard can be a peaceful, fulfilling experience. A Zen garden is a very aesthetically appealing way to create the feeling of tranquility in a garden setting. Here is how to create a Zen garden for beauty, relaxation, meditation and enjoyment.

Flag Article

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

Wood and hardware
Sand, stones, rocks, boulders, polished pebbles and other embellishments
Zen garden rake
Solar or other light source
Weed barrier material

Step1

Decide on the size for your dry landscape Zen garden. The size depends on the amount of yard you want to dedicate to the Zen garden and how much time you can spend maintaining it.

Step2

Create the form to contain the sand and other Zen garden materials. For a large garden use lumber or railroad ties and nail or screw the wood securely together to make the form.

Step3

Lay a weed barrier down inside the form. This can be black plastic, thick newspapers or weed barrier cloth. Keeping weeds out is a must.

Step4

Fill the form to the top with sand or gravel and spread it as level and evenly as possible with the rake.

Step5

Add other desired embellishments like polished pebbles, interesting rocks and boulders, statues and other visually stimulating items of unusual textures, colors and shapes.

Step6

Submerge the items partially into the sand or gravel and keep them off-center for the best effect. Don't clutter the area. A Zen garden should be peaceful and simple.

Step7

Place solar lights or other lighting to enhance nighttime enjoyment of the Zen garden. Light and shadows add particular interest.

Step8

Rake the Zen garden sand or gravel in long, curving designs to represent rippling water. Use a variety of patterns to accentuate the garden and change them often to create new effects.

Tips & Warnings

Make sure the form is deep enough so the sand or gravel can be at least three or four inches deep to create the optimum effect when the sand is raked.
Zen gardens do not have to be square or symmetrical and do not have to follow any special placement requirements. Create your Zen garden to be visually pleasing to you.