By
eHow Home & Garden Editor
Difficulty: Moderately Challenging
Step1
Plan your garden design so that it suits the area you are working with. Japanese gardens incorporate only items that can be found in nature. Use scale and balance to make a small landscape look large or to make a vast area appear smaller. Give your garden an enclosed feeling with fencing, walls or trees.
Step2
Place rocks first. Rocks and stones are a primary element in Japanese gardens. They are used to represent larger items like islands, mountains or a rocky seashore. Rocks are grouped together in odd numbers in a triangular formation. The classic arrangement is called a "sanson," consisting of three vertical stones. Bury the rocks slightly to appear as though they grew from the ground.
Step3
Plant trees and shrubs to look as though they grew among the rocks. Simplicity and lack of color are classic features of the Japanese garden. Try to keep to a few major plantings in various shades of green or neutral colors. Choose Japanese trees like Japanese maples, pines and junipers to add texture. Flowering trees with short bloom times add occasional color.
Step4
Add a water feature, from a large pond or waterfall to a small deer chaser. Or, represent water with raked gravel or sand. To create a gravel bed, lay landscape fabric to keep weeds out and add 4 inches or more of gravel. Rake it to suggest moving water. The gravel or sand bed can represent a small body of water like a stream or an area as vast as the ocean. Add rocks as they would appear in a natural water setting. You can even build a bridge over the gravel "stream."
Step5
Add decorative objects like stone lanterns, paths made of natural items, Japanese style bridges, and bamboo fences or furniture. When placing items, remember that Japanese gardens often include "hidden" items. Not all objects should be out in the open. Create bends or dips in a path to cause a visitor's attention to be drawn to a special object.
