How to Create a Zen Garden

When you hear the term "Zen Garden" the picture conjured up is of a dry landscape with rocks surrounded by carefully raked gravel which invites you to withdraw from the noise of the world outside and to enter into silent meditation. Some say that zen priests adopted the dry landscape style in the eleventh century as an aid to create a deeper understanding of the zen concepts, but others hold that the Japanese Zen Garden is a myth. They claim that it is a late 20th Century western creation that has nothing to do with the Japanese Garden Tradition and that the dry garden style is not unique to zen temples but can be found associated with many other buildings.

Whatever your view it is undeniable that there is something rather special about this dry landscape style which is generally known as a Zen garden. The main elements consist of rocks representing mountains or islands surrounded by flowing water in the form of sand or gravel.

Recently scientists used computer analysis to study one of the most famous Zen gardens in the world, at the Ryoanji Temple in Kyoto, to discover why it has a calming effect on the hundreds of thousands of visitors who come every year. The researchers found that the seemingly random collection of rocks and moss on this simple gravel rectangle, when viewed from the right position, created the image of a tree in the subconscious mind.

Not all Zen gardens are restricted to dry stones and gravel, but often include plants and mosses as well as shrine lanterns, bridges and water features. A Zen garden should be equally attractive and inviting throughout the year, which is why evergreens play such an important role in their design. Black pines and bamboo, moss and other evergreen ground covers provide seasonal continuity which is always green and alive.

Construction of a Zen garden starts with the selection of suitable rocks. It is important that you find rocks in shapes that appeal to you since these will form the backbone of the design. It may take some time for you to find the right stones and gravels to blend together to form a harmonious picture, but taking time and making careful choices is an important part of transforming simple gardening into an act of "meditation".

Zen gardening means that design, construction, planting and cultivation is all part of the garden itself. A Zen garden is a continuing process in which the creation and maintenance of the design is as much a part of the meditation as contemplation of the completed garden.

Hugh Harris-Evans is the owner of The Garden Supplies Advisor where you will find further articles, gardening tips and product reviews.

http://www.garden-supplies-advisor.com

GARDENING: Turner Greenhouse owners moving on to other things
Las Vegas Review - Journal, NV - 4 hours ago
It is a prime example of what the water authority wants to accomplish with its Water Smart Landscaping program, where trees and shrubs will shade 50 percent ...

Tour is a walk on the wild side
Livingston Daily, MI - 4 hours ago
Green Thumb Landscape & Garden Center is selling tickets in Hamburg Township. Beauchamp Lawn and Landscape and Hartland Flowers are selling tickets in ...

The Associated Press
Guerrilla gardeners dig in to beautify Los Angeles
The Associated Press - Jul 4, 2008
... landscaping the rest of the patch soon. A sign sticks up from the dirt at the edge of the median closest to Sunset Boulevard. "Guerrilla Gardening," it ...

Gardeners seeking laurels
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA - 6 hours ago
The 44-year-old business consultant has had his hands in the dirt since he was a youngster taking care of his parent's garden. He did landscaping in high ...

The Age
An Earthly Delight
The Age, Australia - Jul 4, 2008
He won a Churchill Fellowship in 1974 to study organic gardening and landscaping overseas. Peas soaking in a bowl of water generated his interest in ...

Badge of honor, 'Rhapsody in Bloom'
Lower Hudson Journal news, NY - 6 hours ago
There's a Zen feeling of serenity and calmness throughout the garden. "Our love of Asian design and landscaping has been a big influence here," she says. ...

Gardening: Ant nests can pose problems for wood and landscaping
Salt Lake Tribune, United States - Jul 1, 2008
Ants cause landscape problems by nesting in plants' root zones, causing the plants to dry up. Ants also cause problems by protecting honeydew-producing ...

Landscaping series to offer secrets of successful gardening
Tampa Bay Newspapers, FL - Jul 3, 2008
PINELLAS COUNTY – Pinellas County Extension will offer a five-session Florida-friendly Landscaping Series designed to help attendees acheive gardening ...
Get Outdoors: Gardening Calendar Tampa Bay Newspapers
all 2 news articles

The Burley Home: Creative landscaping maximizes home's outdoor ...
Huntington Herald Dispatch, WV - 10 hours ago
"My mother, Margaret Kennard, and I do all the gardening together," she said. "We have always enjoyed working with flowers." Several years ago, the Burleys ...

Albert Lea Tribune
Garden tour spices up Bricelyn’s Fourth of July festivities
Albert Lea Tribune, MN - 14 hours ago
... anticipates this will be an annual event for the community and plans have begun for new ideas for next year’s garden plots and landscaping creations.

Wind Chimes and more...

Windchimes for great gifts!

Choosing Pond Plants