German rock gardens are colorful and rustic - Japanese, on the other hand, are simple and clear. But how do you properly create a Zen garden?
German gardens usually have the same structure: a large lawn, flower beds, greenhouse, maybe a garden pond - and the German oasis of peace is perfect. But these can be overlooked over the years. It is therefore not surprising that many garden lovers redesign their garden every few years to provide a breath of fresh air and variety.
It doesn't matter whether it's a French garden, Mediterranean flair or Japanese elements - whatever you like is allowed. However, if you are very much looking for peace and harmony and often use your garden to meditate or to get inner peace, then a Zen garden is just right for you. Why? We will explain this to you in more detail below.
Zen garden: highlight of Japanese garden art
A Japanese rock garden - i.e. a Zen garden - impresses with its neat organization and clear lines. This comes without colorful flowers, water or other visual highlights, because the garden has its origins in Buddhism and is used here as a place for meditation and rest. You may have heard of the famous Zen Gardens in Kyoto (see interesting documentary about Kyoto's Zen Gardens), which are symbols of tradition and places of tranquillity.
The rules of Zen can even be traced back to Year Zero China. These Zen rules say, for example, which four elements belong in a Japanese rock garden. These four elements include rocks, trees, sand (water), and moss, each with its own meaning.
» stones:
They stand for animals that are integrated in nature. But they are also dedicated to the gods descending from heaven.
» Trees:
These are supposed to symbolize life, as they constantly regenerate and continue to grow.
» Sand (Water):
Actually, it is the element of water that plays a central role in a Zen garden. For the sake of simplicity, however, one relies on sand. A real Zen garden does not have a garden pond, but consists only of gravelsymbolizes water. That's why wavy patterns are raked in with a rake.
» Moss:
The moss represents wisdom and also serves as a moisturizer. By the way, moss is the only growth form that is allowed in rock gardens in the Far East.
Step by step to the zen garden
Step 1 - plan your Zen garden correctly:
Before you get to work, you first need to think about a concept and plan your new garden properly. A precise sketch with dimensions is essential, because this is the only way you will be able to lay out the sand surfaces exactly later.
It is also important that you draw in where the large stones and plants are to be positioned later. Selection, number and the skilful arrangement must later result in a harmonious overall picture.
This is followed by the calculation of the costs. You need:
➥ Garden foil/garden fleece
➥ Light gravel/sand
➥ Stones
➥ Plants
➥ Garden figures
If you use the sketch to calculate the required amount of gravel and determine where later what should stand or lie, then you will be able to roughly see how much the garden will later cost.
Step 2 - Remove lawn:
Using the sketch and using sticks and a long string, trace the lines of the area that will later form the gravel bed.
Once this is done, you have to clear the entire area of grass, weeds and roots and dig out the gravel bed about 20 centimeters deep. If you have a large garden, renting a small excavator can be worthwhile. Otherwise you are also well served with spades, shovels and a few helpers. After digging, roll the soil flat if possible.
In order to protect this area from renewed growth, you must line the entire area with a water-permeable film or garden fleece.
Step 3 - Fill in gravel/sand:
The next step is to fill the area with gravel or sand. You will quickly notice that it is not necessary to attach the foil as the gravel automatically fixes it. You must fill in enough sand/gravel so that you can later easily rake the area without damaging the liner or garden fleece.
The gravel in combination with the foil/fleece will not give weeds a chance to grow in the future. Annoying weed plucking falls in a zen gardenso not at all.
Step 4 - Plant bonsai trees/moss:
Only bonsai trees and occasionally moss may be planted in a traditional Japanese rock garden. It is also important that you do not overdo it. Depending on the size of your garden, one large and two small bonsai trees can be sufficient. Finally, there are also large stones.
Less is more and that is 100% true in a Zen garden. So don't plant small bonsai groves a lá flower bed.
To plant the bonsai, you simply have to cut the film or fleece in a cross shape and plant the trees in the ground. Then cover everything again with the gravel.
Step 5 - Integrate stones/rocks/boulders in the garden:
Now it is a question of setting up stones, rocks or boulders in the Zen garden as symbols for mountainous landscapes. You should make sure that you don't arrange them symmetrically, but in a wavy pattern, which will make the garden look very calm.
It is also important that you integrate stones of different sizes in your Zen garden, because this also imitates the movement of the waves. It is best to use large white stones. Skillfully placed granite blocks also look very pretty.
Step 6 - Set up garden figures/sculptures:
As in any other garden or as with any other garden style, garden figures naturally also fit into a Zen garden. Works of art for the home garden that fit perfectly with the Japanese style include stone lanterns and Buddhas.
But here, too, less is more and so you should really only place figures and sculptures sporadically and then place them in such a way that they form a harmonious picture with the rest of the garden design. Such garden figures look particularly beautiful under a bonsai tree in combination with smaller stones.
Step 7 - Rake lines in the gravel:
The final thing is to rake lines into the gravel with no discernible beginning and no discernible end. These should represent the movement of the water and thus provide relaxation. It's hard to imagine if you haven't seen it yourself, but later the ripples in the sand really look like those of the water.
Of course it won't look perfect at first, but over time you'll get the hang of it and perfect wavy linesconjure. And if you have a lot of practice, you can also play with patterns and amaze everyone who sees your garden.