This plan shows one of our company projects where we designed and constructed a Japanese courtyard garden in a home that had an existing interior garden. The design of the home was inspired by sukiya style architecture, which beautifully complimented our Japanese garden project. One challenge of this project was that it was in a […]

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If you have the desire to incorporate the architecture on your site into your garden, or if you simply have a wish to add an air of grace to structures in your garden, you will probably find this technique to be of help. The effect developed as long piers built for fishing and relaxing and […]

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The use of stones and rocks in Japanese gardens or Zen gardens is an essential element in their design and success; in fact they are the backbone of most Japanese gardens. Quality stonework is essential and achieved through an understanding of how to aesthetically set stones. One by one they are set where the end […]

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A nobedan walk is a type of pathway, or stone walk, found in Japanese gardens. These pathways utilize unique stone pavement layout and design principles. Nobedan are often found in tea and entry gardens. It is an art of arranging various sized stones in a design that is artistic and functional. They help to create […]

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Although we do not have bamboo planting options for our projects here inMinnesotawe can use bamboo poles for a variety of projects.  We have used bamboo poles for water features, screens, fences, gates, handrails, ceiling treatments, trellis structures and pathway borders.  Bamboo can compliment everything in our western landscapes from a deck to a pond. […]

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Bonsai is greatly regarded as an icon of Japanese art and culture. “Bonsai” is a Japanese pronunciation of the earlier Chinese term penzai. Here the “bon” is a tray-like pot typically used in bonsai culture and “sai” means a planting or plantings). The word bonsai is often used in English as an umbrella term for […]

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Shishi Odishi have become a popular artifact in western Japanese gardens. If you are interested in having one in your garden you should choose it for its aesthetic and sound. Keep in mind that this feature alone will not make your garden more Japanese. Shishi Odishi is an additional garden fountain which is very popular […]

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The shoe removal stone, or kustu-nugi-ishi, literally is the stone you stand on when removing your shoes before entering a Japanese home. These stones are generally found in the foyer of the home or adjacent to an engawa, or veranda, where you access the garden from the home. The shoe removal stone also delineates where […]

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Karesansui, or Japanese dry garden, literally means dry mountains and water. Whether you are looking to design and build a Zen style garden, dry pond or dry stream the common element is the use of rocks and gravel to simulate water. Maybe you are interested in a large open courtyard garden with raked sea gravel […]

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One of many topics to consider when planning and building your Japanese garden is the use of hedges. Hedges are used in the United States for the same reasons there are used in Japan. They are predominantly used for screening, defining spaces and directing traffic flow. In Japan hedges, fences and walls are often used […]

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