The “tsukubai”, or water basin, is a common water feature found in Japanese gardens. Before entering a tea room guests were expected to be pure of mind and body. Thus the tea garden provided a serene environment to relax the spirit and within it the garden a water basin for cleansing the body. The water […]

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Koi can be a wonderful addition to your Japanese garden pond, or koi pond. Some Japanese gardeners believe that koi do not belong in a truly authentic Japanese garden even though they do not deny their beauty. This opinion also seems to be more of a minority than the majority. It seems that more often […]

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When I lived in Japan I had the joy of being in a traditional Japanese sukiya style home. At night the shoji screens were closed and then opened during the day providing an uninterrupted view of the garden. When the tatami room is opened up to the garden it is like sitting on a covered […]

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More and more people are looking to Japanese garden for inspiration, or to create an authentic Japanese garden of their own. In addition to a well thought out plan good stone work is the back bone of the garden. Many publications write about 3 and 5 stone arrangements known as ishi-gumi and iwa-gumi. Although these […]

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When specifying plant materials for stepping stone, or tobishi, pathways in Japanese gardens it is important to consider the size of the stone. A larger stone will allow for a taller groundcover, say one that grows about 5-8 inches, while smaller stones require a shorter plant selection of not more than 4 inches tall. Planting […]

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From stepping stones, bridge stones, specimen boulders, nobedan walks, a variety of gravels and hand carved stone features, stones make-up the backbone of any Japanese Garden and should be considered an important investment into your Japanese Garden project. So, when designing and constructing your Garden make sure to account for and invest in stones and […]

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We designed and built this Koi pond our first year in business, almost 15 years ago today. This Koi pond featured a small waterfall, a bamboo water feature, aquatic plants and of Koi. Generally speaking those of love gardening enjoy Koi. Introducing a gardener who enjoys Japanese gardens would find that Koi to be the […]

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If you are interested in Japanese gardens you should know that the most common plant shape found in Japanese gardens is the tamamono, or “dome” shape. It is the easiest and and perhaps the least expensive way to add more Japanese style pruning to your garden. When visiting a Japanese garden you will see this […]

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There are a number of bridge styles to choose from when creating a Japanese garden. They vary in shape, materials and the way in which they are constructed. In this garden we used a flat single stone slab bridge with no center support. Natural stones that are just the right length, width and thickness can […]

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The snow viewing, or yukimi, style Japanese lantern is a wonderful lantern. This lantern received its name from the cap, or roof, of the piece that is much broader than other lantern styles. This cap is either round, hexagon or octagon in shape and because of its size looks quite pretty after snow fall. This […]

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