Garden Office Blog

Garden Design Reaches its Zenith

By Francesca McGlone on 11th November, 2010

On sight, Japanese gardens are instantly identifiable by their stand-alone style that is able to evoke a certain atmospheric tranquillity. Organic forms are used to create a natural scene in a natural environment which is artificially ordered.

A Zen garden is continually sculpted; the underlying structure of the garden is also determined by the architecture that lies nearby, which is regarded as an enduring element that becomes influential in the formation of the garden’s overall dynamic.

Japanese gardens have a propensity for abstraction, in terms of their composition and representation, as they tend to symbolise miniature landscapes. The presence of stones and shaped topiary often represent mountains or islands, while a covering of moss, a forested area that almost becomes an enlarged pop-up map. Angular stones are often the central feature of a garden and tend to produce the same spiritual aura that seems to surround Stonehenge. The garden essentially becomes home to a microcosm that is based upon interpretation and a certain sense of imagination.

Similarly, Chinese gardens often use an element of substitution in their designs.

For example, rockery is often used around the edges of a pond, in an attempt to mimic the rugged cliffs of a sea coast, which first originated during Emperor Wu’s reign, from 141BC to 87BC. He became fixated on the notion of attaining immortality, believing the legend that said that it lay on the shores of the Mystic Isles. Due to its elusive nature, Wu recreated the coast in his garden by surrounding his pond with craggy rockery.

Zen gardens are also referred to as ‘mindscapes’, which reveal the degree of visualisation and preparation needed to create such a garden. The result produces a space of organised serenity. However, the space can also be enjoyed, not just from an onlooker’s point of view but by taking an active role in shaping its character. A sense of creativity can be fully expressed in a large-scale project, which can be changed depending on mood and preference.

A Zen garden is also characteristically dry, with sand or gravel taking the place of water, which is raked into grooved ripples that captivate. Sand or gravel is almost always raked around a central object, creating ripples that radiate out, as if the stone had just made impact with the ground. Zen priests often raked the sand to aid concentration; it also possesses a therapeutic function.

A section of space reserved for a Zen garden would fit in well with the presence of a garden office or studio, creating a contemplative outdoor space laid out in a beguiling arrangement, as a source of inspirational constancy.


Category:  Architecture and Design

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