When we moved into our house a few years ago it had a semi-circular area of garden at the front which for some time we weren't quite sure what to do with. It wasn't really very attractive (to us, anyway) and it needed constant weeding.
My wife, who’s from Japan, spent some time figuring out what we might be able to do with it, then one day she came up with a bright idea - if the soil was good perhaps we could create a Japanese Garden there.
This seemed like a great idea, although neither of us had ever done anything like this before. Neither of us are gardening experts so we knew that this would be a bit of a journey into the unknown.
My wife, who’s from Japan, spent some time figuring out what we might be able to do with it, then one day she came up with a bright idea - if the soil was good perhaps we could create a Japanese Garden there.
This seemed like a great idea, although neither of us had ever done anything like this before. Neither of us are gardening experts so we knew that this would be a bit of a journey into the unknown.
The Semi-Circular Garden in 2003
So, in the spring of 2005 we started digging up the garden and levelling the whole area. Three skiploads of soil and shingle were taken away.
To our great disappointment the soil turned out to be quite sandy and a lot of rubble also had to be removed – when the house was originally built this area must have been used as a dumping ground for discarded building materials.
It wasn't a very promising start but having just dug up the garden there could be no turning back.
To our great disappointment the soil turned out to be quite sandy and a lot of rubble also had to be removed – when the house was originally built this area must have been used as a dumping ground for discarded building materials.
It wasn't a very promising start but having just dug up the garden there could be no turning back.
2005 – Digging Up The Garden Begins
My wife had sketched out a plan for the new garden based on some books she had read on Japanese Garden design. The plan was to keep it very simple, in a minimalist Zen sort of way. It was to have a dry river bed, a stone bridge, a rockery area, a lantern (toro), a stone bench and there would also be a stepping-stone path leading through the garden.
Most of these items were sourced through a great local business, Rhino Rock, who specialise in Japanese garden supplies. We also enlisted a bit of assistance from a local landscape gardener on the "heavy-lifting" parts of job such as concreting things in and digging out the soil for the dry river bed.
Once the “old” garden had been completely dug up a protective membrane was put over the whole area to stop weeds coming through. A very large quantity of grey shingle was ordered and this had to be evenly spread out across the whole area. Large paddle stones were then delivered and these had to be carefully set into the dry river bed.
Most of these items were sourced through a great local business, Rhino Rock, who specialise in Japanese garden supplies. We also enlisted a bit of assistance from a local landscape gardener on the "heavy-lifting" parts of job such as concreting things in and digging out the soil for the dry river bed.
Once the “old” garden had been completely dug up a protective membrane was put over the whole area to stop weeds coming through. A very large quantity of grey shingle was ordered and this had to be evenly spread out across the whole area. Large paddle stones were then delivered and these had to be carefully set into the dry river bed.
We decided to leave some of the original plants where they were and added a variety of new ones. The new plants were all Japanese varieties - bamboo, azaleas and acers. We also planted a pair of Japanese cherry trees (sakura) and some alpine plants along the stone path.
2005 – 1st Stage Completed
The Japanese cherry trees initially grew very well, and flowered beautifully in the spring. Sadly, in their third year neither of them flowered. They subsequently dried up and died. We remain puzzled why this happened as we’ve found that most Japanese plants do pretty well in Kent, which has a climate not dissimilar to that of the northern parts of Japan.
2006 – Sakura in Bloom
Losing the two Japanese cherry trees somehow prompted my wife to embark upon a second stage of development of the garden in 2009. The stepping-stone pathway was extended, more rockery was added, new Japanese planting was put in, along with two bamboo fence sections and a water feature. The planting was selected so that we would have different plants flowering at different times of the year.
2009 - 2nd Stage Completed
Six years after we started the project we feel that the Japanese Garden is complete now and we enjoy the way its appearance changes throughout the year.
For my wife it's her little corner of Japan in England. It's a nice spot to sit and do a bit of contemplation.
For my wife it's her little corner of Japan in England. It's a nice spot to sit and do a bit of contemplation.
Here are some photos showing how the Japanese Garden looks in 2011 after two years of growth:
