| The Japanese style of landscaping has the goal of | | | | of visual calm. |
| recreating the serenity of a natural environment. | | | | A roughly triangular pattern appears commonly in |
| Fundamental ingredients used include carefully | | | | Japanese landscaping. For example, there are |
| placed stone, statuary, bonsai, and fish ponds. | | | | three plants you want to plant, the largest is |
| Bonsai is a traditional technique of training small | | | | located first as an anchor point of the triangle. |
| trees to encourage their growth into certain | | | | The next largest becomes the second point on |
| shapes; it is one of the Japanese arts. Relaxing | | | | the triangle, and the third largest plant the other |
| strolls through the garden are laid out with formal | | | | point. This arrangement helps balance the |
| paths. | | | | aesthetic mass of the three elements. |
| A number of basic guidelines apply when planning | | | | Symbolic meanings are associated with plants and |
| Japanese landscaping. The first being that plants | | | | other elements used in Japanese landscaping. |
| and other elements not be located symmetrically. | | | | Deciduous trees, for example, like the colorful |
| Nature is asymmetrical. Flowers and trees don't | | | | Japanese maple, stand for the change that is |
| naturally grow lined up in rows or in square | | | | constant all through life, since they show a |
| formations. The impression to aim for is a space | | | | different aspect of themselves every season. On |
| that does not look man-made. | | | | the other hand, evergreen trees stand firm and |
| Another guideline of Japanese landscaping is that it | | | | stable. In order for something always to be in |
| must not be crowded. Because yards can be | | | | bloom in the garden, flowers are often planted |
| small, sometimes people want to fit in as many | | | | that will bloom sequentially. The colors seen in a |
| plants as possible. This can easily end up looking | | | | Japanese landscape garden tend to be pastel and |
| chaotic and messy. Just like with the Japanese | | | | subtle. In fact, subtle is a good word to keep in |
| sense of interior decorating, a minimum of plants | | | | mind when planning out your Japanese landscape |
| cleverly arranged can generate an innate harmony | | | | garden. |