home renewal
outdoor decisions 5 styles to consider for the garden By Peter Reichard
Beyond the sliding glass doors of a rear bedroom, my backyard offers a quiet, unused space. A corner palm offers shade, and vines meander along the surface of the fence. Other than that, it’s a blank slate. There is little ground covered, aside from a smattering of pebbles and the occasional weed. No garden beds, no patio. The area needs some affection and, more to the point, imagination. Over the past six months, I’ve been pondering what to do with this space and researching the possi-
“The pine tree lives for a thousand years, the morning-glory but for a single day; yet both have fulfilled their destiny” – Japanese proverb
bilities. I’ve come across a variety of concepts and ultimately placed them under five possible thematic approaches. But I don’t yet know which to embrace.
the Zen Retreat During his years in Japan, Lafcadio Hearn wrote of gardens in detail. “To comprehend the beauty of a Japanese garden,” he wrote, “it is necessary to understand … the beauty of stones.” The goal of a Japanese garden is to create a quiet space for meditative sitting, typically in a confined area, ideally
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one overlooked by a porch. The Japanese garden can be completely focused on rocks, with large rocks serving as mountain islands surrounded by “seas” of gravel. The gravel can be raked into serene ripple patterns meant to imitate water. To this, you can add grassy mounds, which can also serve as islands or, at the perimeter, as the “shore.” Top each mound with a small tree or bushes pruned to look like trees. You can also collect large rocks together in formations that imitate small mountain ranges or maybe even add a small
pond or reflecting pool. To include a sonic component to the ambience, you can hang mellow, bass wind chimes from a tree. And for a particularly Japanese feeling, include decorative elements made from bamboo (but not bamboo itself, unless you have a way of keeping it from growing out of control).
The Secret Garden To cultivate an intimate space, begin by rimming your garden with a collection of small, verdant trees, like crepe myrtles, and smaller plantings. The centerpiece of a secret