Plant Gardens 101

Water has always been associated with calm. As a source of life, nourishment and cleanliness, flowing water has been apart of every great civilization. Ancient cities have risen beside the great rivers of the world; from the Nile, to the Yang Tze and the Ghanges, people have learned that water is something they must always have close by.

These same civilizations not only lived along side these great rivers, they learned to harness them. They mastered irrigation, sewage systems, plumbing and currents to suit their needs. They learned that water was not only essential, they learned it was, with a little effort, adjustable to their needs. They also learned that it could turn the necessary flow of water into an art form. Water fountains and floor fountains became icons of city squares and castle courtyards all over the world. (more…)

Zen gardens are very unique landscaping designs that are also known as “Japanese Rock Gardens.” . The word “Zen” means “dry” and the Japanese word for this type of garden is karesansui, meaning dry landscape. Consisting almost exclusively of stones and sand, this type of garden became very popular in Japan during the Shogun era (1185-1573AD), when feudal lords sought to landscape their estates in emulation of Buddhist temples. Monks frequently used such gardens to represent complex Universal truths in simple forms, and they frequently used them as places of meditation to calm and clear their minds.

Although American popular culture commonly refers to anything that looks Japanese or Eastern as a “Zen garden,” a true karesansui never contains water. Instead, it uses gravel and sand to symbolize water. Usually the gravel is white or near white in coloration, although this is not a hard-fast rule in landscaping. The reason that sand and gravel are used as water substitutes is because they can be intricately sculpted in ways that water cannot. Using only a rake, a landscaper can depict ripples, sea waves, rushing rivers, or still, quiet lakes. Every so often, the gardener will alter these patterns to reflect the Buddhism belief that the only thing constant in the Universe is change itself. Even those things that appear to be the most fixed of forms are slowly being altered by unseen forces all around us. In many Buddhist temples even to this day, monks remind themselves of this truth by raking the sand in their Zen gardens while they meditate, seeking a still mind in the perfection of linear form, and creative insight in curved patterns of motion that wrap harmoniously around alternating forms. (more…)