5 Bulbs for your Japanese garden

Summer is in full swing, we only want to sit somewhere doing nothing, but the garden is calling already.

It’s time for planting bulbs!

Today I would like to introduce what kind of bulbs or rhizome-building plants are going well with a Japanese garden.

Some people think that flowers don’t belong in a Japanese garden but that’s not true. The early gardens like the huge viewing gardens of the Heian period were actually flower gardens but even in dry landscape gardens flowers are used as accents. The best example is the Rozan-ji temple in Kyoto where balloon flowers giving a colorful touch to the garden.

But also other flowers, and especially bulbs, can add to every Japanese garden.

Here I am giving you some examples:

By Kropsoq – photo taken by Kropsoq, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link

カタクリ
Asian Fawn Lily
Erythronium japonicum
Planting: Sep. – Nov.
Flowering: Apr. – May
Colors: Yellow, purple
Height: ~ 20cm
Partial Shade – Shade
Not hardy in every region

Plant them at borders and under bushes.

By Salicyna – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, Link

エルムレス
Fox Tail Lily
Eremurus ssp.
Planting: Oct. – Mar.
Flowering: May – Jun.
Colors: Yellow
Height: ~ 3 m
Sun
Very hardy

Plant them to bring some color-highlights into the back of your garden.

Iris germanica (Purple bearded Iris), Wakehurst Place, UK - Diliff.jpg

By Diliff – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link

アイリス
Iris
Iris family
Planting: Sep. – Nov.
Flowering: Apr. – June
Colors: Yellow, purple, white
Height: ~ 50cm
Sun
Hardiness depends on variety and region.

Plant them near ponds to highlight it in early summer.

By Blue Lotus – Flickr, CC BY 2.0, Link

ヒガンバナ
Spider Lily
Lycoris radiata
Planting: Jul. – Sep.
Flowering: Oct. – Dec.
Colors: Red, (yellow, white)
Height: ~ 40cm
Sun – Partial shade
Not very hardy in cold regions.

Lycoris is looking great under trees, near ponds, and at the border of lawn areas.

By KENPEI – KENPEI’s photo, CC 表示-継承 3.0, Link

スイセン
Daffodil
Narcissus
Planting: Sep. – Nov.
Flowering: Mar. – Apr.
Colors: Yellow, white
Height: ~ 40cm
Sun – Partial shade
Hardy

Daffodils are very popular in Japanese gardens along borders.

I hope I was able to give you some ideas on how and which bulbs can be used in Japanese gardens.

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Anika

With twelve years of professional landscaping experience under her belt, Anika Ogusu is your perfect guide to the world of Japanese gardens. Her love of nature began early, in the woods near her childhood home and the garden of her grandmother’s house. During her teenage years she developed a strong interest in Japanese culture, and after university she decided to combine her love of Japan and gardens into a profession. Anika started her career as chief gardener in charge of the perennial valley at the Botanical Garden in Hamburg, Germany, then moved to Tokyo in pursuit of her dream. For two years she apprenticed under local landscape designers and learned the art of Japanese garden design, construction and maintenance. Now, in partnership with Real Japanese Gardens (www.japanesegardens.jp), her wish is to spread the magic of Japanese gardens to the rest of the world. Her in-depth guide books on gardens throughout Japan are available in eBook format or paperback. In her free time, Anika enjoys exploring her adopted country (especially green moss gardens), and soaking up nature and any details that interest her.

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