Showing Black Soil in Japanese Gardens — Tradition, Design, and Cost
When looking at Japanese gardens, whether old or new, traditional or modern, I often notice the beauty of black soil in Japanese gardens.
In European gardens, you rarely see bare soil except during winter and early spring. Soon, the first bulbs sprout, followed by perennials that cover the ground in green.
However, when creating a Japanese garden, it helps to change your idea of how a flower bed should look. Black soil can be appealing, offering contrast that highlights flowers and shrubs beautifully.
For example, the Botanical Garden of Hamburg (Loki-Schmidt-Garten) has a place called “Perennial Valley.” Although not Japanese, it uses visible black soil along a small artificial river, echoing Japanese design ideas.
Black Soil in Traditional Garden Types
Look closely at courtyard gardens (tsuboniwa) and tea gardens (chatei or roji). Many have moss, but in areas where moss is hard to grow, you often see black soil instead.
In modern tsuboniwa, gravel appears more often, but traditionally, plants were carefully chosen and placed with features like stone lanterns. Courtyard gardens served a climate-regulating purpose for the house, so the ground was often not visible from inside.
Tea gardens, or roji, guide guests to a tea ceremony. Their stepping stones, water basins (tsukubai), and shrubs create an atmosphere of wabi-sabi. Where moss will not grow, black soil often fills the spaces.
(This is no example for Roji)
Cost and Maintenance Considerations
Today, low-maintenance trends lead many to use gravel and weed-proof sheets. Yet gravel discolors, collects leaves, and eventually allows weeds to grow. Adding rocks and plants increases cost and upkeep.
In Japan, planting trees and shrubs with soil between them makes weed control easier. A simple string trimmer a few times a year keeps costs low. European-style dense planting has also become popular, though it often needs a gardener for yearly maintenance.
Soil and covering plants.
What looks best is a matter of taste. Still, consider black soil as part of your garden design—it is both traditional and practical.
RJG’s Amazon Picks:
Create Your Own Japanese Garden: A Practical Guide
In this book, renowned garden designer Motomi Oguchi offers the reader a step-by-step, practical approach to creating Japanese gardens. The author uses real examples from gardens he has designed, constructed, and photographed to illustrate his key points, approaching each work from the perspective of the home or building owner.
Garden Plants of Japan
Japanese plants have had an unmistakable influence on the gardens of the world. Who can imagine gardens without flowering cherries, hostas, Japanese maples, or magnolias? For all the popularity of these plants in international gardens, however, few gardeners know the full story of Japanese plants — their history and uses in gardens in Japan.
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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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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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