Plants
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 […]
Moss in the Japanese garden
This post was a request by one of our followers on Instagram. If you want me to cover a special topic, feel free to contact me! Moss is commonly seen as a signature plant for a Japanese garden. Although not every Japanese garden will be covered with moss, it is still widely spread. Usually, it […]
Japanese tree shapes 樹形 Jukei
When study gardening, one topic will eventually cross the ambitioned student: tree shapes. Today I want to introduce the tree shapes you might learn in Japan. These are, of course varying slightly from the typical forms in Europe or America. Some of them are unique to Japan. Tree shapes Natural shapes Oval shape 卵形 tamago-gata […]
Midoritsumi and Momiage – Pruning Pines
Pines in Japanese gardens are pruned twice a year. In my company in Germany, where we hadn’t so much time, we only did all the tasks together once in early summer, which is possible too, but not desirable. Here in Japan, my first company did both, Midoritsumi in early summer, and Momiage in late autumn. The […]
Ginkgo biloba – イチョウ – 銀杏
Today I would like to introduce a tree, which can be seen everywhere in Japan. This blog was a request by one of our readers. Ginkgo biloba (Maidenhair tree, Ginkgo tree) Japanese name: Ichou Kanji: 銀杏, 公孫樹, 鴨腳樹 Etymology: The Kanji were adopted by Japanese from China. Engelbert Kaempfer, who collected illustrations from Japan’s flora […]
Some tips for creating a real Japanese garden at your home.
I won’t show “bad example” pictures and link to bad articles here! If you search via Google, I am sure you will find a lot by yourself. When I see links promising me to teach me how to built a Japanese garden in only a few steps, I just can’t withstand and have to follow […]
The most popular plants in Japanese private gardens
It’s been almost two months since I’m working in Real Japanese Gardens. Few times per week we spend in the construction sites doing maintenance and planting. In this article I would like to tell you more about the most common plants we are working with. They are easy to care and can grow well outdoor. In Japan […]
[Customer Voice] Auspicious plants
I am always happy when we receive a new Customer Voice! It helps me to figure out what our readers like and what can be improved. This time, the review features a book out of our Explanations section. If you too like to help us improve our eBooks, please feel free to send your review […]
Autumn Flowers in Japan: Higanbana, Hagi, and Kinmokusei
Today I’d like to write about some flowers that mark the arrival of autumn in Japan. As the last blossoms of Sarusuberi (Lagerstroemia indica) fade, new flowers start to appear, signalling the seasonal shift from summer to autumn. Lycoris radiata One of the first is the delicate Higanbana (Lycoris radiata), also known as the red […]
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 […]