Zen Garden, love the idea, brand new to creation...

[ladyofivy]

I'm hoping I'm posting in the proper area. I really love the idea of a zen garden, but I have concerns...

I'm surrounded by cow pastures. My land is fenced "in" because cow farmers own the surrounding land.

On the North side of the house I have what I consider to be a lovely area of yard that I'd like to make into a smallerish zen garden area. The problem is that it's the side of the house that the cow's shelter is on. lol I don't have to have anything facing the shelter, but I assume I'll spend the warmer months there, and I'm wondering how "zen" I can really get with cows moo'ing and poo'ing right behind me.

Aside from that, I would like to plant a lovely cherry tree in the area, but I also want to have gravel on the ground. (I'd LOVE sand, but there are too many farmers who let their cats run free around here, and I'm not offering a free litterbox!)

Is there a way to keep the blossoms from falling into the gravel at a minimum? Nothing is going to keep it perfect, I realize, but as far as wind direction and whatnot, could someone tell me which direction would be best to plant the tree in regards to the gravel?

Finally, I'd love to have a koi pond, but how much maintenance are they? I assume that they NEED a pump... how much does the electricity cost to keep it running for them? (a broad answer is fine--"not expensive" or "very expensive" haha)

Thanks to everyone!

[Piet Patings]

Well that is a whole lot of practical inhibitors or at least obstacles.

Your situation is difficult to visualize. An interesting aspect is the smell I must see. Never really thought about it, partly because I do not have it. It does not belong in the Japanese garden for sure.

Without going into definitions, taking your requirements, I think it is more like that you want a Japanese like garden or a Japanese garden with different garden-style element in it, not purely Zen.

You want a gravel area. In your environment (and the cats, sorry to say are my great frustration) it will be clever to take gravel, not too small of size (see [url=https://www.zen-garden.org/html/page_obj_ginshanada.htm]Gravel area[/url]. A good remedy for keeping leaves and blossoms etc. out is keep the tree at a "safe" distance, even when full-grown.

You may need to shield your (North) garden from seeing the cows. Depending on the size of the area you may want to use a fence but it can also be done with hedges (like in the [url=https://www.zen-garden.org/html/page_samurai.htm]Samurai gardens[/url] e.g.)

Have a look at samples (many available on my site) on the Internet and see what you like and what you think would fit.
And then start making a drawing of the current and wanted situation.

And then, keep asking questions and filling in the blanks while you go.
Enjoy,

[The Helpful Gardener]

All good advice Piet...

I have found bamboo to be helpful in screening out unwanted noise; a lovely white noise hiss to a nice Fargesia as the breeze blows through it. But mooing? Perhaps not so easy to cover. And pooing? Not much covers up that smell as it has a longer season than any fragrant flower I know...

Still, at some Zen monasteries it was the roshi's (abbott's) job to clean the setsuin as a reminder to be humble, and I remember at least one koan when the monk asked about the true meaning of life, and the roshi pulled the stirring stick out of the nightsoil and said, "Here. Grab this."

Depends on what kind of Zen one is looking for

HG

[GraniteGneiss]

I find the north side of the house a strange choice for a garden. You are in upper NY, so the summers are mild, why wouldn't you want the garden on the west or east side, or even south side? You'll get more use out of it in the transitional seasons, when you'll welcome the sunshine that won't be on the north side. Not to mention, you won't be so close to the cows (I presume).

I put in a Japanese style rock garden two years ago. It is right at the edge of the woods, so gets plenty of leaves on it. I invested in an electric leaf blower and it is a simple matter to clear the leaves off.

[The Helpful Gardener]

North light can have many shadows, and a darker quality that could be mysterious. Playing with that concept could prove very rewarding; creating a "cave" like feel can form a very safe space. Julie Moir Messervy talks about this in The Inward Garden. She is a wonderful designer of both Japanese style and more contemporary forms, and I recommend the book highly...

HG

[Rose White]

Well that is a whole lot of practical inhibitors or at least obstacles.

Your situation is difficult to visualize. An interesting aspect is the smell I must see. Never really thought about it, partly because I do not have it. It does not belong in the Japanese garden for sure.

Without going into definitions, taking your requirements, I think it is more like that you want a Japanese like garden or a Japanese garden with different garden-style element in it, not purely Zen.

You want a gravel area. In your environment (and the cats, sorry to say are my great frustration) it will be clever to take gravel, not too small of size (see [url=https://www.zen-garden.org/html/page_obj_ginshanada.htm]Gravel area[/url]. A good remedy for keeping leaves and blossoms etc. out is keep the tree at a "safe" distance, even when full-grown.

You may need to shield your (North) garden from seeing the cows. Depending on the size of the area you may want to use a fence but it can also be done with hedges (like in the [url=https://www.zen-garden.org/html/page_samurai.htm]Samurai gardens[/url] e.g.)

Have a look at samples (many available on my site) on the Internet and see what you like and what you think would fit.
And then start making a drawing of the current and wanted situation.

And then, keep asking questions and filling in the blanks while you go.
Enjoy,

Thanks for the wonderful link to garden photos!

[ladyofivy]

Hi everyone! I'm so sorry that I've been such a "bad" member. I have been thinking about the gardens that I'm planting, but haven't been back here much, and with little time to reply! Sorry about this!

Piet, I so appreciate your ideas. I suppose that I may not be looking at the exact ingredients of a "true" zen garden, but yes, zen-like. Thank you for the correction.

The cows themselves don't bother me much. I often enjoy watching them, as this is new to me, living in the rural, farmlike area. They are lovely to watch.

The odor, on the other hand, isn't my favorite! lol I will say that the odor is inescapable, but not incredibly overpowering. I would guess that there are less than 20 cows at any given time.

Thanks for the advice on drawing out my iea first. I'll definitely continue to plan and think.

THG, the idea of bamboo is lovely! Thank you for the idea! I shall really give this thought!

I love the koan! Thank you, I shall meditate upon it!

GG, I appreciate your curiousity. The north side happens to be the only really available area. The east side, as I recall when we moved in (we moved in this past October) was very squishy, and I can't depend upon it to be dry enough to put anything there. The dry area of the east side is going to be used for the vegetable garden. The south side is where I am going to have the childrens play area. The west side is going to be our memorial garden. And finally, all sides of the house are surrounded by cow pasture... we're fenced in from it with electric fencing. The west side is the side with the road, and across the street from that is where they are apparently keeping piles of manure. lol Also, since we are surrounded by pasture, the house is genuinely the only shadow that there will be, so it's not something that I'm overly concerned by. Also, my entire family is very pale lol so having less direct sunlight suits us all well.

I appreciate the idea of the leaf blower! I shall consider that!

And thank you for the book suggestion, THG!

[TomM]

For your koi pond ideas you might want to check out/visit www.pondviewkoi.com - Pond View Koi, in Unadilla, NY near Sydney along I-88. They are seasonal - and might not be re-opened yet. But do try to consult with them. Koi are wonderful and a good pond is almost a must for the tranquility you seek.
You might also want to check out SUKIYA LIVING - the Journal of Japanese Gardening magazine at https://www.rothtelen.com/
Enjoy !!!
Another upstater
TomM