Newbie question about Japanese Garden

[Reptilicus]

Hi I'm new here at the forum...and gardening in general. I been looking around and I'm not exactly sure what is considered a "Japanese garden".

BTW: I have Japanese in-laws. I've been to Japan. I'm not oblivious to their culture. I'm not sure what parameters are needed to be met to have a Japanese garden in America.

Am I making any sense?

[WandaRichards]

I had a hard time understanding all this too. From what I understand is there are two main kinds - first is the Zen garden which is a rock garden. It's for meditation and has a very interesting history becuase they were invented by Buddhist monks.

The other kind are with plants, but a lot of pruning is involved. They differ from Western gardens because they don't consist mainly of flowers. They are supposed to be beautiful for every season. That is, a tree that changes colors in the autumn, a few flowers in the summer and spring, and the shapes should look beautiful under a coating of snow in the winter, and to look green at all times therefore you see a lot of evergreens in Japanese gardens.

Hope I've given you a smattering of information here.

[Reptilicus]

I had a hard time understanding all this too. From what I understand is there are two main kinds - first is the Zen garden which is a rock garden. It's for meditation and has a very interesting history becuase they were invented by Buddhist monks.

The other kind are with plants, but a lot of pruning is involved. They differ from Western gardens because they don't consist mainly of flowers. They are supposed to be beautiful for every season. That is, a tree that changes colors in the autumn, a few flowers in the summer and spring, and the shapes should look beautiful under a coating of snow in the winter, and to look green at all times therefore you see a lot of evergreens in Japanese gardens.

Hope I've given you a smattering of information here.

Thanks. I wasn't sure what the perimeters were. I think I understand now. Ive been to Kyoto to all the temples and such. I really like zen gardens. I might have to make a small area of my yard devoted to this.
I normally don't plant anything that I can eat....

[MaineDesigner]

I have never seen a satisfactory capsule definition for what constitutes Japanese garden. I think there is some continuity to the aesthetic that weaves through the various styles of Japanese gardens but they are so diverse that it is difficult to pin down. I do, however, see many so-called Japanese gardens that are far enough removed from that aesthetic thread that I feel the use of term is inappropriate. Many gardens in the West are a pastiche various Asian influences.

I'm not at all comfortable with the term "Zen" garden. I prefer to use the term karesanui or dry garden. I don't think there is anything inherently Buddhist about this design. Most forms of Buddhism seek to dismantle conceptual boxes. A good practitioner should not need special place to sit.