It may seem curious that viewing a sparse landscape of rock and gravel can be an antidote to the day's chaos. But a Zen garden, a minimalist composition of carefully placed stones, is calming - if you put your mind to it.
Zen gardens are dry landscapes that date back centuries in Japan, says Bart Greenloe of Haiku Gardens Landscaping. "They evolved from the Shinto and Buddhist religions as an aid to meditation." The traditional dry landscape (karesansui), such as those at Buddhist temples, consists of few elements: rock, raked gravel or sand, no water and few, if any, plants. These are contained in a geometric area with a raised veranda that allows viewing the garden from different angles, as you might study a painting.
"Zen" comes from the Sanskrit word for meditation. And the purpose of the quiet beauty of a Zen garden is to give us serenity through a sensory experience and transport us to a meditative state.
But Zen gardens are deceivingly simple. Artfully placed elements are arranged asymmetrically to create a tranquil but stark environment that symbolizes nature, Greenloe explains. As with other art, the interpretation is personal.
Rocks also can be carefully placed to symbolize horizontal, vertical and diagonal forces, creating silent movement in the garden. Grouped in threes, they may represent the Buddhist triad of earth, sky and humanity. Inanimate and animate objects have spiritual connotation in the Japanese garden.
Westerners often soften stark Zen garden design by adding more plants and loosening geometric boundaries, Greenloe says. The garden design may be flowing to create a natural, private enclosure with a background of small hills, carefully placed large stones, trees, shrubs and ground cover to resemble a coastal shoreline. A foreground of gravel or sand would represent the sea.
Here are some tips for creating a Zen garden of your own:
-- Rock, raked gravel or sand is needed for a Zen garden. Water and plants are found in some but are not essential elements.
-- Asymmetry, simplicity, tranquillity, patina, naturalness and freedom from convention are important.
-- Keep plant material minimal. Common plants include bamboo, dwarf mondo grass, a Japanese yew and nandina, a traditional welcoming plant.
-- Creating and maintaining your garden are part of the meditation process. Keep it tidy.
Zen gardens are dry landscapes that date back centuries in Japan, says Bart Greenloe of Haiku Gardens Landscaping. "They evolved from the Shinto and Buddhist religions as an aid to meditation." The traditional dry landscape (karesansui), such as those at Buddhist temples, consists of few elements: rock, raked gravel or sand, no water and few, if any, plants. These are contained in a geometric area with a raised veranda that allows viewing the garden from different angles, as you might study a painting.
"Zen" comes from the Sanskrit word for meditation. And the purpose of the quiet beauty of a Zen garden is to give us serenity through a sensory experience and transport us to a meditative state.
But Zen gardens are deceivingly simple. Artfully placed elements are arranged asymmetrically to create a tranquil but stark environment that symbolizes nature, Greenloe explains. As with other art, the interpretation is personal.
Symbolism is a basic principle of Japanese gardening. Rocks that represent stability also can symbolize mountainous islands when arranged in a bed of raked gravel that represents currents and waves in an ocean. With deeper reflection, some may see this as the world against a tide of change. Others may imagine the rocks and gravel as a tigress and her cubs crossing a river.
Rocks also can be carefully placed to symbolize horizontal, vertical and diagonal forces, creating silent movement in the garden. Grouped in threes, they may represent the Buddhist triad of earth, sky and humanity. Inanimate and animate objects have spiritual connotation in the Japanese garden.
Westerners often soften stark Zen garden design by adding more plants and loosening geometric boundaries, Greenloe says. The garden design may be flowing to create a natural, private enclosure with a background of small hills, carefully placed large stones, trees, shrubs and ground cover to resemble a coastal shoreline. A foreground of gravel or sand would represent the sea.
Here are some tips for creating a Zen garden of your own:
-- Rock, raked gravel or sand is needed for a Zen garden. Water and plants are found in some but are not essential elements.
-- Asymmetry, simplicity, tranquillity, patina, naturalness and freedom from convention are important.
-- Keep plant material minimal. Common plants include bamboo, dwarf mondo grass, a Japanese yew and nandina, a traditional welcoming plant.
-- Creating and maintaining your garden are part of the meditation process. Keep it tidy.
