The shoe removal stone, or kustu-nugi-ishi, literally is the stone you stand on when removing your shoes before entering a Japanese home. These stones are generally found in the foyer of the home or adjacent to an engawa, or veranda, where you access the garden from the home. The shoe removal stone also delineates where […]

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Flowers that are cold tolerant offer the best return on investment for your annual garden.  Cold tolerant annuals are from the same category as other annual flowers. Cold tolerant annuals are not any special plants that grow only during cold climate. They are annuals that grow in sunny climates too and can withstand cooler temperatures […]

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Are you tired of seeing the same old overused annuals? Change the routine process by planting underused annuals in your garden. These will make your garden standout with a style of its own during the summer with fragrance, color and texture. There are some great underused annuals you can consider for your garden with long […]

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Most of the annuals we grow like sun. But there are some annuals that also do well in shade. They bloom in half sun as well in the full shade of your garden. To be more precise about annuals, all the annuals bloom for one season from seed to flower and seed and then complete […]

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Many people choose annuals when they are looking for color in their gardens. Annuals are plants that grow from seed to plant, bloom, produce seed and then complete their life cycle in one season. It also means the plants that are grown only in one season. The main reason why annuals are preferred is that […]

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Karesansui, or Japanese dry garden, literally means dry mountains and water. Whether you are looking to design and build a Zen style garden, dry pond or dry stream the common element is the use of rocks and gravel to simulate water. Maybe you are interested in a large open courtyard garden with raked sea gravel […]

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One of many topics to consider when planning and building your Japanese garden is the use of hedges. Hedges are used in the United States for the same reasons there are used in Japan. They are predominantly used for screening, defining spaces and directing traffic flow. In Japan hedges, fences and walls are often used […]

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The “tsukubai”, or water basin, is a common water feature found in Japanese gardens. Before entering a tea room guests were expected to be pure of mind and body. Thus the tea garden provided a serene environment to relax the spirit and within it the garden a water basin for cleansing the body. The water […]

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Koi can be a wonderful addition to your Japanese garden pond, or koi pond. Some Japanese gardeners believe that koi do not belong in a truly authentic Japanese garden even though they do not deny their beauty. This opinion also seems to be more of a minority than the majority. It seems that more often […]

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When I lived in Japan I had the joy of being in a traditional Japanese sukiya style home. At night the shoji screens were closed and then opened during the day providing an uninterrupted view of the garden. When the tatami room is opened up to the garden it is like sitting on a covered […]

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