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Did you know? Wind chimes are an integral part of Asian culture. They are considered necessary for keeping only harmonious spirits in your living spaces.
TakeawaysThe main idea is keeping everything in scale, and using your plants for color.The Zen sand garden is an absolutely wonderful part of the Asian aesthetic.The true loveliness of an Asian influenced garden lies in its evocation of peace and harmony.The aesthetics of Asian decor, whether indoor or related to the garden, embody the concept of subtlety. The three key elements to adding Asian accents to the garden are the symbolic uses of earth, water and wind. The wonderful thing about utilizing an Asian influence, is that they neither overpower the senses nor disrupt your existing space significantly.
In the garden, architectural elements are used to imply or infer shapes and structures. Nothing about the successful use of these elements is overpowering to an existing garden. Even the smallest gardens can use the key elements, as long as they are kept in scale. Water, in the form of ponds or fountains provides the much needed natural music of nature. Yet, an artificial stream of stones can create much the same effect, creating a harmonious note and sense of relationship to the earth. This stone river should curve and bend sinuously and naturally through the area. The careful placing of a few lovely larger stones "anchors" this stream to the garden itself.
Whether your water feature is stone or actually a stream or pond, it will require the use of either a small stone bridge or an anchoring point at one end to ground it architecturally. Some good ideas for this are a temple or pagoda again of stone, and surrounded by Japanese maples, ornamental grasses, lotus, cherry trees or flowering plums. Think of what naturally grows by rivers and streams, and plant according to your garden zone. You can add pots of azalea and bamboo for small gardens, both key plants in Asian aesthetics.
A gate, arch or walkway can be implied by the use of trees whose branches reach to each other creating a natural beckoning to what might lie beyond. Add a meandering pathway through your "gate", using small pea gravel to walk on. A very small garden can simply use existing grass, with an irregular border of stones or cedar. Larger gardens can use a pergola or arbor, planted with wisteria, which will cover the area in Spring with exquisite blooms. Beyond the arbor, seat interesting architectural elements: a stone bench, animal or bird associated with Asian art. Cranes, herons, storks and dragons are all very suitable for the type of mood you are creating here. The main idea is keeping everything in scale, and using your plants for color.
Wind chimes are an integral part of Asian culture. They are considered necessary for keeping only harmonious spirits in your living spaces. Their tinkling musical notes are believed to keep evil spirits away. When looking for suitable chimes to hang near your garden entry points, consider again the use of natural materials, wood or stone are the most effective for the aesthetics of Asian decor. Avoid the use of loud or brassy sounding chimes, instead look for the gentle chimes of a spring breeze-soft and comforting. You can hang balancing chimes in larger trees to enhance the effect of their beauty.
The Zen sand garden is an absolutely wonderful part of the Asian aesthetic. If you have a deck or porch, and not much room, you can create a sand garden for a tabletop. Buy a black lacquer tray or one of natural wood, and fill it with white sand. Find an interesting rock to place in a spot in the sand creating a focal point. For the traditional rake used in large sand gardens, use a miniature garden fork to create the interesting lines and designs in the garden. Add a small bonzai of any type in an Asian pot to accentuate and anchor your Zen garden. This will be a soothing place to sit and think, as you create your patterns for the day.
The true loveliness of an Asian influenced garden lies in its evocation of peace and harmony with nature. There are no jarring notes, nor are there objects that "scream" out at your visitors. Instead they embody all that is truly the spirit of a good garden. A reverence and bonding with the earth that nurtures and sustains us spiritually, physically and emotionally.
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