Contrasts
By loosestrife2
9 comments
I have just completed my Japanese Zen Garden addition. To get to the Oriental part of my garden, I will walk you through the Occidental part of my cottage type garden which is about at its peak at the present time…
In the above photos …The water hyacinth is doing a good job of providing shade for my fish in the main pond and the parrots feather is spectacular in my filtering pond….
I placed my Zen Garden to the left of my shed where I do my oil paintings….
Here is the overview of the Zen Garden.
The Zen Garden uses rock, sand, pebbles and a minimal of plantings to represent water, land, islands(such as those of Japan) and mountains, mt. Fuji for example. Plantings can represent forests. Whereas the occidental garden is laid out in its brilliant plantings with nothing really left for the imagination the Zen Garden with its intentional sparseness is almost all imagination. The perimeter was outlined with a length of pond hose and river rock established its outline. I created 4 sections, 3 islands and a section of black stone representing the sea against the main island with my fish rock beached up upon it. The section to the right is my pond of sand pebbles in which is an island upon which sits a floral type of stick incense holder. Near it sits another rock jutting up out of my gravel sea with a tea candle lantern. Behind the main island is a section upon which I placed two rocks vertically to represent mountains in the distance. To the left is a forested island. The forest is represented by a Bonzai tree of the variety known as Itsa fugazi.
I created a Zen type seat to sit on and meditate by taking three concrete fence post anchors and setting a piece of broken concrete upon them. Tonight I will light the lamp, burn my favorite incense, sit down and contemplate the present time playing “Legend Of The Mind” aka “Timothy Leary is Dead” by the Moody Blues to be followed by “Nights In White Satin”. Ahhhhhhh!
17 Jul, 2022
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Previous post: The Verdict Is In!
Next post: My Fish Nursery...
Comments
I don't know much about Zen gardens so thankyou for explaining what everything represents, I can actually see you sitting there in my mind, your choice of music will be perfect, Moody Blues have always been a favourite of mine, I can lose myself in their music, Nights in White Satin perfect choice, obviously the extended version L'strife.....Now I cannot get Timothy Leary out of my mind, I'm sitting here writing this and that track is on overdrive in my head, I'll never sleep tonight now, I need your Zen Garden....
18 Jul, 2022
Remember Lincs that should you accomplish getting Timothy Leary out of your mind, according to the lyrics he will be “ on the outside looking in”. Tonight I will burn two incense sticks in the Zen Garden, one for you and one for me. If I keep the incense burning up, the neighborhood will think that I.....well, you know.....:)
18 Jul, 2022
Such an imaginative set of spaces, L'strife, thank you for showing us. I have really enjoyed the trip to view. I remember mooching round the living room when I was young and impressionable to 'Nights in White Satin' - had no idea what it was about. A bit like reading poems that you don't fully understand but enjoy the sound and rhythmn of the words.
19 Jul, 2022
Wow from me, Loosestrife!!! I actually feel like I’ve been transported over to your garden for a tour.
Such wonderful colour everywhere…
You’ve lots of lovely water features around your garden too.
Very innovative, I do love your zen garden - I could quite easily do my yoga close by - very conducive! Thanks for posting all your special areas and all the interesting informative.
I see you have your ‘recent archeological find’ placed strategically…did you ever find out any more info on its history?
Thanks again!
22 Jul, 2022
Thank You Kate and yes I did. I posted the copy of the email response from the geological museum in a previous blog posted July 5 and titled “ The Verdict Is In”. Right now I am in a battle to keep my garden hydrated in this terrible heat wave and dry spell we are in (I hear it’s the same for you across the pond). I can now appreciate the Zen Garden even more, it doesn’t need watering!
22 Jul, 2022
Apologies again, Loosestrife! I posted on your previous blog a few minutes ago. Thanks for sharing!
I'm fortunate I've a small front and back garden, bijou!
I've managed to keep it fairly watered and I don't have too many pots! I'm surprised my ferns, especially the two tree ferns were perfectly fine during the hotter week.
I do hope you're coping with this dry spell over on your side of the pond! Sounds like you've been battling away! As you say, the Zen garden will be fine, thankfully!
31 Jul, 2022
And a big WOW from me Loosestrife!
I love your cottage plant area and the litle pink path you have created , plus all the unusual garden ornaments.
And I do love the water feature of the man holding on to the water's edge!
I hadn't heard of a zen garden before and it is very imaginative and well represented!
I also love that music you played too!
2 Aug, 2022
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Thank You Klahanie. Gardening has always been to me the opportunity to paint in three dimensions with the colour of life. I unearthed a rock in my garden that was quite unique in size, shape and colour. Some members thought it looked like a fish. I thought it might be a fossil since some dinosaur fossils were unearthed on a construction site near my home. I consulted with a geological museum which ruled that out. I decided to showcase this rock by making a Zen garden to place it in.
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