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Japanese
strolling pond garden
A path meanders slowly around the irregularly shaped pond, taking you through grassy knolls, a breath-taking planting of iris, and over the 8-fold bridge.
Warm sunlight sparkles on a tortoise, sunning itself on the banks of the pond, while bronze heron garden sculptures hide in a still inlet.
These are only some of the joys to be found in a Japanese strolling pond garden.
Traditionally created by the nobility and designed on a large scale, the Strolling pond garden technique incorporates stepping stones, stone lanterns, bridges, water gardening, and sometimes a tea house or pavilion, all in one setting.
Movement is around an irregularly shaped garden pond and islands, and employs the concepts of "Hide and Reveal" so that not all vantage points are visible at once, and "Movement along the diagonal", where the path leads one from left to right rather than following a straight line.
It is with the Japanese strolling pond garden that you can really let your gardening imagination run free. For example:
- You could find a wonderful granite lantern such as the two-legged kotoji doro, and set it with one leg in the water, and the other leg on the land.
- A marshy inlet might support a few hundred Japanese iris - their beauty a stark contrast to the grasses around them.
- The weeping willow or flowering cherry could be planted so that it hangs over the deepest part of the pool, its reflection shining in the glittering waters.
- Large stones, partially submerged in water, become a crane or tortoise and wish your visitors health and a long life.
The magic you can create in these wonderful gardens is unlimited and can take you to a world apart.
Seasonal changes provide enchantments of their own.
See also:
Japanese Stroll garden overview - for some additional photos
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