Contemporary Japanese Garden Design

Brief

This client requested a Japanese inspired garden. The garden was a large space which had served well as a family garden but now was in need of a facelift.

The plot was bounded by old yellow stock walls and contained a tired lawn and fish pond but little of interest.

The clients were planning to extend the back of the property which was be taken into account when designing the new space.

They have a number of bonsai trees which they would like to display in the garden.

Solution

Directly outside the proposed new back door will be a large poured concrete patio oriented at a 45° angle to the house. Adjoining this will be a Lily pond containing stepping stones that provide access to a steps down to the lower garden.

To the left hand side of the garden will be a second set of steps leading to a poured concrete patio in the lower garden. This will be enclosed by a timber pergola with shelving units constructed from new railway sleepers.

The shelving will provide further opportunity for the client to display their collection of bonsai trees. Adjacent to this is will be a new koi carp pool, fed by copper waterspouts.

A real lawn fills the centre of the lower garden with a porcelain tile pathway doglegging down the garden around an artificial lawn covering the second part of the garden.

A large raised planter containing a Japanese cloud tree will provide strong architectural planting directly outside the patio doors. A tall hedge planted in a bed in the lower garden along the front edge of the patio will provide screening and a safety barrier, enclosed by a railway sleeper balustrade which can be used to display the client’s bonsai plants.

To the right hand side of the space a bespoke railway sleeper raised planter will house the clients existing grapevine. The pathway will continue down the garden past a potting shed to terminate in a second patio in the bottom right hand corner of the garden. This will be large enough to accommodate a fire pit and some additional seating. Planting in the garden will be Japanese inspired focusing on colour and foliage.