Wondering how your garden can evoke feelings of tranquility and inner peace? It’s a great idea to turn your backyard into a carefully curated Zen garden to escape from the stresses of everyday life. Follow these three tips to give your backyard a serene, Zen-like atmosphere.
1. Incorporate Artistic Elements
Find your center by including artful sculptures into the design of your outdoor space. Decorative sculptures are often an integral part of Japanese-style landscapes. The design rarely incorporates more than one, though, so it is important to choose a statement piece that really speaks to you. Nest your chosen piece of contemporary art among dense plantings to make it look like a natural part of your backyard environment.
2. Promote Flow
Many Japanese gardens include a water feature – the classic choice is the cheerful and vibrant backyard koi pond. It’s easier than you might think to add this feature to your own yard. Find the perfect spot in the landscape, maybe one that’s surrounded by some shrubs and vegetation. Install a pre-made pond from your local nursery and fill it with koi, as well as the plants they need to provide cover from predators.
3. Include a Stone Garden
Perhaps the most decorative use for boulders is as sculptural features inside the field of a stone bed in a Zen garden design. Fill an empty area with loose sand or pea gravel, then select special stones to look as if they’ve burst forth from the earth to populate the field of loose fill. When executed correctly, this can be a very striking look for a Japanese-inspired garden.
With a few Zen-inspired upgrades, your backyard will quickly become your preferred place to relax and recharge. Your moment of peace awaits – just follow these tips and you’ll feel closer to nature as soon as you head out your back door.
