Japanese Gardens Offer Many Benefits

The benefits of a Japanese garden or landscape are many.  They include:

• Providing a place for peace & serenity;
• Helping one connect with nature;
• Health benefits by helping to relieve stress. Many gardens include a koi pond and watching koi is known to help relieve stress, as well as provide many other benefits;
• Added exercise with maintaining the garden;
• Inspiring new thoughts;
• Encouraging reflective time and meditation which helps to improve focus;
• Conserving water through reduced plantings and use of natural elements.  Japanese garden and landscape designs can also be done as Xeriscapes  or even Zeroscapes; 
• Some designs require less maintenance than other garden/landscape styles;
• A design style that works well with native grasses and trees; and 
• Koi are used in aquaponic systems, so a koi pond that is part of a Japanese garden can be leveraged to help grow food.

To reap these rewards and include a Japanese garden in your landscape, visit www.JapaneseLandscapes.com.

Japanese Garden at the Manito Gardens
in Spokane, Washington

Is Your Plant Receiving The Right Water?

When a treasured plant in your garden or landscape dies, it feels bad.  It can lead some to believe that they do not have a green thumb.  I know, because I have often felt this way.  However, I later realized the challenge was more an issue of not having the necessary plant knowledge to care for particular plants.

Plant health is often an issue of location and watering.

According to Island Landscape, a licensed and insured landscape contractor in California and Hawaii, yellowing, drying, burning, bug infested or dying plants may not be getting enough water or too much.  

Find out or ask your professional gardener or landscape maintenance company if problem plants are appropriate for the zone they are in and getting the right amount of water.  Adjust the the watering schedule for each as necessary.  

If you need further help, a landscape maintenance professional will be able to discuss and make plant recommendations based on the plant type, weather patterns for the area, sun exposure and soil conditions.

Knowledge is key, so get the knowledge you need to appropriately water your plants.

Features & Benefits of Japanese Garden Design

Japanese gardens are rooted in meaning, history, religion, and nature.  They promote balance and harmony and require careful consideration during the design process to create a garden that touches your spirit, reveals your style, and enhances your outdoor living.

Open space, natural, and water elements are essential in every Japanese garden design.  Here less is more.  By not overcrowding the garden and filling every space with plants, you make peaceful, calming areas that encourage thought, reflection, and rejuvenation.  Natural facets help to connect one with nature and water, such as a bowl of water for purity, or design elements that symbolize water, reflect the passage of time.

Japanese gardens epitomize understated elegance.  Few garden accents are needed, but popular accents such as lanterns and bridges quickly showcase the design style and can enhance the overall look.  However, they are not required elements.

A well designed Japanese garden or landscape should feel like a private sanctuary where you are surrounded and embraced by nature.  The design should incorporate natural screening and sounds to block out noises and visual elements that might otherwise detract from the serenity of the garden.

If you are looking for a beautiful, tranquil place to get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, a Japanese garden or landscape may serve you well.  When you are ready to get started, contact Brian Kashima, the Owner of Island Landscape, to learn more and benefit his valuable expertise and 30+ years of experience as a Japanese gardener and landscaper. 

Or, if you are interested in helping us build a beautiful Japanese garden at The Aloha Garden of Maui, in Kula, Maui, Hawaii, you can support this effort by purchasing a garden brick here.

Japanese Garden at The Manito Gardens in
Spokane, Washington

Avoid Water Problems in Your Garden & Landscape

Water is a precious resource that must be conserved.  Unidentified irrigation challenges can lead to high water bills, be detrimental to plants, create environmental issues, cause property damage, and increase your liability.  The following is a landscape maintenance tip from Island Landscape, a licensed landscape contractor in California and Hawaii, to help home owners and property managers know what to look for.

Soil run-off, erosion, moss, green walls, and dramatic changes in plant coloring can all be signs of excessive water use, along with more obvious signs of over watering such as ponding or running water.  Keep an eye out for these symptoms and take appropriate action.  

Your professional gardener or  landscape maintenance company should regularly monitor your irrigation system for:

• appropriate seasonal watering (making adjustments for rainfall and other weather conditions), 
• damaged sprinkler heads, 
• valve problems, 
• broken lines, 
• improper trimming, etc. 

Correct excessive watering or irrigation system issues immediately and keep a report of the work done.  It will benefit you, your garden and landscape, and the environment.

Be Water Wise