Zen Gardens
A Zen garden is an interesting and deeply spiritual aspect of Japanese gardening traditions. The typical Zen garden consists of an enclosed and shallow sand box of sorts which features predominantly fine gravel with rocks of various shapes and sizes. The rocks and fine gravel are the chief elements of the garden, which generally creates the scene of islands in the sea.
While no rule exists against including plants and water features, many gardens omit them entirely and construct the garden from rocks and gravel to evoke emptiness through abstraction.
The Japanese term for a Zen garden that uses only rocks and gravel is "karesansui," which means "dry landscape." We place rocks in a bed of fine gravel in strategic locations to symbolize islands and mountains, and rake the gravel to suggest flowing water.
Turn Your Poolside & Lanai into a Zen Garden
Enjoy the beauty of live plants, stone & water.
Turn Your Poolside & Lanai into a Zen Garden
Enjoy the beauty of live plants, stone & water.
Other Ideas
Coastal Scene
The sand or gravel in a Zen garden represents the sea or ocean and is used instead of water. It will be carefully raked to create the impression of waves on the surface of a body of water. The rocks themselves represent islands or rock formations jutting out from the water. The overall goal is to create a small-scale recreation of an aerial or cliff-top view of an intricate coastal scene.
