Small Japanese Garden Design – A Guide For Garden Designers

Home Remodeling - Dec 10,2016 - No Comment

Are you looking for small Japanese garden designs and want a small garden for yourself? A small Japanese garden is the perfect one for you. The least possible space you have can fit a Japanese garden. Japanese houses make use of every bit of their garden space, and regularly have tiny gardens that are squeezed between long pathways, or even between 2 buildings.

You can have a tsukubai even if you have a space of few feet. This is a place where you can have bamboo pipes, rocks and a stone basin where guests can wash their hands before they enter the house. A tsukubai is very common in tiny Japanese gardens. If it is big enough, you can have a stone basin on a bed of pebbles, possibly with a bamboo ladle.

Another option for small Japanese garden designs is a deer scarer if you have a small space. This can be made with the help of 2 pieces of bamboo. One of them acts as a spout pouring water into the other which you can find open only at one end, and fixed on a pivot in the middle. As the second bamboo fills up, the centre of gravity of this bamboo changes and tips up to release water. The time it falls back, it hits a piece of wood, thus making a rhythmic sound.

If you have a little more space for your garden, then you can fit a dry garden and include sand or gravel and boulders. In a Japanese garden, you can often find standing boulders that are bound by mossy ground, but if your space is too dry to have moss, you can still have dwarf thyme, a substitute which is a low creeping plant.

Even if you have narrow paths, entrances and walkways, you can make the most of them while designing a Japanese garden. You can lay gravel along the path, and curve it to make it look like a riverbank or sea shore. Also, you can plant some shoots of bamboo, and can keep a stone lantern or any other Japanese garden ornament.

The serenity of a Japanese garden covers the senses from the time a visitor enters the gate of the garden, and pacifies the soul as you move on with its timeless beauty. Japanese gardens don’t consist of great collections of various plants or highlight colors as the western gardens do. Nor do they concentrate on symmetry, architectural quality and lavishness as the Italian gardens do. The wonder of a Japanese garden lies in its ability to give a person a sense of “self” in this hectic lifestyle.

Japanese gardens can be formed both indoors and outdoors. These are specifically intended for meditation and contemplation. Westerners can create an actual traditional Japanese garden by bridging the gaps using foliage with all due respect to traditions and beliefs in Japan.

Landscaping ideas, symbols used in Japanese gardens, suppliers of Japanese gardens, famous Japanese gardens to visit in North America-all of these can be found online. So, take some time, and relax as you imagine the splendor you will be creating.

Japanese garden symbols : Japanese Symbolism in Garden Design

Home Remodeling - Dec 03,2016 - No Comment

Japanese garden symbols and symbolism in garden design is a popular subject among enthusiasts. There is a debate about Japanese symbolism in garden design as a concept. Catch both sides of the story related to Japanese garden symbols and learn how to adapt the concept into your own gardening.

The main purpose of Japanese gardens is to reproduce exquisite nature and bring it home. There is not much space in Japan. For an average family in Japan it is not possible to have a large garden. They adapt to enjoy nature.

This adaptation is most evident in the art of Bonsai. Bonsai is the skill of cultivating miniature trees. Doesn’t really matter if the garden is small, it can still have a beautiful tree! The creative Japanese have made use of other natural materials to symbolize objects which would be too large for their small gardens.

This practice eventually must have led to the inclusion of symbolism in the Japanese garden. Another perspective is that symbolism has actually been blown out of proportion and distracts the main purpose of Japanese gardens, i.e.to reproduce the beauty of nature.

Each culture has its own myths, urban legends, symbols etc. Some may believe in them, some may not. A bit of symbolism is always healthy, e.g. the stars and stripes symbolize liberty to patriotic Americans.

Keep in mind that everything in the garden need not be symbolized. This may get one away from the main purpose of the garden. Use moderate symbolism, and enjoy yourself in your garden.

Basic Requirements of a Japanese Garden

Like any other garden, these gardens too require some elements to flourish. One element which is common in almost all gardens is water. In a Japanese garden, water is the symbol of purity. Sand or gravel is sometimes used instead of real water, if it is not available. Some of the other common elements include trees, stones and plants which basically give the garden its true look. Some people take a step ahead and enhance the beauty of their gardens by adding waterfalls.

Apart from all these requirements, there are some other features which can always be added to these gardens like walls, fences and gates. Other choices include steps, paths, water basins and bridges. Bridges in particular create a lovely look for any garden. To illuminate the garden at night, you can use lanterns.

Japanese symbolism in garden design is essentially the most highlighted part. The garden will give you a walk in nature’s arms. These gardens are used by people and monks for meditation where they can concentrate well and experience spiritual arousal through nature. These gardens give you peace of mind in today’s hectic life.

If you are looking out for a unique garden, then Japanese garden symbols are the best choice in that case. The Japanese gardens are attractive, innovative and most importantly create a sensation of peace and serenity in their surroundings.

Another reason for choosing Japanese garden symbols would be that they are unique, uncommon and rare. Hence, anybody who visits a Japanese garden will eventually fall in love with it. It is indeed an excellent choice.

Enhance The Appeal Of A Beautiful Garden With Japanese Garden Lanterns

Home Remodeling - Nov 26,2016 - No Comment

Japanese garden lanterns are important elements of Japanese Gardens. They were introduced to Japan along with Buddhism in the 6th century. The stone lantern also known, as ishi-doro is the most common lantern types that graces gardens, temples and shrines all over Japan. The stone lanterns comes in different sizes with a hollow upper part where lamps or candles or electric lights are lighted on days of special importance to the Japanese.

The stone lanterns were initially used in the tea gardens to guide guests through the gardens to the tea houses were the tea ceremonies were traditionally held. Though the lanterns are mainly used for decoration they also retain their function of lighting up. The Japanese garden lantern serves as an important focal point in Japanese gardens enhancing specific aspects of the garden like a waterfall or a stream or by the side of a walkway. Stone is most favored material for lanterns as it is natural and yet strong like nature itself. No other material comes close to stone in its natural beauty and charm when sculpted. The timelessness and the distinction of a stone lantern can’t be matched.

In Nara, you will find a fine example of 2000 beautifully sculpted stone lanterns lining the way to the Kasuga Shrine. This is one of most famous examples of ishi-doro in Japan. The more widespread use of lanterns started after their introduction to the tea gardens used in traditional tea ceremonies. Now, these lanterns are no longer are confined to religious shrines and gardens and used more widely for decorative purposes.

Genuine Japanese lanterns are made from granite or syenite. These are sculpted in simple designs which stand the test of time. The granite is immune to seasons, the element of nature and even changes in society. More recently lanterns made of resins and concrete have started becoming popular, as granite lanterns are heavy and difficult to ship. The newer designs come in reds and greens but the original stone lanterns were in their natural gray color and made to blend with nature.

There are four basic designs to choose from in modern lanterns. There are the buried lanterns around 3 feet high, pedestal lanterns are 3 to 9 feet, small lanterns which are 20 inch or so tall and snow-viewing lanterns which are around 3-5 feet tall. If you would like to order Japanese garden lanterns you can order online too. There are many stores that sell traditional ishi-doro lanterns for use in your gardens. If you stone too heavy you can choose the ones made from resin or reconstituted stone, which are lighter and easier to handle.

Japanese garden lanterns provide a soft illumination to the garden using candles or oil lamps. They throw just enough light to show the way or draw attention to a small water body or stream or a bridge. You won’t find the harsh lighting of modern day shopping malls in a Japanese garden. The serenity and the beauty of the garden are enhanced by the soft and gentle effect of the lanterns.

Choose From Asian Garden Designs To Create An Unique Home Garden

Home Remodeling - Nov 25,2016 - No Comment

There are a number of Asian Garden Designs to choose from to create a beautiful garden in your home. There are several Japanese, Korean and Chinese garden designs that can be adopted to your own use. You should have an idea about landscaping, how to use plants and several elements of garden design to create your own garden. If you are confident about this or lack the required qualification then hire a professional landscape and garden designer to do the job for you. You can give them the ideas and designs that you would like to incorporate in your garden and they can implement them.

Japanese and Korean gardens are themselves inspired by Chinese gardens and many of the elements of Buddhism are incorporated into these Asian gardens. Originally these were found at Buddhist temple sties and shrines, in palaces and city parks. In Japanese culture, creating gardens is a high art that is achieved through high level of training and dedication. It is closely linked to calligraphy and ink painting. Japanese gardens have found widespread western acceptance and there are a number of public parks in the western world, which mimic the Japanese gardens and Asian garden designs. You can find them in New York, London, and many other western capitals.

Asian garden designs are more natural, enclosing a view, bring distance object like mountains into focus, have mystery, simplicity and most important of all an attention to detail. There are many flowers or color in Japanese gardens. There are representation of different elements of nature like water, mountains and rivers. Water may not be actually used in the garden but patch of raked gravel or sand will represent the water or ocean. Stones set up in triangular shapes represent mountains or it can be moss on small mounds, which represent the mountains. Asian gardens are more abstract than actual.

These garden plans incorporate an important element of design called framing a view. They like to enclose something dramatic and as you walk and wander you suddenly come up an element which both surprises and enthralls the visitor.

There are different types of Japanese gardens that you can choose to construct like Kare-sansui which is a dry landscape garden or rock garden, the Tsukiyama Gardens or creation of artificial hills an which represent famous landscapes of China and Japan, the Chaniwa gardens or tea gardens used in traditional tea-ceremonies which enclose a tea house where the tea ceremony his held and other gardens styles like home gardens, pond gardens and strolling gardens.

Bamboo shoots, evergreens, moss, artistic rocks, boulders with a patina of age, gravel, bridges, tropical waterfalls, courtyards, pergola, pathways, ponds, streams, water basins, garden lanterns are some of the elements that are found in Asian garden designs. You won’t find the prolific flowers that are part of western concept of a garden. Instead in various subtle ways your attention is drawn to various shapes, textures and patterns on natural rocks, leaves and trees.

Another interesting thing is that all the rocks, stones for the pathways are chosen so they gel with the park. Nothing will seem out of place. The stones with patina of green or a little bit of moss are preferred as they blend with the natural settings better. A westerner or person unfamiliar with these aspect of Asian gardens designs would not be appreciate these small but important aspects which make Asian garden such oasis of calm and serenity. A place where you can retreat to in order to meditate in peace.

Japanese style garden – What Are The Different Styles Of Japanese Gardens?

Home Remodeling - Nov 19,2016 - No Comment

Designing a Japanese style garden for a home is popular around the world. The gardens are designed keeping in mind the changing seasons. With the change in seasons the Japanese gardens changes too. As the plants and trees grow, they are cut and pruned and given clean and artistic shapes. They are high maintenance but the end result is always pleasing to the eye and enhances the beautiful experience of strolling in a Japanese garden.

Every Japanese garden is a work of art. It has various elements like terraces, paths, small hills, stone designs, verandas and even buildings woven into it harmoniously. There are some traditional types in Japanese style garden like Karesansui Gardens, Tsukiyama Gardens and Chaniwa Gardens among several know garden types.

The Karesansui Garden:

These are dry landscape gardens that use stones, gravel and moss to create different natural landscapes like mountains, islands, boats, seas and rivers in an abstract way. These gardens are inspired by Zen Buddhism and usually used for meditation and prayer. These dry gardens do not have water unlike other Japanese gardens. Instead raked gravel or sand is used to represent it. Beautiful and artistic rocks and gravel are chosen to represent various facets of nature. To further enhance the effect moss is used. These beautiful, abstract gardens are great example of a Japanese style garden.

Tsukiyama Gardens:

Tsukiyama means the creation of artificial hills. These gardens try to recreate famous landscapes from China and Japan in a miniature form using several elements like small ponds, streams, stones, waterfalls, swimming koi fish or carp, hills, flower trees, paths and bridges. These parks, which are often a faithful reproduction of the real scenery, are best enjoyed by strolling through the circular paths laid out around the garden. These gardens try to create an illusion of more space by using little plants to block out views of city buildings and trying to focus the attention of the viewer on a nearby mountain. This way it appears as if the mountain is part of the garden.

Chaniwa Gardens or Tea Gardens:

Tea ceremonies or services are an important part of Japanese culture. It is only natural that they should have gardens where these ceremonies are held. Chaniwa gardens are especially meant for these occasions. A teahouse set in the garden is used for holding the tea ceremonies. This uses a simple style in creating the hut and the garden with stepping-stones that lead to the teahouse. Lanterns and stone basins are part of the garden. The stone basins contain water where the guests purify themselves before a ceremony.

Apart from there other Japanese Style Garden like those viewed from residential places called Kanshoh style gardens which can be created in your front yard, strolling gardens called Kaiyu–Shiki can be done all round your home or if you have sprawling lands, pond gardens that can be viewed from a boat need to have water body to appreciate its beauty.

The use of artistic rocks, bamboo plants, and evergreens is common factors in many gardens. The special rocks come from distant parts of Japan. Lanterns are placed in strategic places like besides stone basins; rocks are used to construct bridges, pathways and to represent mountains of China. You won’t find fountains in traditional Japanese gardens. Instead you will see uneven streams flowing over irregular terrain. Dry ponds and streams represented by raked gravel or sand are also important aspect of Japanese style garden.

Residential Solar Power – 10 Tips To Get Quality Solar Panels Without Getting Ripped Off!

Home Improvement - Nov 14,2016 - No Comment

For residential solar power your need solar power panels, batteries to store power and allow uninterrupted supply and the the inverter, which takes that power and makes it more suitable for our home needs.

Inverter and batteries are standard and available in the market for standard prices. Inverter converts solar power to voltage that can be used in your home and the batteries are used to store excess energy. When the sun is down or the day is cloudy your batteries will provide power using the battery backup. So buy enough battery bank to last a few days in case of bad weather for your residential solar power.

1. Calculate you monthly consumption of power from your old energy bills. With this information you know how much residential solar power you need to generate from the panels. The more energy you need the more solar panels you need to install.

2. If you have lots of space then you buy the low cost solar panels with low efficiency ratings and install more panels to get the residential solar power you need. On the other hand if space is a real problem then you will need efficient but expensive solar panels that will occupy lesser space. As solar power is generated from sunlight and that is totally free efficiency is not a big deal.

3. Look at the wattage or amperage of a solar panel. This shows the power that each of the home solar panels can generate. With this information and the information about the need for residential solar power you can calculate the number of solar panels you will need. As explained earlier you can go for the cheaper variants with low efficiency as solar energy is absolutely free.

4. Before you buy visit local hardware stores and supermarkets. When new models arrive stores usually want to move out the older space occupying models. So, they offers deals on residential solar power panels. You can get them for a lower than marked price and the quality will not be much different. There are different types of panels like monocrystalline and polycrystalline PV cells. The monocrystalline panels are expensive as they are more efficient.

5. Solar technology is evolving so fast that newer models are always coming out. Browse through home improvement magazines to get offers on any new models for your residential solar power. You can browse the internet too to find the best deals.

6. Better to buy your solar panels from a reputed maker for making residential solar power. They should have proper energy certification and energy star ratings and you will be safe from spurious stuff or goods which fall apart after a few months of use. Branded panels will be little more expensive option but in return you will get quality goods.

7. Home solar panels produce a tiny amount of voltage which is not important as the inverter will convert that right up to the voltage used in our homes. So, buy panels that are of reasonable quality but low-priced for your residential solar power.

8. Solar technology is constantly improving as developed countries focus more on building alternative energy. They offer several tax benefits for citizens going in for residential solar power.

9. Cheap and best way to save on solar energy is to build your own solar energy panels. The cost of building solar panels generally ranges between $100 and $200. Homemade solar panels have nearly the same efficiency as store-bought panels for a fraction of the price. Just buy good quality raw materials to build panels for the residential solar power project.

Those tips can save you ton of money when shopping for quality solar panels.

Japanese Garden Pictures – To Help You Plan A Japanese Garden

Home Remodeling - Nov 12,2016 - No Comment

Planning on creating your own Japanese style garden for your home or office? You want ideas and inspiration for deciding the type of garden and what to put into it? Visit as many Japanese gardens as possible in your area. If there are none then study Japanese garden pictures.

You may not get the actual, real feel of being in that place but you’ll get the general idea of it. You’ll need really detailed pictures to study the various aspects of Japanese garden designs. There are many websites dedicated to Japanese gardens and you should be able to study a lot of photos with explanations for the different elements in Japanese gardens.

Japanese gardens designs came to Japan from China along with Buddhism. These gardens are steeped in religious and cultural traditions. Garden designing in Japan is an art form similar to Calligraphy and Painting. Every stone, rock and the gravel in the gardens are chosen with care so the creator can represent accurately what he wants to convey.

For outsiders it is really difficult to understand these deeper meanings unless we devote time and effort to understand Japanese and Oriental culture. Even if we can’t appreciate their underlying message we can still appreciate the beauty and the aesthetics that are at the core of all Japanese gardens.

If you look at detailed Japanese garden pictures you will notice that they follow some basics in designs. One is reduced scale, enclosing spaces, framing a view, focusing on distant object which makes it as if it is a part of the garden, borrowed scenery, symbolic elements and balance in every sense of word.

For instance the sand gardens, which were created by Zen Buddhist monks, are meant for meditation purposes. These gardens have very little greenery in them. The main elements here are stones, gravel, sand and bare minimum of plants usually a bit of moss. All these are artistically arranged to represent nature or an ancient battle scene. There is no water only raked gravel to represent it and no mountains or hills just stones arranged creatively to denote them and so on. These gardens are so delicately arranged that traditional Japanese won’t enter but rather observe it from outside so has to not disturb the artistic creation.

Tsukiyama gardens are representation scenery and landscapes from China and Japan. They are faithful representation of the original scenes. They use pools, ponds, streams, bridges, pathways, trees, flowering plants, and lanterns to recreate the original scene. The designers of these gardens love to frame a scene and surprise a visitor with their strategic placement of design elements.

For instance a bridge may be hidden from view by shrubs and trees and as you climb a few steps and suddenly come upon it you are both delighted and surprised thus there is an element of mystery in Japanese gardens. These may not be clear to you by just studying Japanese garden pictures or photos. Another thing is drawing attention to some detail, which you might otherwise miss. A lantern is placed and your gaze is drawn in to a small pool or a gurgling stream, which again is meant to excite and fascinate the visitors.

How To Install High Quality Solar Power Systems Without Busting The Bank?

Home Improvement - Nov 11,2016 - No Comment

Solar power systems for home are both easy and quick to build. To build your own home solar power system you will need solar power panels, batteries, wiring and inverter. Solar Panels are for generating electricity, the batteries for storing power for uninterrupted power and the inverter is to increase the voltage to that required by your electrical gadgets and electronic stuff.

Get enough battery backup to allow for a few days uninterrupted power supply even if there is bad weather. That should help you tide over cloudy days or cyclones.

If you know how much power you consume in your household it would be really easy to calculate how many solar panels you need to install for your home. Solar panels come with wattage rating. So, it is easy to calculate the number of panels you will need. When buying the panels don’t go for the most expensive or the most efficient both are unecessary for solar power.

If your limited amount of space in which to install your solar panels then you will need the more efficient and expensive panels. But again, strike a balance between space constraints, power efficiency and your budget limitations.

Solar power is free, no need to go for the most efficient or the most expensive fancy solar panels.

Use your car and your fingers to good purpose. Look for deals online and offline on solar panels. Solar technology is a fast evolving field. New models are being introduced every day. As new models come in old models need to be pushed out. You can just grab those models which usually sell for a discount. Because all you need is solar panels that output solar power.

If you intend on buying solar panels then buy branded panels from reputed power companies. Buying cheaper, unbranded goods could mean you are being taken for a ride. The solar cells and panels may be made with inferior quality materials which might not work as intended. With branded goods you can be assured of quality at all times else you can ask for a refund.

Don’t get too much hung up on solar panel voltage or efficiency. Inverters will convert the voltage to the required amount and with solar power freely available to us we need not bother about the most efficient solar panels.

People may be moving out, construction companies may be replacing old, chipped but perfectly working solar panels. If you browse the local newspapers you might just get a good deal. But, be sure that they are in good working condition before you buy.

Good deals can be had at the wholesalers of solar panels. Solar technology is constantly improving as developed countries focus more on building alternative power. As a result, wholesale companies will often sell solar power panels for lower prices to make room for newer models. This allows you to get great deals on the existing and previous models when compared to buying brand new solar power panels.

The cheapest and usually the best way to get solar panels is to build them yourself. They are easy to assemble and you can use quality raw materials for your solar panels and all it will cost are couple of hundred dollars and maximum of 8 hours to get your solar power system up and running. Homemade solar panels have nearly the same efficiency as store-bought panels for a fraction of the price.

Small Japanese Garden Design – A Guide For Garden Designers

Related Posts:

Japanese garden symbols : Japanese Symbolism in Garden Design

Related Posts:

Enhance The Appeal Of A Beautiful Garden With Japanese Garden Lanterns

Related Posts:

Choose From Asian Garden Designs To Create An Unique Home Garden

Related Posts:

Japanese style garden – What Are The Different Styles Of Japanese Gardens?

The Karesansui Garden:

Tsukiyama Gardens:

Chaniwa Gardens or Tea Gardens:

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Residential Solar Power – 10 Tips To Get Quality Solar Panels Without Getting Ripped Off!

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Japanese Garden Pictures – To Help You Plan A Japanese Garden

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