How to Make a Zen Garden

A Zen garden is ideal for anyone who would like their own meditative retreat. Japan is the origin of these tranquil spaces, and it’s interesting when you know the link between the country and basic designs in Zen. Read on to learn some basics and how to create your very own Zen garden.

As you contemplate the type of serene landscape you’d like to make in your backyard, keep in mind that Cypress Creek Landscape Supply has all the supplies you need and we deliver. Providing landscaping services in the Tampa Bay area for more than 25 years, we offer landscaping products of the highest quality plus much more. We have the boulders, gravel, sand, plants, and other materials you may need for your Zen garden.

Zen Garden aka Miniature Landscapes

Buddhist monks developed Zen gardens in ancient times, and over the centuries, the design has evolved. The most common elements of nature characteristic of Zen gardens are jutting boulders; large, flat rocks; gravel or sand; and strategically placed plants. The boulders represent the mountains next to the islands of Japan, which are represented by the large flat rocks. The sand or gravel is raked to look like ripples on the ocean.

The number of plants is usually limited in a Zen garden, which is often considered a minimalistic style. Originally, these calming gardens were enclosed within walls. Where that is impractical, you can add trellises and enjoy privacy, which is more conducive to a period of contemplation.

Ideas for Zen Gardens

In addition to the sand or gravel, rocks, and boulders in your Zen garden, you may want to add a pathway of stepping stones and various plants common to this type of landscaping. The following are a couple of the plants you can choose from, though it’s important to choose plants based on the amount of sunlight they will get in your Zen garden:

• Archers’ Gold thyme flourishes in full sun in Florida. The plant is about 6” tall and 12” wide with pink flowers and evergreen leaves that become bright gold in color every winter. This “creeping thyme” is a ground cover that helps with weed control in Zen landscaping. Archers’ Gold thyme is also a fragrant plant that is used as a culinary herb.
• Moss is a staple in many Zen gardens. Moss is low-growing and able to serve as a substitute for ground cover because it forms dense mats. One type of ground moss, Leucobryum, is named “cushion.” Most ground moss requires shade.

Keep it Simple

Your Zen garden needs a place for you to sit and relax. Include a bench in your garden, and it’s best if the bench is made from materials in nature. A stone or wooden bench is perfect. Heavily edit what you add to your Zen space because too many elements overload the garden and become counterproductive to the goal of inviting serenity, meditation, and calm.

Call Cypress Creek Landscape Supply Today

Life can get stressful and it’s good to have an outlet for stress. The best reason to build a Zen garden is to have a place at your own home where you can put the hustle-bustle of everyday life behind you and simply breathe in the natural beauty of nature. Go online and shop for what you need. If there’s anything you want that you don’t find on our site, we will get it for you if at all possible. Contact us by calling (813) 933-7944 today or by using this contact form.