This is especially important in climates where winter weather prevents outdoor garden time. When creating a Zen garden design, site it in a spot that’s visible from indoors. Bloomers typically include flowering cherry trees, camellia, azalea or rhododendron. Other great plants to include in a Zen garden design are conifers, heavenly bamboo ( Nandina domestica) and Japanese maple ( Acer palmatum). Include flowering cabbages and kale (Brassica oleracea) or English daisy ( Bellis perennis) in cool-weather designs, and Japanese forest grass ( Hakonechloa macra) or hosta in warm-season planters. Incorporate containers gardens with Asian-style plantings into the setting, and you can change the garden’s look by replanting containers to follow seasonal changes.

By raking gravel or sand in different patterns, you can create a different ambience in the space.

Zen garden designs are not only low-maintenance, but are also easily changed. Position large boulders in your Zen garden design first, and create the rest of the space around them. Use large stones to anchor the landscape and serve as islands in a sea of smaller pebbles or sand. You’ll get more natural-looking results by digging the bases into soil and arranging stones in groups of two, three or five. Larger boulders in a Zen rock garden design symbolize islands or mountains. Most Zen gardeners focus on creating circular patterns around objects. The act of raking is part of the meditation process, as you work to achieve a specific design in the garden. This tool features wooden dowel-type tines that move easily through sand or fine gravel. To get the best results, rake three to four inches deep with a specialized Zen rake. You can also rake stones and sand to emulate ripples on a pond or gentle ocean waves. Placing stepping stones in a field of pebbles simulates a creek crossing, as does suspending a bamboo bridge over pebbles. Fields of pebbles, fine gravel or sand form the garden’s foundation and represent pools, rivers or seas. This practice persists in modern Zen rock garden designs. The earliest Zen garden designs lacked water features, and stones or sand were incorporated into gardens to mimic water. In Zen garden designs, stones play a pivotal role.

Backyard small zen garden ideas