A Japanese Dry Garden in Quebec

The planning and prep that brought this incredible karesansui-style garden to life

felicitous Monday GPODers !

We ’ve seen several of the incredible Japanese - style gardens Bas Suharto has create in Canada ( Building a Japanese - Inspired Garden , A Japanese - Style Courtyard Garden , andBuilding a Garden With Bas ) , and today we get to see another tranquil design . As an added bonus , he ’s include the unlike mock - ups he created through the design mental process .

I want to partake in the back garden of my friend , Stefan . latterly he transmit me photos , he added a careen in front of a ‘ Beni - kaze ’ hakone(Hakonechloa macra‘Beni - kaze ’ , Zones 5–9 ) . Also another pic where he added a taller rock on the middle of the “ island ” .

The beginning of his garden . I visited Stefan in Mont - Bleu , Quebec before the COVID-19 pandemic . We discussed his back garden , which had an exist lawn , plants and trees . Here is the exposure of his back curtilage before winter in December 2020 .

Stefan want less lawn and more organized or grouped plant to have easy sustenance . I proposed the preliminary pattern with a sketch . There are some existing trees like Burgundy wine roll of tobacco tree diagram and yield tree diagram . We hash out the preliminary design with this sketch and he liked the melodic theme .

I finalized the resume into a 3D drawing for showing the idealistic look . Stefan like very much the theme of a Nipponese garden with a “ peninsula ” and an “ island , ” and dry lake flavor call karesansui.(For more information on the history of Japanese dry garden , check out this awesome article from University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign ) .

The final garden plan with the plant lean .

Summer 2021 , We thin out , trimmed , pruned and removed existing shrubs and trees . We buried all branches and leaves to create “ a hill ” and “ an island ” , and covered them with the bottom of remote lawn / dope . The planting surface area was added with maritime compost fuse with top grime . I only worked with Stefan over several days . Above is a photo of employment in progression of building the garden . I establish geotextile under 3/8 ” river wash stones and stepping stones ( flag stones ) .

Stefan keep work by himself planting the plant base on the design . He establish the green solid ground screening , crawl thyme(Thymusserpyllum , Zones 4–8)on the “ island and peninsula ” .

Last summer I call in Stefan ’s garden to review ; pruning or desex certain plants , repositioning the rocks . Early autumn 2024 I visited his garden again , below are the photos .

The solid ground blanket , thyme growing well , on the far right hasGolden Japanese timber grass(Hakonechloa macra‘Aureola ’ , Zones 5–9 ) .

Grouped ‘ Purple Passion ’ hostas(Hosta‘Purple Passion’,Zones 4–8)and thyme flat coat cover .

Result of last summer ( 2024 ) “ niwaki ” trimming the Japaneselaceleafmaple to have in a tree like shape .

Another photograph of his garden , the area we added with raked gravels and rock-and-roll arrangements ( do you see a zag rocks like moving ? )

give thanks you for deal another lush and inspire design , Bas ! I ’m always envious of your friend and neighbors that get to apply your unbelievable eye .

Have photograph to share ? We ’d love to see your garden , a finicky aggregation of plants you lie with , or a wonderful garden you had the chance to visit !

To posit , send 5 - 10 picture to[email protected]along with some entropy about the plants in the pictures and where you took the photos . We ’d love to hear where you are site , how long you ’ve been garden , successes you are proud of , failures you learned from , hopes for the hereafter , favorite plants , or shady stories from your garden .

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