dreamfish

Hello - any gardeners out there?

We have a deck outside our front door that is looking a bit bare, and is a reasonable size to accommodate a container garden, perhaps with a water feature (battery operated jobby) and seating area.

This discussion came about after the Tai Chi discussion last night, and thought it would be a nice area for dribble to don his silk pjs and strutt his stuff.

While i was in a garden centre recently I saw a species of bamboo that doesnt spread. So I figured maybe I could grow those in containers?

I did some reading around last night (i love you google) and it seems I should perhaps be looking towards a japanese influence garden, because I really dont think I have the time (of money) to go the whole hog.

Perhaps I am seeking to create an area that meets the basic principles of feng shui? The deck isnt being used for anything at the moment. It gets glorious sun all day, is sheltered from winds and so another advantage of planting it up means it will give us somewhere else to sit and will look nice from the road.

We are currently over looked by next door neighbour, so it would be nice to put up some bamboo trellis and plant tall bamboos and tall grasses against it.

So what this thread boils down to, is that I am seeking ideas and direction from anyone who is in the know and perhaps suggest what I can use for planting.



Cheers me dears
Kate.

simonmarkellis

If you buy an extremely long pairs of stilts to stand on everything in your garden will look like a bonsai tree... is that the sort of help you were looking for?

Ted Logan

Ask a Japanese gardener !!!! or try googling. Simple really

dreamfish

if only i had thought of that!!!
ur good!

stasia

what you doing to the house now!! have a weekend off you tart!!!

Avid

Might be better off asking a Chinese gardener, as 'feng shui' isn't Japanese.

RobClubley

Good point

Ted Logan

and indeed your quite right.


Try this http://landscaping.about.com/gi/dyna...03/design.html

dreamfish

Hi Avid - glad I got your attention, because I recall you have spent some time in Japan, is that right?

Do you have any pointers from your experience? I have read read read and googled and I still dont know where to start. I guess I need to figure out the fundamentals and go from there.

dreamfish

thanks for that link - i didnt come across that on my travels last night. its given me a lot to think about!

donnaf

Might be worthwhile getting in touch with the gardeners at the Botanical gardens - they might be able to point you in the right direction.

Avid

Well...I've been to quite a few gardens in Japan but that doesn't, sadly, make me much of an expert on the topic.

I'd guess that a 100% accurate recreation of a Japanese Garden would look weird, and probably almost impossible what with having to use Kiwi plants and stuff.

So it's more about creating the 'spirit' of a Japanese garden. And 'spirit', as any oriental with a mystical bent will tell you, comes from within ourselves.

Or there's the Japan Culture Centre in Willis Street, Wellington (part of the Embassy) they might be able to help (and will probably be delighted that somebody takes an interest in Japan that isn't purely about whaling), and will have lots of books on the subject.

dreamfish

thanks for that Avid - i will indeed get in touch with them. I think I have a grasp of the principles now, its just how do i get it to work. So yes the centre could well be of some help. cheers!