Blooming Rock Cress

Early spring, but the Rock Cress (Arabis caucasica) is blooming like crazy.

I had some trouble at first identifying the plant because I did not initially record the name when I planted them, but with some help from friends, I was able to figure it out, especially after the bloom. he white flowers add some variation to the overwhelming green that populates the garden. Hopefully, this is a start to a good season for the garden.

The Great Wave

"Water, Water Everywhere...."

Although the sump pump system had been installed from the start of the garden project, the first full winter (2009-2010) resulted in little precipitation. As a result, in the spring of 2010 I didn’t need to pump any water out of the basement. The winter of 2010-2011 proved different. We had record amounts of snow fall, and so in the spring the pumps kicked in to full action by March 19. Although I would prefer not to have water, I was interested in seeing how the garden would hold up. After all, the design was intended to accommodate the need for employing the sump pumps. The size of the garden appeared to be accommodating the volume of water being pumped, and the rocks surround the edges holding up well. Of course, as expected, the water is draining back into the ground and water table, only to end up back in the basement sump pump pits.

The Great Wave at Kanagawa

My wave of water is not as impressive as Katsushika Hokusai’s The Great Wave at Kanagawa (shown above - from the 36 Views of Mount Fuji series of wood-block prints). Nevertheless, it has proved to be equally soothing to behold.

The Great Wave at My Zen Garden - Looking East

This view of the garden shows the direction in which the water flows down to the lowest point of elevation on the property. With the ground still somewhat frozen, water is pooling up at the far end.

Unfortunately, we we received so much rain in the spring that the garden could no longer keep up with the flow of water. By Early June I had to divert one of the pumps back out into the wood lot as the primary discharge for sump pump water. One pump remains connected to the garden, but is only being used occasionally or as a back up.

Explosion of Color

The Viridis Japanese Maple (Acer palmatum dissectum'Virdis') is really taking off with bright color this fall:

Plants - Phase IV (2010)

During the Fall of 2010 I added many new plantings to the garden. I also started to plant in the north-east section of the garden behind the gravel driveway along the side of the garage. Eventually, I hope to close off this part of the garden with a fence/gate. Until then, I have started to place planting on either side and along the fence and edge of the water basin. Below are images of the new additions and changes.

Little Buddha

Had a little friend stop by to visit the garden:

Plants - Phase III (2010)

During the summer of 2010 I spent most of my time building the garden fence. However, I did add some new plants, move others around, and removed some as well. Below are images of the new additions and changes.

Dharma Cowbell Chime

Picked up an Asian Style cowbell chime while vacationing in Lake Placid.

As soon as I saw it, I knew it would work well in the Zen garden, especially because of the sound. It has a nice deep tone, sort of like a gong, but not the kind you slam with a drum stick - this one is very mellow and needs significant wind to make it ring, not too loud, not too dim, just right. It also looks great.

Here is what is sounds like: Click to Listen

Here is a link to Amazon.com where you can purchase the same chime: Woodstock Dharma Cowbell

The Fence

"The grass is always greener on the other side."

Shortly after starting the Zen Garden in the summer of 2009 I began thinking that a fence was needed to enclose the garden. I wanted the fence to have a Japanese style and spent much of the winter months that followed reading about traditional Japanese styles of architecture and fence construction. However the most influential source came from a website (and subsequent book) I discovered by Kieran Egan entitled: Building My Zen Garden

Mr. Egan included an illustration in his website that became the model for the fence I built.

I modified the design to work with existing lumber dimensions and I opted to use rolled split-bamboo instead of cedar boards. Doing so helped keep the costs manageable and created an excellent Asian esthetic to the fence. 

Keep in mind, I know nothing about fence building, so I spent most of January to May learning what I could at the public library.

In the end, the finished fence looks great, is straight, and should last many years. During the summer of 2011 I extended the fence by three panels to the end of the gazebo area and added a Moon Window in one of the panels (see Moon Window link in the blog menu).

Tiki Lamps

I was able to purchase some japanese-looking Tiki lamps on line for the garden. 

Beside helping to keep mosquitos away, they should add a nice esthetic to the garden. Most Tiki lamps remind me of a hawaiian theme, but these really look like they could be found in a Japanese Garden.

Here is a link to the website were I made the purchase: Lamplight (Paradise Bay Torch)

The Dragon's Spine

"Where the movable and immovable meet..."

After moving much of the dirt from the Zen Garden to level off the remainder of the back yard, I needed to work on re-landscaping the property line and working it into the overall plan for the yard.

I have no intention of turning the entire yard into a Zen garden and want to limit the Japanese influence to the eastern portion of the yard where the gazebo and rock bed are located. However, the property line is still awkward, especially with all the weeds growing just off property. So, I decided to curve-up the edge into a dragon’s spine – starting near the garden shed (dragon’s tail), leading towards the gazebo (dragon’s head), with the rock bed being a further extension (dragon’s open mouth with tongue perhaps).

I was also able to obtain two large stones to place along the dragon’s spine - once in, I transplanted my clumping bamboo from last year to this spot. In time, it should create a natural fence of bamboo in front of the gazebo area providing additional privacy.

In addition, I used the Dragon’s Spine in conjunction with a reworking of the bed along the house to create a round area of grass which now acts as an additional entrance into the gazebo-garden area.

Eventually I would like to erect a Tori Gate here (another future project).