Plants for the Japanese garden - names and descriptions. Japanese plants...and replacement plants

Japanese gardens look attractive throughout the year - unlike English mixborders, which bloom brightly in the summer months, but disappear from the garden in late autumn.

Japanese gardens use many evergreens; Such gardens are created in order to calm and pacify, and not to disturb our perception. They are good at small spaces and can be very easy to care for. At the core Japanese gardening philosophy lies recreation of natural Japanese landscape in miniature (usually in the form of a mountain landscape with waterfalls and streams). “A look at nature from the outside” is precisely what makes this style of garden art the way it appears to us today. Usually when talking about a Japanese garden, we immediately imagine stones and water. People seem to really enjoy using these elements in garden design.

There is a great variety plants, inherent not only in the nature of Asia, but also in the temperate climate zone, which can be used in Japanese gardens. You can try to create such a garden on your site, guided by the basic internal principles that everyone who wants to feel the spirit of a Japanese garden should understand.

For example, you will never find in wildlife square pond, so don't create one in your garden. You can create a waterfall, but not a fountain. Another important condition is balance, or “ sumi" We always want to have more small space. But if the rock looks harmonious on the shore of the endless sea, imagine how it will look on 6 acres of land? So choose your design elements with extreme care.

A stone can represent a whole mountain, a pond can represent a mountain lake. A tiny space covered with sand will become a boundless ocean. Without any doubt, the phrase " Less is more“was first heard from the lips of a master of garden art. Give up variety. Repetition of individual elements in various parts the garden creates a sense of integrity, which is especially important for small spaces.

Work with a limited color palette

Let shades of green dominate throughout the year. This style places more emphasis on form than on abundance and luxury. Flashes of bright flowers and berries in the garden can only be used to emphasize the passage of time and the changing seasons.

Use contrast

This is again a play of shapes and textures: wide carved maple leaves are adjacent to sharp pine needles.

Design your garden so that it looks attractive in all seasons. Evergreen bushes form the basis of Japanese gardens; many of them also give us unparalleled seasonal blooms. Some types of perennial flowers such as irises or hellebore, are attractive throughout the season with their foliage shape. If you decide to use these herbaceous plants, How to the host or fern, place them in the crevices of stones to hide the empty, untidy spaces left by dying foliage in autumn.

Learn basic growing techniques bonsai. They can be used when growing pine or other trees not only to limit their size for a small garden, but also to achieve the aged, twisted shapes characteristic of this style.

Time and space

The first thing that strikes a European when looking at a Japanese garden is a certain “emptiness”. This causes a feeling of concern among gardeners who are accustomed to filling all the free space in the garden to give it pomp and pomp, but this “ emptiness"is a key element of Japanese garden art.

Empty space, or " ma”, defines and emphasizes the elements around it, and, conversely, the objects surrounding it define the space itself. These are precisely those polar forces that transform into each other, which are known to us as two principles, defined by the Chinese words “ yin" And " yang" Without nothing it is impossible to get something. This is difficult to understand, but the main principle of the philosophy of the Japanese garden.

Another key point that requires serious thought and understanding is the concepts of “ wabi" And " sabi" Like many words in Japanese, these words do not have an exact translation into Russian. "Wabi" can be defined as something " one of a kind", or the spirit of something. "Sabi" defines time or the ideal image of something; the closest in Russian it sounds like “ plaque of time" Concrete lantern may be kind of the only one, but it doesn't match ideal image this element of the Japanese garden. The stone may be old and covered in moss, but if it is just a round cobblestone, it has no "wabi". You should try to feel this balance.

All these concepts - "ma", "wabi" and "sabi" - are interconnected with time and space. While the space of the garden belongs to us, time appears to us as the changing seasons. Unlike Western landscape designers (who leave the garden in the fall in order to return to it in the spring) Japanese masters are devoted to their garden and admire it at all times of the year.

In the spring, they enjoy the vibrant green of buds opening and rhododendrons blooming. In summer, they are attracted by the contrast of colorful foliage patterns and cold shadows on the ground. Autumn is stunning with the bright colors of falling leaves, which are replaced by winter silence and the sedateness of a snow-shrouded garden. For the Japanese, winter is a “garden” period just like spring. The Japanese talk about the caps of snow on the branches as if they were trees in spring bloom.

So even this “dead” period for European gardeners in the garden for the Japanese is full of life. Perhaps it is the Eastern understanding of death as an inevitable stage of life (or the Western fear of death?) that divides Western and Eastern philosophy.

The intimacy of Japanese gardens

Another feature common to all Japanese gardens is their intimacy, closeness from the outside world. As we have already said, the garden is a model of the world in miniature. In order for the garden to become a truly secluded place, we must protect it from the outside world. And since it is separated from the outside world, we must create a method (including in our thoughts) to enter and leave our microworld. It is impossible to imagine a Japanese garden without hedges And wicket the same as without maples and lanterns.

Like most elements associated with the Japanese garden, hedges and gates have deep symbolism. We try to look at the garden as a separate world in which there is no place for sorrows and worries. Fences separate us from the outside world, and gates become the boundary behind which we leave our daily problems, and when we leave, we prepare ourselves to face the outside world.

Fences– it is also a tool for strengthening another principle “ miegakure", or "hide and play". Existing types of fences serve as little more than visual screens, often covered with vines through which only partial views of the garden can be seen. Sometimes designers cut out a small window in a solid wall of a fence to give passersby a glimpse of the attractive beauty of the garden located on the other side of the fence. You can be sure that you will only see a narrow strip of what is behind the fence.

And even if you go through the gates of the house, then most likely not the whole garden will open before you, but only one more arch gate, sometimes attached directly to the house, which hide the garden. To see the entire garden, you need to enter this arch and only then will you be left alone with the garden. The final step in truly experiencing the garden is when a person “dissolves” in it, when time and the person themselves no longer matter.

Components of a Japanese Garden

Stones in a Japanese garden

The Japanese believed that those places where there are many stones are chosen by the gods (kami) for their stay. The stones of these places were objects of special worship, since, according to the Japanese, they were sacred, and, therefore, the most pure and reliable precisely because of the presence of deities there.

This attitude towards stones led to the fact that the aesthetic basis of Japanese gardens, which appeared many years later as an art form, began to be formed to a greater extent by stones.

Stones form the “skeleton” of a Japanese garden. If you place the stones correctly in your garden, everything else will fall into place on its own. Below we will give you a description of several types of main stones in the Japanese garden, as well as basic principles their placement.

The main stones in a Japanese garden are high vertical stone, low vertical, curved, inclined and horizontal stones. Usually these stones are placed in triads, but this is not a requirement. Two similar stones (for example, two vertical ones), one of which is slightly smaller than the other, can be placed next to each other, like a man and a woman, but usually three, five or seven stones are used in the composition.

Should be avoided use the following three types of stones: “sick” stones (deformed top), “dead” stones (stones that are vertically oriented in nature, laid horizontally, and vice versa, like the body of a deceased person), and stones that are discordant with all the other stones in the garden. In the composition, use only one stone from each group of main stones (the composition can be supplemented with small stones that do not carry much meaning). Stones can be used to make a sculpture, or they can be used as a path or bridge.

The use of stones in the Japanese garden is very extensive.:

building interesting compositions from them;

design of reservoirs; creation of paths, bridges and footbridges, retaining walls;

creating symbolic water landscapes from gravel;

the use of stone lanterns and pagodas.

In order for the composition of stones to be balanced, in Japan they use the technique of constructing it in the shape of a commensurate triangle. Moreover, this applies not only to stone compositions.

In every garden composition (be it shrub, tree or composition with architectural forms) balance is achieved, among other things, by fitting the garden elements into a co-scale triangle, where there will definitely be main element and one or more subordinates.

This canonical technique brings beauty and harmony at the same time.
But in each specific case, of course, there may be deviations from canonical norms.

Compliance with other fundamental techniques and principles of creating Japanese-style gardens will make these deviations invisible.

Some basic rules for working with stones:

If you are creating compositions from groups of stones, then they are composed mainly of an odd number of stones (three, five, seven).

When installing a stone in a permanent place, it must be deepened so that it grows into the ground and connects with it, but does not lie on the surface.

The depth to which a stone is dug into the ground depends on the nature of the relief: on a flat place you need to dig the stone much less than on a slope.

When installing stones, the main principle is achieving balance– arranging them in the shape of a proportionate triangle, where the main stone (“shuseki”) must be correctly correlated with the first minor (“fukuseki”) and the second minor (“kyakuseki”). In other words, there should not be any stones of the same size in a group. Otherwise, the composition of stones will be uninteresting and boring.

For Yin-Yang energy balance There should be more horizontally located stones than vertical ones. Because there are quite a lot of surrounding vertical lines in each garden (verticals of fences, trees, buildings). Their preponderance will disrupt harmony, causing a feeling of anxiety. But in each specific case there may be exceptions. The main thing is to correlate the verticals and horizontals of the garden in a reasonable balance.

You can use a stone to change the outline of a body of water if for some reason it no longer suits you. To do this, you can beautifully “implant” the stone the right size to the coastline. The new shore line will depend on the size and shape of the stone.

When creating stone paths, keep in mind that they have several functions in the garden at the same time.

Paths made of stone

The paths in the Japanese garden symbolize the roads of life, the journey through life. They connect various Pictures of the Garden and its points into a single whole. The paths indicate the path along which we can go to each Garden Picture. But at the same time, often main function paths are the basis of the path. And the base should be durable, comfortable, beautiful.

Therefore, the arrangement of paths must be approached seriously, starting from a carefully thought-out sketch of the path lines to the placement of stones in the path. After all, by changing only the rotation of the stone, we can change the feeling of energy moving along the path.

Paths in a Japanese-style garden should not be straight or have a clear geometric shape..

Smooth, softly winding lines of the path will lead us to one or another viewing point of the garden.

The paths should not “scream” about their beauty or the originality of the material from which they are made, but should become an integral, harmonious part of the overall composition.

The degree of ease of movement along it will depend on how correctly you arrange the path in the garden.

Bridges can also be made from stone in the garden, which, like paths, play several roles at the same time. Bridges are a continuation of the path, connect two banks, and can be the basis of some kind of garden composition.

Bridge in the Japanese garden- This is a symbolic element. Depending on the overall concept of the garden, it can signify a transition from one period of life to another, from one environment to another, from the present to the unknown.

In Japan, bridges made from solid natural blocks are highly valued. A Japanese-style garden will add a special charm curved bridges, with beautiful natural vertical stones on different banks at the beginning of the bridge.

But again, there must be moderation in everything - imagine a large bridge on the square of a small garden...

But a small original bridge made of natural stones can be fit into almost any area of the garden, decorating it with appropriate plants, stone, gravel, and a lantern.

In Japanese gardens, the use of stone is common in the form of lanterns, pagodas.

Very important point creating a garden in Japanese style is the right thing to do arrangement of stones and plants. We must connect them in such a way that no one doubts that this stone has been lying here throughout its entire stone life, symbolizing the constancy of the Universe.

But plants change periodically, as they symbolize natural impermanence, the variability of life.

This combination will work out perfectly if you “spy” similar examples from living nature: in the forest, on the shore of a lake, in the mountains.

In Japan, stones are valued not only for their natural beauty, but also for their pure sound.

A properly created Japanese garden evokes a feeling of antiquity and eternity. Nothing can “age” a stone like something grown on it. moss. In humid climates, moss will settle on the stones on its own over time. But if you are impatient, you can speed up this process by carefully transferring the moss from the forest. It is necessary to constantly moisten the newly transplanted moss until it completely takes root on your stones.

Water in a Japanese garden

Japan is an island state, so it is not at all surprising that water is mandatory element any garden. Water in Japanese gardens is used only in the form of natural reservoirs. It may pond, running stream or waterfall, but not a fountain. Water will add a new dimension to your garden, gently absorbing unwanted sounds and attracting wildlife.

If the creation of reservoirs is impractical for some reason, a dry stream can symbolize water. Dry streams created from gravel and smooth stones. From a design point of view, such a stream carries the same meaning as water - not only to create a contrast next to the plants growing along the banks, but to subordinate the landscape to a single leitmotif, allowing the use of plants that naturally grow near water. A skillfully created, dry stream can create the feeling that the water in it has just dried up, and an occasional rain will bring it back to life.

A sea created from gravel will give you more worries than a dry stream. The pattern made on gravel seems to imitate small whirlpools and turbulences of water around the stones.

The use of water has a very deep meaning in Japanese gardens. The sight and sound of its continuous flow reminds us of the transience of time. Often bodies of water intersect bridges. Like paths, bridges mark a journey. In Japanese, the word for "bridge" also means "edge". Bridges symbolize the transition from one world to another - an integral theme in all Japanese art.

Plants of the Japanese garden

Although plants play a secondary role after stones in a Japanese garden, they are still an integral part of it. If stones symbolize immutability and constancy, then trees, shrubs and flowers help you see seasonal changes.

In the classic Japanese garden, as we have already noted, the main importance is given to recreating natural landscape, usually using water and stone. Plants are assigned the role of an elegant “wrapper” that decorates the topography of the garden. That is why plants should be selected very carefully and economically and in no case should you strive to create a collection garden densely filled with exotic plants. Japanese species. There may be very few plants used - in Japan you can find gardens of only rhododendrons!

There is no need to plant only the species beloved by the Japanese. Very often they turn out to be sensitive to our frosts. Usually it is easy for them to find a replacement from plants that are more adapted to our conditions. For example, the main coniferous species in the Japanese garden are thunberg pine(Pinus thunbergii) and dense-flowered pine(Pinus densiflora). It is better to replace them with species more familiar to our region, especially since dense-flowered pine is a close relative of our good friend - Scots pine (P. silvestris). The main thing is to find a good balance of several ornamental trees and shrubs interspersed with beautiful flowering perennials, cereals, bamboos and ferns.

Trees valued by the Japanese weeping forms having spherical contours, and of decorative and beautiful flowering shrub preference is given to plants that are easy to trim, in order, again, to give them the appearance of hemispheres. As accents that break the monotony of spherical shapes, the composition includes tall grasses, ferns and bamboo.

There are a lot of plants that can be used to create a Japanese garden in a temperate climate, here are some of the most popular ones:

Ornamental trees :

Common cherry

Many people definitely want to have sakura in the garden in order to perform the spring ritual of admiring Japanese cherries. Of course, sakura grow not only in the subtropics, but in our area it can still be uncomfortable. So, it is better for residents of our region to remember their native cherries. Particularly close to southern cherry trees Common cherry f. Raksa.

Palm maple

Almost all types of maple are of interest as very ornamental plants. Beautiful patterns of leaves of different shapes, bright autumn colors, original inflorescences and fruits, pattern of bark and color of shoots have long attracted people’s attention to them. Almost all species are good honey plants. For landscaping purposes, they began to be used from the first steps of the development of gardening. They are used in single and group plantings; low forms are planted in tubs. Pairs well with dark conifers.

Scots pine

The priority in the Japanese garden, without a doubt, belongs to the pine tree. She is a symbol of durability, courage, willpower. The choice of pine trees for planting in a Japanese garden depends on its size. Garden areas in Japan are very small, so it has long been customary to shape trees, weakening their growth and giving the crown an expressive shape. In modern Japanese gardens, mountain pine is sometimes used without shaping, preserving its natural lodging appearance. Pines form the structural basis of the garden and serve as its skeletal plants.

Decorative moldable shrubs

Barberry Thunberg

The most beautiful of the deciduous barberries, with yellowish, bright red or purple-red, later purple-brown shoots. Barberries are used in solitary and group plantings, in rock gardens, and as a ground cover plant. The variety of varieties simply gives the gardener unlimited scope for imagination.

Hawthorn

Hawthorn is indispensable in ornamental gardening. In the spring it is beautiful during flowering with its corymbose inflorescences consisting of numerous flowers, in the summer when the fruits ripen, having a variety of colors - orange, yellow, red, burgundy, black, and in the fall, when its foliage turns yellow, bright red, orange or remains green color. Hawthorn is usually planted as individual trees or in groups. Many species are spectacular in standard form.

cotoneaster

The main attractiveness of cotoneasters is the combination of strong branching, original foliage and varied growth forms. Small flowers white or pink are not very decorative, but are appreciated dense crown of dark green shiny leaves that turn red in autumn. These shrubs are easy to form and retain their shape for a long time. In addition, at the end of summer, their decorative effect is enhanced by the abundance of bright red or black fruits that hang on the branches for a long time.

Beautiful flowering perennials

Tree peony

An outstandingly beautiful shrub, reaching a height of 1.5-2 m, with large bright green leaves. One bush can have from 30 to 70 flowers. The diameter of each is from 20 to 25 cm. The color of the petals is white, pink, crimson, lilac with a dark crimson spot at the base. Large numerous stamens with bright yellow anthers are clearly visible. There are forms with double and semi-double flowers. The plant is decorative even after flowering due to the unusual shape of the leaves and fruits.

Rhododendron

Rhododendron is an ornamental woody plant, a bright and early flowering shrub that can compete with roses in its grace, richness of flower colors and splendor of flowering. Rhododendrons look very impressive during flowering. In one lush inflorescence there can be up to 15-25 flowers. During flowering, the plant branch looks like a bouquet. The beauty of the flowers is highlighted by glossy leathery leaves.

Chrysanthemum

In the culture of decorative garden chrysanthemums- thousand-year history. In Japan they are considered the national flower. The chrysanthemum is traditionally depicted on coins and the state emblem of Japan, and one of the country's highest honors is the Order of the Chrysanthemum. The Chrysanthemum Festival in the Land of the Sun is a special ritual: while performing it, one must admire every shade of the inflorescences, while one must think deeply about the path traveled and the meaning of life.

Cereals, bamboos, ferns

Adiantum stopiform

One of the most beautiful ferns that grows well in conditions Central Russia. This is an unusually graceful openwork plant from the broad-leaved forests of North America and East Asia, up to 60 cm tall with flat, fan-shaped leaves on thin, shiny, black petioles. It is not inferior in beauty to tropical representatives of the genus. Looks good both individually and in group plantings. Adiantum is so beautiful that it needs to be planted in plain sight.

Miscanthus

One of the most popular ornamental grasses in gardening. No species can compete with it in the beauty of plants, the variety of varieties and forms and methods of application in garden design. Almost all miscanthus have a long period of decorativeness - from spring to late winter. In autumn, their foliage turns various shades of yellow, brown, and burgundy. The unusually beautiful miscanthus inflorescences are used to create dry floral arrangements.

Saza

One of the most cold-resistant bamboos, the only genus of bamboo growing wild in Russia. Naturally, it is preferable to plant bamboos in gardens created in oriental style, against the backdrop of decorative pools and streams. Tall bamboos can be used as a characteristic feature of Japanese gardens. Rot-resistant, durable and beautiful bamboo sticks are a wonderful ornamental material for decorating a Japanese garden. An essential plant for compositions that imitate Japanese gardens in Russian conditions.

Main garden

The main garden is a garden for a pleasant pastime for all family members. It is advisable to place it closer to living rooms, but it can also be arranged in connection with tea room, living room or form the main part of a large garden as a relaxation area. This is a garden that is the center of home life, therefore it requires the widest space and good sunlight. A terrace or veranda often opens onto the main garden, but it must be borne in mind that if the main garden itself is not too large, then the terrace will make it seem even smaller. If the area is cramped, only the main garden is laid out on the site. Sometimes it becomes universal, including elements of other gardens.

The area of the garden in front of the living room, used for receiving guests, can be allocated as a separate functional unit, but more often it is part of the main garden, giving it a more businesslike character. You can take the table and chairs there and receive guests outside the home.

The type of main garden is an important point in the formation of the residential area as a whole. The garden also influences the house itself. Depending on its type, the garden may look better or worse.
The stages of planning a Japanese garden differ little from the European one.

Front garden

It's called the front garden area from the gate to the entrance to the house, which includes a path and plants on both sides. This is the busiest place, as everyone coming into and leaving the house passes through it, and you should pay attention to its design Special attention. It is by the style, character, and mood of the front garden that the new guest gets an idea about the site, the house and the owners. In a sense it is similar roji on the way to tea pavilion, so it’s better if the passage from the gate to the hallway is not too short. Sometimes for this purpose it is made somewhat curved, decorated with plants, which also helps create the illusion of more space.

The main requirement for a path is ease of walking along it. This must be observed especially carefully when using natural stones, the surface of which is rarely completely smooth. If the path is laid from tobiishi, preferably, the gaps between the stones should not be too large. It is important to coordinate with the step width not only these intervals, but also distances between the centers of stones. When using hewn stones or concrete slabs, it is preferable to make them two steps long. If there is a paved area in front of the entrance to the house, then it is usually made of the same material as the path, but it is perhaps better to avoid dark stones and material on which dirt is easily visible.

The garden behind the doors– this is approximately what in European countries is called a winter garden or interior landscaping. It is located inside a room, usually a common area such as a living room, dining room, hallway, and is increasingly becoming part of the everyday life of the Japanese, since due to growing urbanization there is simply no other opportunity to bring nature into a city home. Often, when creating a garden outside the doors, they are limited to a beautiful arrangement of plants in containers.

Japanese garden care

When choosing the type of garden, do not forget about its subsequent service. Fans of large trees should remember that over time they can become too large, creating thickening and disrupting the original composition. If these trees are evergreen, they will provide too much shade and the garden may become gloomy and gloomy. If the trees are deciduous, then in the fall a lot of foliage accumulates under them, creating difficulties during cleaning, especially if there are surfaces covered with gravel or ponds nearby.

First place the stones correctly, then the trees, then the bushes.

Follow the basic principles of creating a Japanese garden. This will help you recreate its atmosphere and convey the mood.

If a garden was created in Japan, it is a Japanese garden. All we can do here is create Japanese style garden.

Arranging a garden suburban area possible for different purposes. Some people create it for contemplation, while others think of a place to relax with a perfectly smooth lawn and fruit-bearing trees. Today, the traditions of other countries, in particular the cultural characteristics of Japan, are very popular.

When creating a Japanese garden, one must not forget that this style involves the use maximum quantity materials of natural origin. In addition to Japanese cuisine, entertainment and cinema, Japan is famous for its incredible gardens, the consistency and harmony of which never ceases to amaze.

If you are crazy about Japanese landscape design and want to enjoy contemplating a Japanese garden in your countryside, you need to learn about the features of the creation of Japanese art, as well as about the plants that will fit perfectly into it.

The layout of a Japanese garden and its design are not too different from European traditions of arranging a suburban area. However, it is worth studying the stages of its creation in more detail. This will allow you to correctly place emphasis on each stage of site development.

When creating a Japanese-style park, you first need to decide on the design, purpose, content and place where it will be located.

Japanese garden and its types

In ancient Japan, gardens served exclusively a landscape function. Over time, they became a place where one could immerse oneself in philosophical and religious reflections. This is exactly what a Jodo style garden is considered to be, the design of which suggests the presence of a lake with a broken shore line, an island and a temple.

Scheme for creating a water bowl in a Japanese garden.

Then came the design of Zen gardens, which were considered monasteries and temples. In such parks, as a rule, there were no plants, and they were replaced by stones, sand, and pebbles. These gardens were no different large sizes. They included a bench, a path, a tsukubai vessel (a vessel for washing hands), and a stone lantern.

How to choose the right plants to create a Japanese garden?

The choice of plants for a Japanese garden requires a special approach. In this case, flowering, deciduous bushes and trees will be a symbol of the variability of the universe, and evergreens will be a symbol of constancy.

The filling of a Japanese garden should be plants of the same color with green leaves. The texture and shape of the latter play a big role. The park, designed in Japanese style, does not include bright colors. The most original in the garden are topiary figures, molded plants, and bonsai. Umbrella and weeping forms of plants look quite impressive. It is worth noting that you should not get carried away with combining different forms, since Japanese gardens are characterized by harmonious compositions.

Selection of woody plants

The choice of shrub and tree forms of plants is quite large. Junipers, pines, spruces, evergreen azaleas, and oriental maple varieties are ideal for a Japanese garden. With the onset of spring, the Japanese-style park will be filled with the aroma of blooming fruit trees (cherry, apple, apricot). In addition to all these listed trees, small-fruited apple trees with an umbrella-shaped or weeping crown shape, trees with crimson and pink flowers are also planted in the garden. In Japanese gardens, it is not customary for trees to grow freely, without timely care. It is important that they are trimmed periodically and given a beautiful shape.

How to choose the right plants for flower decoration?

As for the design of the flower area in the Japanese mini-garden, unlike European traditions, floral decor acts as an independent element of territory design. In the classic Japanese garden, flowers are considered to complement something. Gardens in the style of a natural landscape are related to the historically ancient type. As a rule, they have a large area on which mostly shrubs and trees are planted. It is in such a garden that you can observe Japanese perennials with large flowers.

Mini gardens can accommodate different kinds plants. In abstract gardens, stones take on the role of background, which is especially harmonious with ground cover plants.

In gardens intended for tea ceremonies, it is important to emphasize natural beauty. The coloristic effect is due to plants that change leaf color throughout the season.

Rhubarb can not be found on everyone garden plot. It's a pity. This plant is a storehouse of vitamins and can be widely used in cooking. What is not prepared from rhubarb: soups and cabbage soup, salads, delicious jam, kvass, compotes and juices, candied fruits and marmalade, and even wine. But that's not all! A large green or red rosette of plant leaves, reminiscent of burdock, protrudes beautiful background for annuals. It is not surprising that rhubarb can also be seen in flower beds.

3 delicious sandwiches - cucumber sandwich, chicken sandwich, cabbage and meat sandwich - a great idea for quick snack or for a picnic in nature. Just fresh vegetables, juicy chicken and cream cheese and a little seasoning. There are no onions in these sandwiches; if you wish, you can add onions marinated in balsamic vinegar to any of the sandwiches; this will not spoil the taste. Having quickly prepared snacks, all that remains is to pack a picnic basket and head to the nearest green lawn.

Depending on the varietal group, the age of seedlings suitable for planting in open ground, is: for early tomatoes - 45-50 days, average ripening periods - 55-60 and late dates- at least 70 days. When planting tomato seedlings at a younger age, the period of its adaptation to new conditions is significantly extended. But success in obtaining a high-quality tomato harvest also depends on carefully following the basic rules for planting seedlings in open ground.

Unpretentious “background” plants of sansevieria do not seem boring to those who value minimalism. They are better suited than other indoor decorative foliage stars for collections that require minimal care. Stable decorativeness and extreme hardiness in only one species of sansevieria are also combined with compactness and very rapid growth - rosette sansevieria Hana. The squat rosettes of their tough leaves create striking clusters and patterns.

One of the brightest months of the garden calendar pleasantly surprises with the balanced distribution of favorable and unfavorable days for working with plants according to the lunar calendar. Vegetable gardening in June can be done throughout the entire month, while the unfavorable periods are very short and still allow you to do it useful work. There will be optimal days for sowing and planting, for pruning, for a pond, and even for construction work.

Meat with mushrooms in a frying pan is an inexpensive hot dish that is suitable for a regular lunch and for a holiday menu. Pork will cook quickly, veal and chicken too, so this is the preferred meat for the recipe. Mushrooms - fresh champignons, in my opinion, are the most good choice for homemade stew. Forest gold - boletus mushrooms, boletus and other delicacies is best prepared for the winter. Boiled rice or mashed potatoes are ideal as a side dish.

I love ornamental shrubs, especially unpretentious and with interesting, non-trivial coloring of foliage. I have various Japanese spirea, Thunberg barberries, black elderberry... And there is one special shrub, which I will talk about in this article - viburnum leaf. To fulfill my dream of a low-maintenance garden, it is perhaps ideal. At the same time, it is capable of greatly diversifying the picture in the garden, from spring to autumn.

It is no coincidence that June remains one of the favorite months of gardeners. The first harvest, new crops in the vacant spaces, rapid growth of plants - all this cannot but rejoice. But the main enemies of gardeners and garden bed dwellers - pests and weeds - also use every opportunity this month to spread. Work on crops this month is waning, and planting seedlings is reaching its peak. The lunar calendar in June is balanced for vegetables.

Many dacha owners, when developing their territory, think about creating a lawn. The imagination, as a rule, draws magical pictures - an even carpet of green grass, a hammock, a sun lounger, a barbecue and beautiful trees and shrubs around the perimeter... But, faced with laying out a lawn in practice, many are surprised to learn that creating a beautiful, even lawn is not so easy. And, it would seem, everything was done correctly, but here and there strange bumps appear or weeds sprout.

June chart gardening work capable of surprising anyone with its richness. In June, even lawns and ponds require attention. Some ornamental plants have already finished flowering and need pruning, others are just getting ready for the upcoming show. And sacrifice ornamental garden in order to take better care of the ripening harvest is not the best idea. There will be time in the June lunar calendar to plant new perennials and potted arrangements.

Cold pork leg terrine is a meat snack from the category of budget recipes, because pork legs are one of the cheapest parts of the carcass. Despite the modesty of the ingredients, the appearance of the dish and its taste are top level! Translated from French, this “game dish” is a cross between pate and casserole. Since in times of technical progress there have been fewer game hunters, terrine is often prepared from livestock meat, fish, vegetables, and cold terrines are also made.

In cute pots or fashionable florariums, on walls, tables and window sills - succulents can withstand weeks without watering. They do not change their character and do not accept conditions that are comfortable for most capricious people. indoor plants. And their diversity will allow everyone to find their favorite. Sometimes looking like stones, sometimes like fancy flowers, sometimes like extravagant sticks or lace, fashionable succulents have long been not limited only to cacti and fat plants.

Trifle with strawberries is a light dessert common in England, the USA and Scotland. I think this dish is prepared everywhere, just called differently. Trifle consists of 3-4 layers: fresh fruit or fruit jelly, biscuit cookies or sponge cake, whipped cream. Usually cooked custard for a layer, but for a light dessert they prefer to do without it, whipped cream is enough. This dessert is prepared in a deep transparent salad bowl so that the layers are visible.

Weeds are bad. They prevent you from growing cultivated plants. Some wild herbs and shrubs are poisonous or can cause allergies. At the same time, many weeds can bring great benefits. They are used and how medicinal herbs, and as an excellent mulch or component of green fertilizer, and as a means of repelling harmful insects and rodents. But in order to properly fight or use this or that plant for good, it needs to be identified.

It’s hard to imagine without openwork Japanese maples. More often on sale there are varieties of palmate maple - a tree-like shrub with characteristic dissected bright green leaves, reaching 5-7 m in width and height in its homeland. In autumn its leaves turn a stunning shade of orange-red. In our area, they usually have more compact sizes and require careful selection of location, soil preparation and careful maintenance.

Fan maple ‘Atropurpureum’

To the most popular varieties include Acer palmatum 'Atropurpureum' with bright red, characteristically shaped leaves, especially flaming scarlet canopy, as well as 'Dissectum Atropurpureum', which, along with the purple color, has highly dissected openwork leaves and a more compact crown, reaching only 2-3 m. Purple color The maple varieties 'Fireglow', 'Bloodgood', 'Deshojo', 'Dissectum Garnet', 'Dissectum Nigrum' and others also have different intensities up to almost black-red. However, do not get carried away with purple-leaved plants. There should be several of them against the background of plants with foliage of different shades of green.

Also very attractive are maple varieties with green, gracefully dissected leaves, such as ‘Dissectum Viridis’ or ‘Osakazuki’, which turn stunning shades of yellow and orange-red in the fall.

There are also many varieties of Japanese maple ( Acer japonicum). The most popular varieties are 'Aconitifolium', the leaves of which are bright red in the spring, green in summer, and orange-red in autumn, dissected into 9-11 lobes and similar in shape to aconite, and 'Vitifolium' with deeply dissected leaves, colored in autumn carmine red tones. The magnificent sunny variety ‘Aureum’ is decorated with golden-yellow foliage and has an almost rounded, slow-growing crown.

In order for your maples to grow well, choose a place for planting, sheltered from cold and drying summer winds, in an openwork shade more tall plants, as well as neutral or slightly acidic, fertile, moist soil. In the hot sun, in the absence of constant soil and air moisture, the leaves of Japanese maples fade, dry out and crumble. These graceful plants belong to winter hardiness zone 6, i.e. sensitive to frost and require insulation with spruce branches or nonwoven materials, especially at a young age. Young growths damaged in winter, as a rule, are restored, but in particularly harsh and snowless winters, which often occur in the southeastern regions, the plant can die completely.

Since Japanese maples grow quite slowly, little special shaping is required, other than sanitary pruning of damaged branches, or to maintain the compact size of a container plant or garden bonsai. The plant is responsive to fertilizing with a solution of complex fertilizers with an acidifying effect, which, however, must be stopped before the beginning of autumn so as not to cause the growth of young, non-lignified shoots, which are especially susceptible to frost damage. To retain constant moisture and acidify the soil, it is recommended to mulch the tree trunk circle with bark or compost from fallen leaves and peat.

Instead of the rather problematic Japanese maples that require constant care, we can recommend similar decorative qualities, but more unpretentious species: Manchurian maple (Acer mandschuricum) and pseudosieboldianum (Acer pseudosieboldianum) are small trees or large shrubs with carved, small, palmate leaves that turn bright crimson or purple in autumn. The following species are also very interesting: sharp-toothed maple (Acer rgutum), three-flowered maple (Acer triflorum), Pennsylvania maple (Acer pensylvanicum), snakebark maple (Acer capillipes), curly or grape-leaved maple (Acer circinatum), green-barked maple (Acer tegmentosum). These species are less common in garden centers and nurseries, but you can try to order them from foreign nurseries, or contact amateur collectors or botanical gardens.

Mesmerizing bloom

It is difficult to find a gardener who does not know about the magnificent cherry blossoms. In Japan, there is even a special Hanami holiday, when thousands of people give up their everyday worries and devote time to admiring the blossoming flowers of the Japanese cherry blossoms - sakura. Botanists include in this group varieties with decorative flowering of finely serrated cherry (Prunus serrulata) and short-bristle cherry (Prunus subhirtella). The most popular decorative cherry varieties are Prunus serrulata "Kanzan" and "Accolade" - with pink double flowers, "Amanogawa" - with a columnar crown shape and double large flowers.

Sakura

Pay attention to the wonderful variety "Kiku-shidare" with a weeping crown, which will look especially advantageous on the banks of a stream, an ornamental pond, or as a free-standing tree that evokes universal admiration even after a short flowering period. In nursery catalogs they are assigned zone 6a, i.e. in the territory from the center of Ukraine and to the north, their cultivation may not always be guaranteed and is associated with additional care. So it’s worth thinking about the assortment. We can recommend the more persistent double-flowered bird cherry (Prunus avium "Plena"), the cherry blossoming with white and pink flowers Prunus schmittii, the decorative plum Prunus cerasifera "Woodii" (almost the same as the Pissardi plum) or the already traditional and beautifully flowering three-lobed almond, which is offered in the form of a grafted standard tree (P. triloba Plena)

In the central and northern regions (zones 3-5) as flowering tree it is better to choose varieties of ornamental apple trees with different flower colors: white in “Evereste”, “John Downie”, “Golden Hornet”, “Professor Sprenger”, various shades of pink - “Hopa” and up to purple - varieties “Royalty”, “Liset”, "Eleyi", "Almei", "Rudolf") and even double ones, like the "Van Eseltine" apple tree.

Niedzvetsky apple tree

Beautiful hawthorn trees are also suitable - with white flowers our endemic hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna), terry variety hawthorn Crataegus laev. "Plena", as well as varieties with bright pink double flowers - Crataegus laevigata "Paul's Scarlet" and "Crimson Cloud" - with red flowers. Their autumn color from yellow to red is also magnificent, which can compete with the outfit of Japanese maples, which also important in the seasonal dynamics of Japanese gardens.

For small gardens, we can also recommend large flowering and decorative foliage shrubs, which, depending on the formation, can grow as small trees: Canadian serviceberry (Amelanchier canadensis), exochorda (Exochorda macrantha "The Bride", winged euonymus (Euonymus alatus "Compactus) with a wonderful autumn color "), viburnum-pride (Viburnum lantana). To extend the decorative effect of your garden, do not forget about evergreen shrubs: wrinkled viburnum (Viburnum rhytidophyllum), holly-leaved mahonia (Mahonia aquifolium), pyrocanthus (Pyracantha coccinea), Fortune's euonymus (Euonymus fortunei), of course , O coniferous plants: mountain pine (Pinus mugo), yew (Taxus baccata), drooping arborvitae (Thujopsis dolabrata).

Shrubs with unusual shape stems, intricately curved, like those of the willow Salix udensis "Sekka" or the hazel Corylus avellana "Contorta".

Chaenomeles

In the lower tier under the trees you can plant discreet, graceful shrubs beautiful flowers and leaves that will provide a seasonal change of colors and moods: numerous wonderful varieties of Japanese spirea (Spiraea japonica) and s. Bumalda (Spiraea bumalda), Nippon spirea (Spiraea nipp. "Snowmoun"), stephanandra (Stephanandra incisa "Crispa") and snowberry (Symphoricarpos chenaultii), Japanese quince (Chaenomeles japonica), horizontal, shiny and Dammer cotoneasters (Cotoneaster dammeri ), tree peony (Paeonia suffruticosa), tree hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens), kolkwitzia amabilis, viburnum leaf hydrangea (Physocarpus opulifolius).

Tree peony

Various species and varieties of rhododendrons are considered traditional for Japanese gardens, but they generally grow well only on acidic soils and in most of Ukraine they suffer from dry air and frosty winters with little snow. Growing them is possible, but will require additional measures on soil preparation and careful care.

An indispensable element Japanese kindergarten Coniferous or deciduous bonsai plants, or more precisely nivaki, are considered to be specially formed by pruning. Now in garden centers you can buy ready-made bonsai for every taste, however, this is a very expensive pleasure. In addition, be sure to ask what plant the bonsai is formed from. In nurseries in Western Europe, where they most often bring them to us planting material, very often for shaping they use fast-growing crops that do not winter well in our conditions, or suffer from the summer heat, which will require a lot of attention, care or frequent pruning to maintain shape: Lawson cypress and pea, Japanese hollies, holly, etc. (Ilex aquifolium), cherry laurel, Japanese privet (Ligustrum japonicum), Japanese euonymus, beech, hornbeam, etc.

Meanwhile, it is quite possible to try to form a fairly high-quality accent for your Japanese garden from mature shrubs or conifers already growing in your garden. Lessons for beginners can even be found on the internet. Arm yourself with pruning shears and materials for fixing the branches in the desired position, take a close look at your plants and start cutting. It’s not for nothing that they say “it’s not the gods who burn the pots.” In the simplest case, with the help of pruners, the skeletal branches of the first order are freed from lateral branches to a certain height, forming pre-designated tiers, and then several short shoots are left at the top of each branch to form a “cloud”. The skeletal branches are stretched horizontally and secured with strings, wooden slats or bamboo stems. The shape is then maintained throughout the season by regular pruning. Suitable for haircuts a large number of shrubs, preferably initially with small foliage or needles and a compact habit, for example varieties of prickly and European spruce, mountain and Scots pine, yew, Virginia and Chinese junipers, from deciduous trees, barberries, shadberry, European euonymus, endemics of our forests field maple ( A. campestre) and Tatarian maple (Ácer tatáricum), hawthorn (Crataégus monógyna), privet (Ligustrum vulgare), etc.

Astilbe

Forest anemone

Perennials and groundcovers will complete the picture: apical pachysandra (Pachysandra terminalis), Tiarella wherry and heartleaf (Tiarella cordifolia), hosts, preferably not very large and not variegated, for example hosta lanceolate (Hosta lancifolia), loosestrife (Lysimachia nummularia) , columbine fan (Aquilegia flabellate), heuchera (Heuchera .sanguinea), kupena (Polygonatum hybr.), Chinese astilbe (Astilbe chinensis). The bryozoan (Sagina subulata) will cover the ground and the spaces between the stones with a green velvet carpet. Be sure to plant irises, beloved by the Japanese, on the banks of a pond or stream.

Traditional Japanese irises - hana-shobu (Iris ensata, Iris kaempferii) are not easy to grow in our climate (although new rather unpretentious varieties have appeared), but in decorativeness they are not inferior to the graceful varieties of Siberian iris (Íris sibírica) or dwarf iris (Iris pumila) in combination with spring primrose (Primula veris) and bergenia (Bergenia cordifolia).

Badan

I hope everyone will agree that the most important thing in creating your own “Japanese” garden is not to flawlessly reproduce other people’s creations, but to enjoy the very process of creating a garden, and then from contemplation, admiration and even pride in the creation of your own hands. First of all, you and your loved ones should like the garden as a whole and each of its elements. Then, for sure, your kindergarten will achieve the goal that world-recognized masters strive for: to gain a sense of unity with nature, to become a place of harmony and inspiration, a way of self-expression, and therefore provide good mood, well-being at home and success at work.

Victoria Roy
landscape designer
especially for the Internet portal
garden center "Your Garden"

Choose plants for your Japanese garden very carefully. In such gardens there are few flowering plants, and most often there are none at all. First of all The Japanese garden is the kingdom of evergreen conifers. They occupy a special place there, as a symbol of life (pine as a symbol of longevity - first of all!)

Having set yourself the task of choosing plants for such a garden, special attention should be paid to their shape, what color their greenery will be in spring and summer, how the foliage will color in autumn, as well as the shape of bare branches in winter. The garden should be beautiful all year round.

When planting, you need to take into account the scale relationship of plants with all elements of the garden (stones, pond and others). It is imperative to choose a harmonious color combination basic plants with each other, with various ornamental grasses and mosses. Consider the shades of green - this is important! Dark ones are in the background, light ones are in the foreground.

Mitch/Flickr.com

Let's look at plants that can be successfully grown in our local "Japanese" gardens, taking into account their winter hardiness. They are found in nature in the Far East or are associated with Japanese gardens due to their natural crown shape, reminiscent of various types of bonsai. Among the plants listed there will also be brightly colored flowering plants, but whether you include them in your list or not is up to you.

Coniferous trees and shrubs. Korean fir (all varieties), Lawson cypress variety "Wisselii", Nootka cypress (varieties "Jubilee", "Klippert", "Pendula", "Variegata"), blunt or Japanese cypress (all varieties), pea cypress (almost all varieties ), ginkgo biloba, Chinese juniper (almost all varieties), common juniper varieties “Horstmann” and “Oblonga Pendula”, scaly juniper “Loderi”, recumbent juniper varieties “Bonin Isles” and “Nana”, European larch (varieties “Puli” , “Repens”, “Little Bogle”), Japanese larch (all varieties), Chinese metasequoia (all varieties), Norway spruce (varieties “Acrocona”, “Formanek”, “Frohburg”, “Inversa”, “Pusch” and “ Virgata"), Serbian spruce (varieties "Pendula", "Pendula Kuck" and "Bruns"), prickly spruce varieties "Hermann Naue" and "Lucky Strike", bristlecone pine, Armanda pine, dense-flowered pine (all varieties), Korean pine , mountain pine (varieties “Carsten”, “Jakobsen”, “Mini Mops”, “Varella”, “Zundert”), black pine variety “Oregon Green”, small-flowered pine (all varieties), Weymouth pine (all varieties), pine common (varieties “Globosa Viridis” and “Hillside Creeper”), oriental thuja or flat-branch variety “Franky Boy”, Chinese pine, Thunberg pine “Banshosho”, medium yew “Thayerae”, thuja occidentalis (varieties “Filiformis”, “Miky” and "Stolwijk").

Cliff/Flickr.com

Deciduous trees. Gray maple, horse chestnut variety “Laciniata”, high aralia (up to – 28ºС, acidic soils!), Japanese scarlet (up to -28ºС), Pennsylvania ash variety “Crispa”, Nippon cherry variety “Brillant”, spherical cherry “Umbraculifera”, swamp oak “Green Dwarf”, pedunculate oak “Pectinata”, rowan variety “Pendula”, elm “Camperdownii”.

Deciduous shrubs. Korean barberry, birch “Trost`s Dwarf”, quince or chaenomeles (all types and varieties), opposite-leaved dogwood, controversial and Chinese, blood-red dogwood variety “Compressa”, common hazel variety “Contorta”, Fortune’s euonymus, large fothergilla, paniculate and oakleaf hydrangea (all varieties), caragana tree (standard forms), magnolia (all types and varieties), apical pachysandra, evergreen boxwood, squat plum, low almond, goat willow, whole-leaved willow variety “Hakuro-nishiki” and “Pendula” "(standard form), Japanese spirea (all varieties), Nippon spirea variety "June Bride", Stefanandra Tanake, Carls viburnum (all varieties), Farrera viburnum (all varieties), folded viburnum (all varieties), Sargent viburnum variety "Onondaga" "

tutincommon/Flickr.com

From heather Of course, most species and varieties of rhododendrons are suitable.

From curly plants you can choose from: actinidia kolomikta, aconitifolium vine, petiolate hydrangea, Japanese honeysuckle (requires insulation for the winter), and Japanese schizophragus.

Garden perennials. Astilbe (all types and varieties), multi-flowered kupena, gouter fescue and gray fescue, daylilies, hostas, cordate hauttuynia (to cover young plants for the winter), Chinese miscanthus, blue molinia, peonies, chestnut-leaved rogersia are ideal.

Jeff Hart / Flickr.com

By sticking to the species and specific varieties listed, you will be on your way to success. All these plants and varieties are great for creating a full-fledged oriental garden in our climatic conditions, and simply for creating an “eastern” mood or corner. No need to chase exotic rare plants, which can freeze in our harsh winters. While agreeing with the basic principles of the Japanese garden, find beauty in what is at hand.