All About Creating Japanese Gardens (Ortho's All About Gardening) [Paperback]

Ortho (Author)

Book Description

Series: Ortho's All About Gardening | Publication Date: January 1, 2003

Japanese gardens have long been appreciated for providing beautiful, tranquil spaces that evoke feelings of sanctuary, often in short supply these days. This practical guide to Japanese gardening teaches you how to:

 • Use centuries-old garden design techniques to create tranquil spaces that evoke a feeling of sanctuary.

• Select and arrange plants and ornaments in a traditional design while at the same time emphasizing your personal tastes.

• Calm your busy lifestyle, inspire peace of mind and reflect nature to create serenity.

Product Details

• Paperback: 112 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (January 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0897214897
• ISBN-13: 978-0897214896
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 0.3 x 11 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #32,940 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Photos & how-to's. Learn how to add a Japanese touch., September 9, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Creating Japanese Gardens (Paperback)

A great "first book" on the subject of Japanese gardening. Nice color photos (but never enough), and the how-to's are easy to understand. A section on various shaped stones and stone placement. I refer back to mine often.

30 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great intro, February 1, 2006

By 

RDR (Houston) - See all my reviews

This review is from: All About Creating Japanese Gardens (Ortho's All About Gardening) (Paperback)

I got this book from the library and was pleasantly surprised at the details and useful, practical advice on conceiving and executing a japanese garden. The book contains detailed instructions on how to lay out, build, select plans for, and maintain a Japanese-inspired garden. It talks about rocks, rock gardening, ponds, water plants and fish, paths, stepping stones, gates, and plants and plant selections. I found it really helpful in getting ideas to give to our landscape architect. I would recommend this book for anyone that is going to actually build (rather than just enjoy looking at pictures of) a japanese garden.

50 of 61 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Kill Your Lawn - Part 4, August 3, 2001

By 

Bruce Crocker "agnostictrickster" (Whittier, California United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Creating Japanese Gardens (Paperback)

Creating Japanese Gardens has been a helpful tool in the process of killing my lawn. If you've read my other reviews, you may wonder why a person with a cactus garden would need a book on Japanese gardens? Think hybrid between a Zen garden and a cactus garden. The basic plan for the garden was constructed with the help of this book. Everything I know about Japanese gardens comes from this wonderful little text. Most of the elements of a Japanese garden appear in my front yard, but with heavy substitution of Southwestern icons for Japanese icons. Trade Mexican-style chimneys for Japanese lanterns; trade coyote for Buddha; trade the traditional plants of a cactus garden for the traditional plants of a Japanese garden. The paths use redrock flagstone and the stones in the dry stream and other places in the garden all come from western deserts and mountains. It's been hours and hours of dirty fun. I do have a request-if you buy this wonderful book and intend to put a traditional Japanese garden in your yard with the traditional Japanese elements, please make sure your climate is wet enough to support the garden without excess added water.