Zen in Your Garden: Creating Sacred Spaces [Hardcover]

Jenny Hendy (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2001

The Japanese Zen garden is a triumph of simplicity, a space in which balance is emphasized to create a place of stillness and sanctuary.

Zen in Your Garden offers readers a comprehensive and practical guide to creating a sacred space for meditation and contemplation. Learn how your garden can stimulate your senses to either energize or soothe you, and discover what type of garden you need, as well as how to convert your existing garden to one designed on Zen principles. Boxed features, illustrated with detailed drawings, show you how to build specific features such as gravel and rock landscapes.

Zen in Your Garden includes beautiful photographs of outstanding gardens from around the world to help you consider the various styles you might wish to work on--rock and gravel; water gardens; shade, moss, and woodland; courtyards; and nature and wildlife gardens. Planting is explored in detail so that you may choose a landscape that has something for all seasons and creates a pleasing form and balance. This book beautifully illustrates and clearly details the many elements of gardening from a Zen perspective and offers you both the creative inspiration and the practical guidance to develop your own.

Contents: Introduction; Zen gardens: a modern interpretation; Water gardens; Nature and wildlife gardens; Planting guidelines; Zen in a small place

Editorial Reviews

Review

“For the gardener looking to create a peaceful sanctuary from hectic daily life, this book is an ideal guide.” -- Indianapolis Star, September, 2001

“Practical advice and inspiring photos that can help you apply principles of Japanese Zen gardening.” -- The Charlotte Observer, September, 2001

About the Author

Jenny Hendy is a freelance writer whose work has appeared in many different magazines and in book form, including Perennials, The Gardeners Palette and Balcony & Roof Gardens. Ms. Hendy has both a degree in botany and a special interest in Eastern philosophy and its influence on gardening.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: Tuttle Publishing; Hardcover with Jacket edition (September 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0804832897
• ISBN-13: 978-0804832892
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 8.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #192,441 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars limited usefulness, September 20, 2006

By 

K. Straley (Kansas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Zen in Your Garden: Creating Sacred Spaces (Hardcover)

This book has more in common with a glossy gardening magazine than a book of either oriental style landscaping or zen philosophy. There's lots of pretty pictures (which you may find inspirational) but the advice in the text if fairly shallow. The connection to zen is a bit nebulous... and seems to exist mostly to add some sort of deeper legitamacy to the book.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A pleasure to read., September 5, 2005

By 

P. Unverzagt (Oregon) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Zen in Your Garden: Creating Sacred Spaces (Hardcover)

After reading this as a library book I wanted it in my personal library. A Japanese garden is not my goal - a serene and calm landscape is. I found inspiration and sound principles to work with in ZEN IN MY GARDEN. A pleasure to read.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent guide to Zen for Western gardens., September 2, 2002

By 

Jeffrey Scargle (Menlo Park, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Zen in Your Garden: Creating Sacred Spaces (Hardcover)

I am a beginner at Zen, but from what I know of the underlying ideas and principles from reading several authors, this book captures the essence of what one would need to create a place for quiet contemplation. Stunning pictures!