Zen garden: what it is and how to do it

Also known as Karensui Dry Garden or Karesansui, Zen gardens are becoming increasingly popular around the world. This style of gardening, originally from Japan, owes the keys to its success to the low maintenance that its gardens need, as well as its pleasant aesthetic impact.

If you want to learn how to create your own Zen garden at home, join us in this GreenEcology article in which we talk about what a Zen garden is and how to do it.

You may also be interested in: Fixing a garden, how to do it?

What is a Zen garden

Karesansui, which means arid landscape, is a style of garden with very marked guidelines and rules. They appeared in the thirteenth century in Japan, when the gardeners there embraced the currents of Chinese aesthetics of the time. A sense of control and restraint is sought in them, with a type of characteristic rocks that symbolize mountains rising between terrain covered by white sand, although sometimes brown or black sand is used, which represents the ocean or extensive and calm fields.

This style was quickly adopted by Zen temples, which is why these gardens are now commonly called Zen gardens. Buddhist monks believed that contemplation of these gardens helped to achieve satori, a concept similar to nirvana, a moment of enlightenment. However, dry gardens are not exclusive to temples and, in fact, it is easy to find them next to venues, such as inns and restaurants, and even in homes.

In Zen gardens it is also very important to rake the sand, which must be shallow and represents the curved shapes and rings of the movement of water.

How to Make a Zen Garden

When creating one of these gardens, the most vital thing is to maintain the vision of representing nature from a minimalist point of view. They are gardens that do not need an irrigation source, so they can be adapted from fairly large spaces to very small ones and even be both outside and indoors. To make a Zen garden, follow these steps:

1. Find the space for your Zen garden: the important thing to start with is to get an idea of the space you want to dedicate to your Zen garden. Limit it by separating it from the rest of the space with wood or stones, as it is important that the boundaries of your Karesansui are very clear.
2. Protect the area and add the sand: Once the space is delimited, cover the bottom with a waterproof layer, such as plastic or some landscaping insulation, and fill the space with gravel or sand. This sand is the base of the garden and what will represent the water of the ocean or the relief of the land. A weed control mesh will also help keep the garden simple and clean of weeds that we do not want in this area, which is essential.
3. Add the stones: once the borders have been delimited and the basic element, which is sand, has been added, the stones have been added. These are placed to represent the relief of mountains in a distant landscape. In this way, both large and smaller rocks can be used, as long as they maintain that spirit of landscape. In addition, for different effects, they can be placed separately or stacked.
4. Add moss to your Zen garden: Mosses are also very important, and can be placed in some spaces to give a point of color. In fact, there are types of Zen gardens that are based on the use of these.
5. Decide if you want to put water: water can be added or not depending on the type of Zen garden we want to reproduce. Many don’t have it at all, while others are home to fountains or ponds.
6. Avoid excess: the most important thing is never to overburden. If we fill our Zen garden with an excess of rocks, mosses, fountains or statues we will be breaking the main characteristic of these, which is austerity and simplicity. Focus on that kind of aesthetic, which is clean and simple.
7. Rake the sand: Finally, it is necessary to rake the soil, sand or gravel. Draw concentric rings or curves in the sand that mark the natural movement of your depicted landscape.

If you like this type of Asian practices that seek relaxation and balance and you also like gardening, do not hesitate to discover kokedamas. Here we explain what it is and how to make a kokedama step by step.

Zen Garden: Benefits of Having One at Home

There are several benefits of having a Zen garden at home, but we highlight the following:

• The main benefit of having a Zen garden at home is the relaxing atmosphere it brings. Most fans of this type of gardening go to Zen gardens to relax, meditate or escape, since the contemplation of a well-prepared one brings harmony, tranquility and balance. There are few better places to practice disciplines such as Yoga or Tai Chi, or simply to read a book. If you like this idea, we recommend this other article from EcologíaVerde on What is Zen meditation and its benefits.
• They are very simple to make and can be placed in practically any space. So much so, that it is also popular to create miniature Zen gardens, in small drawers or centerpieces that can bring a harmonious touch to any room.
• Last but not least, another benefit of having such a garden is the pleasing aesthetic impact of its setups. In most of the West we are more used to getting carried away by crowding and abuse in decoration, and one of these minimalist and relaxed spaces so typical of Eastern countries is striking and elegant.

If you liked this style of garden and want to know more, we offer you this guide on 11 types of gardens, full of information and photos.

If you want to read similar articles to Zen Garden: what it is and how to do it, we recommend that you visit our Garden Care category.