Zen gardens can vary in size, so how big you make it is completely up to you. Zen gardens are often used for meditation, so make the garden big enough for you to meditate in. Since Zen gardens are dry gardens, you should remove existing grass or flowers from the area in which you are building your garden. Natural moss, small trees, and shrubbery are the types of plants typically found in Zen gardens. If you have these types of plants, do not remove them. If you need to level your own land, use a carpenter’s level to make sure that you’ve made your ground as even as possible. [1] X Research source
Rocks are typically placed in small groupings throughout the garden, as this creates a simple and polished look. Your rocks and boulders should vary in size from very large to small.
If you do not have natural trees or moss in the area of your Zen garden, add a few small potted plants to the garden. Small shrubs and bamboo plants make for good additions to your Zen garden.
Use a broom, or a broom handle, to perfect the grooves created by the rake. Once the grooves are created with a rake, use a broom or broom handle to press down into the grooves. This will make the grooves deeper and easier to see. The bristle end of a broom is typically thicker and makes wider, softer indentations than the handle of a broom would. The handle end of a broom is normally thinner and is easier to use when making smaller, tighter designs. The water designs are meant to be calming and relaxing, so creating them should also be a relaxed process. Slowly and carefully pull your rake through the gravel to create beautiful designs. You can create circular designs, straight designs, or flowing designs. This is your garden, so create whichever designs are the most beautiful to you. Raking should be a part of the regular maintenance of the garden, done as a form of meditation rather than a chore. Touch up your water designs every week.
The inner garden is the main focus of a tea garden, as this is where the tea ceremony takes place. The outer garden can be as large or small as you’d like it to be. It should, at the very least, be a walkway into the tea house. These gardens can be on flat or hilly pieces of land. However, you should create a flat surface to build your tea house on.
The pathways are typically made out of flat stones or wooden planks. This pathway can be as long or short as your space allows, and can be set up in a straight or winding path. Plants in the outer garden should be informal. Do not include bright plants or flowers. Instead, stick to mosses, shrubs, and trees that would be found in nature. Include a few lanterns to light the pathway for nighttime tea ceremonies. [5] X Research source
The cleansing area should be right before one enters into the inner garden. You must cleanse yourself before entering the inner garden. [6] X Research source
Build a simple fence out of bamboo. Insert bamboo poles into the ground, and pack dirt or cement around the base of each one to hold it in place. Once you have your posts in place, attach bamboo support poles between each post.
If you’d like, you can place pillows or cushions on the ground of your teahouse for you and your guests to sit on.
Plan your garden on paper before actually creating it. This will help you map out all of the work that needs to be done, and help you determine whether or not you need to hire contractors to help you.
