Japanese Garden Spring 2018
The Japanese Garden, named “Tranquility”, is a combination of an ancient “Hill and Pond” style garden, and a “Japanese Stroll Garden”. All four elements (air, fire, water, and earth) are represented in the garden.
- Air is represented by the movement of the bamboo and weeping willow, and also in the way the trees are pruned to look like windswept clouds.
- Fire is represented in the red paint on the bridge and lanterns.
- Water is represented by the gray gravel, river rocks and water feature.
- Earth is represented in the rocks, plants and mulch.
The use of rocks as groundcover requires little work after the initial installation. They don’t break down and add nutrients to the soil like mulch, but can work as a rain filter and help keep roots cool. We have the following examples in the Fort Bend County Japanese Garden: Mexican Beach Pebbles, Black Star Gravel, Bull Rock, and Pea Gravel.
Fort Bend Master Gardener’s Japanese Garden by Garreta Kipp, Fort Bend Master Gardener, September 6, 2019
Discover local plants in the Japanese style and a profound feeling of inner peace as you walk the path of enlightenment. End where you began after crossing the bridge of self-reflection, representing the passage of time and the cycle of life.
| Common Name | Botanical Name |
|---|---|
| Asiatic Jasmine | Trachelospermum asiaticum |
| Brodie Juniper | Juniperus virginiana |
| Cast Iron Plant | Aspidistra elatior |
| Crape Myrtle "Red Rocket" | Lagerstroemia indica |
| Daylily | Hemerocallis |
| Dwarf Mondo Grass | Ophiopogon japonicas Nanus |
| Dwarf Nandina | Nandina domestica nana |
| English Yew | Taxus baccata |
| Giant Lilyturf | Giant Liriope muscari |
| Japanese Ardesia | Ardesia japonica |
| Japanese Black Pine | Pinus thunbergii |
| Japanese Blueberry | Elaeocarpus dentatus |
| Japanese Flowering Quince | Chaenomeles japonica |
| Japanese Holly Fern | Cyrtomium falcatum |
| Japanese Maple | Acer palmatum |
| Lily of the Nile | Agapanthus |
| Lilyturf | Liriope muscari |
| Live Oak | Quercus virginiana |
| Loquat, Japanese Plum | Eriobotrya japonica |
| Loropetalum | Loropetalum chinensis |
| Marlberry | Pinus thunbergii |
| Meyer Lemon | Citrus meyeri |
| Miniature Orange Tree | x Citrofortunella mitis 'Peters' |
| Mondo Grass | Ophiopogon japonicas |
| Moses in a Boat | Tradescantia spathacea |
| Nandina | Nandina domestica |
| Papyrus, Umbrella Sedge | Cyperus alternifoluis |
| Pom Pom Juniper | Juniperis chinensis |
| Sago Palm | Cycus revoluta |
| Satsuma | Citrus reticulata |
| Super Blue Liriope | Liriope muscari 'Super Blue' |
| Upright Quince "Cameo" | Chaenomeles speciosa 'Cameo' |
| Variegated Calamondin | x Citroforfunella mitis ‘Peters' |
| Variegated Liriope | Liriope muscari ‘variegata’ |
| Variegated Prostrate Juniper | Juniperis chinensis, J. horizontalis |
| Weeping Fig | Ficus benjamina exotica |
| Weeping Redbud Tree | Cercis canadensis |
| Wormwood | Artemisia |