Create Your Own Japanese Garden: A Practical Guide

Beautifully bound and illustrated book full of practical advice on creating your own Japanese garden.

I don't normally do book reviews but I had to for this one. I'm a huge fan of Japanese gardens. When I lived in California I used to regularly visit the one in The Huntington, and my goal is to create one of my own. I had no idea where to start, so this book is a big help. The author is a true expert and really knows their business. They break down gardens into simple elements- water feature, large rocks, small rocks/gravel, and bushes/trees, soil. Using gorgeous photos of real-life examples as well as diagrams, the author then explains step-by step how each garden was achieved. A lot of people in the reviews complained that this book was way too complicated and made Japanese gardens seem unattainable due to the need for things like backhoes and drainage plans, etc., but I'm not sure what they were expecting. These gardens are works of living art, and don't emerge from the ether fully formed. The main thing I understand now that I didn't before reading this book is that 1) Japanese gardens require a lot of PLANNING, money, time, energy, hard work, and heavy machinery to create. There's just no way around it. 2)The beauty of the garden requires constant maintenance. The author even says that if you make a garden, you must be willing to care for it constantly as though it were your own child. This made me really appreciate even more the work that goes into the serenity and beauty of a Japanese garden. This is an inspirational book that I will cherish.

A must buy to get an insight of Japanese garden feel.

Excellent book

las recomiendo mucho