Often drawing from ancient philosophies of Buddhism and Taoism, a Japanese garden emphasizes harmony, restraint, and a carefully curated sensory experience. While these green spaces have long captured the imaginations of Western visitors, increased US travel to the island country post-pandemic has caused a renewed influx of homeowners that are inspired to bring the look and feel “into their own backyards,” says Doug Hoerr, senior partner at Chicago-based landscape firm Hoerr Schaudt. In today’s fast-paced world, finding serenity through nature is in high demand; Japanese-style gardens can provide a counterpoint to daily stresses.
While the traditional elements of Japanese gardens—stone, water, gravel, pruned pines, and asymmetry—are rooted in centuries-old cultural practices and temperate climates, their principles translate surprisingly well across a variety of environments. From the humid South to the lush Pacific Northwest, landscape designers are reinterpreting Japanese garden traditions to suit different regions and client briefs. Here, they share their guidance on how to evoke the essence of a Japanese garden—no matter the weather forecast.
Design the garden like a sacred space
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First, consider the reason that many homeowners seek out Japanese gardens: to find a moment of calm. “Things are noisy right now,” says Molly Sedlacek, founder and principal of Los Angeles–based AD PRO Directory firm ORCA. “The beauty of a Japanese garden is that they are pared back to only what is necessary.” Michal Kapitulnik, principal at San Francisco firm Surfacedesign, agrees. “As people’s relationship to work and their home spaces have shifted over the past five years, we are seeing a more acute draw to calming and restorative landscapes,” she notes of the AD PRO Directory studio’s recent Japanese-inspired designs, which span Northern California. “People are drawn to the clarity of Japanese-style gardens.” Similar to a sacred space, they can create a world away from the chaos of everyday life.
Use color to maintain unity
When designing Japanese gardens, aesthetic and contextual unity are guiding principles for ORCA’s Sedlacek. “It’s important to remember the garden has a connection to the home it shares land with, the human who occupies it, and the greater natural environment that surrounds it,” she explains. Creating landscapes in harmony is paramount. “Small gardens have little to no color, as color can be too distracting,” she adds. “Whereas in larger gardens, there may be a seasonal changing tree, as it acts as a time marker and a focal point.”
Restrain the design and palette
“Japanese gardens are spatially disciplined and conceptually precise, offering a kind of meditative clarity,” says Patricia Benner, partner at AD PRO Directory studio Benner Reibel Landscape Architects, which has offices in Los Angeles and San Francisco. Her partner Catherine Reibel adds: “Their quiet beauty is rooted in restraint—layered textures, sculptural planting, and the thoughtful interplay of form and void.” To achieve it, go local. “The garden design is also very dependent on what local materials exist,” Sedlacek says. “The slightest shift in what rock is in proximity—such as granite versus limestone—creates two totally different palettes.”
Tap into philosophy
Rather than following a checklist of must-have plants and boulders, consider the principles informing Japanese garden designs, which are often rooted in Zen philosophy. “These were originally designed as spaces for meditation in the Zen temples of medieval Japan,” explains Rituparna Simlai of AD PRO Directory firm Studio Arth, which taps the ideology to design gardens in the American South. “Each stone, each step, each leaf is a part of the Zen choreography,” she explains.
Lean on tradition
While Benner says that “asymmetry, spatial hierarchy, and material clarity” are common across most Japanese gardens, Richard Hartlage, founding partner of Seattle-based AD PRO Directory firm Land Morphology, adds that some get more specific. Japanese stroll gardens, for example, which he often references in his work, require still or moving water, trees shaped to represent age, rocks in various formations, planes of gravel, walking paths, and strongly defined scenes and vistas. “I try to think of the spaces as individual pictures that need to be connected as you move through,” he explains.
Don’t mimic nature
Through their carefully composed arrangements, “Japanese gardens are not intended to replicate nature but rather imply nature,” explains Hartlage. This symbolism gives them emotional power, regardless of size or context. “For people who live in cities, an all-seasons Japanese garden is like a mini botanical garden you can slip into,” says Hoerr, whose AD PRO Directory studio recently completed a Kyoto-inspired garden for a client in Portsmouth, Rhode Island.
Plan an all-weather design
“Japanese-style gardens can be built in any climate, even in the desert,” Hartlage says. While the basic principles can be applied anywhere, designers insist on the importance of utilizing local materials and native plant species to adapt them to unique climatic conditions. “For our firm in Los Angeles, it’s less about replication and more about translation,” Reibel says. “We reinterpret the spatial language using local stone, climate-adapted planting, and regionally appropriate materials. The goal is to create something that echoes the philosophy of the tradition.”
Simlai points out that the amount of sun penetrating a garden can have a big impact on what tree species and ground covers are appropriate. “In a tropical setting, we often design a Japanese garden that is well-shaded either by the architecture or a bosk of fragrant trees,” she notes. “We carefully choose local species that resonate and thrive in the local environmental conditions. That is harmony.”
Finally, remember—and embrace—the fact that the Japanese garden is a cultural tradition with its own heritage. “A garden in California will never fully be a Japanese garden,” Sedlacek says. “It is inspired by Japanese culture, and it is our job to do our best interpreting the style, while knowing our approach will be our own version.”
Why are Japanese gardens so popular?
With the increased noise and chaos of modern life, many people are seeking the peace and tranquility embodied in Japanese gardens. Because they are centered on evoking a meditative calmness, as residential gardens, they offer an escape from the recent convergence of work and life. Many designers report clients returning from travels to Japan with stories of “taking the deepest exhale” while visiting a temple garden and wishing to recreate it at home, tapping into a more spiritual connection to nature.
What are the five elements of a Japanese garden?
Stone provides structure and grounding. Water introduces reflection and sound. Trees and plants are minimal but expressive, emphasizing texture and form over volume. Perhaps most critically, there’s the use of void: space that allows for pause, and the opportunity to contemplate, as Japanese gardens allow our senses to rest and absorb the beauty of the scenery all around. Finally, the element of time is essential. Even the most spectacular stones and tree specimens must meld to the site and to each other as they grow. Only then will the garden feel whole.
What are the challenges in designing Japanese gardens?
Achieving the level of precision and detail required for Japanese gardens can be difficult, designers say. Every view, from the alignment of a boulder to the pruning of a tree, must be intentional. The designs also require long-term thinking, as their beauty is revealed slowly, through time and care.
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