Lanterns at Nara

These are some of the lanterns at a temple in Nara. They have a nice growth of moss on them and show the openings of the light box covered with paper. These lanterns are made from granite and there were hundreds of them lining the path down from the monastery.

Japanese Garden 7

What do you reckon? I think the Lantern looks much better now it has been assembled. The light box section could be little big in proportion to the base and top. Also I changed the concrete recipe slightly for the pedestal which gives it a more brown colour than the rest of the lantern. But overall it's not to bad for a first attempt.
When it is not too windy I can get a "tea-light" candle going in the light box to give a nice flickering effect. The next things to do are to encourage some moss to grow on the lantern like it was on some of the lanterns in Nara. The other thing is to make a couple of wooden frames for the larger openings of the light box which I can cover with paper to provide some more shelter for the candle.

Japanese garden 6

It won't be a garden gnome but it is made of concrete or to be more precise, Tufta. No Japanese garden is complete until it has a Japanese lantern. The garden shops don't have them so it is necessary to make it myself. The various sections are made using a range of moulds, a plastic bowl, some plywood and and old post. It all looks pretty shoddy but lets see what it is like when it's all put together.

Japanese Garden 5

Three spot lights under the the edge of the deck bathe the garden in coloured light at night. I fear this is getting a bit kitch. What will be next, a garden gnome fishing in the pond?

Japanese garden 4

Is a project ever finished? One of the charms of a Japanese garden is the uncluttered minimalism so knowing when to stop might be a problem as naturally I desire to have at least one of everything in the garden.
Things that could be found in a Japanese garden:

• sand or pebbles


• rocks


• water


• plants


• stone lantern

One of the things I noticed often in Japan was the treatment given to the trees in the gardens. Virtually every tree was pruned and molested in various ways to give it a particularly Japanese look. I tried to ask people about this when I was in Japan and even to see if there were instruction manuals in the bookshops, without success. It wasn't until December while playing on Google that I discovered the world of Niwaki.

Niwaki is the Japanese word for "Garden trees" I purchased Jake Hobson's book on the subject and now no plant is safe in my garden. For my garden I decided that the main tree would be a Radiata Pine. Apparently Pines are the most commonly used trees in Japanese gardens and although Radiata Pine is not native to Japan it can make a good Niwaki. The other reasons for using a Radiata include

• the potted pine trees unsold before Christmas are deeply discounted in the weeks following


• they grow fast and are very hardy (I probably won't kill it)


• they are frowned upon by many gardeners and their image needs a lift, in my opinion

I planted the Pine on an angle and have used some steel stakes to produce a bend in the trunk this Autumn and the following Spring the Niwaki processes of Momiage and Midoritsumi will begin in earnest.

Japanese Garden 3

Things are starting to look better now. Three trailer loads of white limestone chip are added. this is laid over weed mat to prevent weeds growing through. The white chip is very bright in the direct sun and I would have preferred it to be a lot finer. It will be difficult to rake into patterns but on the other hand the ginger cat will not be able to use it as a toilet.

After a quick tour of the local water race I found some rocks for the garden. I guess in the long run it would be good to get some more substantial rocks but I will need to get some type of mechanical assistance to position these.

One element of the garden that I haven't seen in other gardens is the seat. This was made out of two old sleepers bolted together and provides a place to sit and contemplate.

The Japanese Garden 2

It took many days to removing the turf and make the ground level. A concrete water trough will become a fish pond in the corner of the garden. The ginger cat (Possum) is very interested in the three goldfish as are the three ginger hens. All pets are to be ginger or red by the look of things. The rim of the pond is level with the surrounding sleepers and the stones when added will also come up to this height.

The Japanese Garden 1

The first step is to create some sort of border to contain the garden. Old hardwood sleepers dug into the same level as the surrounding lawn and the level that the stones inside will be in the garden. Spray out the lawn with roundup and then remove the dead turf.

It is extremely important to have a large ginger cat supervise all work at this stage.