Why choose a garden based on Japanese design principles?

There are many reasons to use Japanese design principles in your garden:

Cost: Although it may be slightly more expensive at first (depending on which type of garden you go for), within a few years your garden will have paid for itself! No annual plants are used in a traditional Japanese garden, therefore all the yearly costs of replacing plants (which can amount to thousands of rands per season) - and the costs of the labour involved - are eliminated. If a client desires the colourful effect that annuals offer, areas can be allocated for these plants.

Suitability: The Japanese style of gardening design is perfectly suited to smaller gardens and atriums. For various reasons, many people are opting for homes with smaller gardens in secure developments.

Aesthetics: Mainly evergreen plants and trees are used. Deciduous shrubs and specimen trees are used chiefly as focal points or colour accents, if at all. This means that the overall picture of the garden remains attractive throughout the year.

Maintenance-Free: Most of our gardens are specifically designed with very little maintenance in mind. Our gardens do not have to involve a lot of work – your weekly trips to the local dumpsite could be over! Many of us are too busy to spend hours working up a sweat maintaining our garden – we just want to relax and enjoy it! In addition, many people travel regularly and have a lock-up-and-go lifestyle which would not accommodate a high maintenance garden.

Therapeutic: We live in stressful times. All of our gardens – especially the more traditional Japanese and Zen gardens - have a soothing effect, encouraging a meditative mood and a tranquility of mind. This can be especially important in a corporate environment.

Water-Wise: Our gardens are designed with water conservation in mind. Zen gardens - composed of rocks and raked gravel - require no water at all! (if no moss is used around the rocks). Only heavily planted traditional Japanese gardens (usually kept to a small scale) might require slightly more water than average. Afro-Zen gardens can be planted using succulents so that extra irrigation is not required.

Timeless: Our gardens are enduring and ageless – not just a fad that is followed for a season and just as quickly discarded.

Versatile: The understated elegance and beauty of our gardens blends with any architectural style.