Putting in a 'pond'

Our Serenity Garden is a nod to Japanese garden design, with a twist. We aimed to embrace the elements of water, rock, plants with the design principles of asymmetry, enclosure, borrowed scenery, balance, and symbolism.

Asymmetry and Balance

Not a hard one for this girl – asymmetry and balance go hand-in-hand in all that I strive to create. Though my hubby loves symmetry (and is creating it in our orchard and fruit/berry garden), I am uncomfortable with it - way too contrived for me! And so, groups of 3 and 5 of color, texture and form are on the agenda.

Enclosure

The garden is naturally enclosed on 3 sides: one by our entry porch, the other by the carport cum Art Studio (or perhaps it’s better to call it the Garden Room) and on the third by a wall of rhododendrons that used to be in the center of the old circular driveway.

To add ‘enclosure’ on the 4th side without blocking our views of the Big Fir, we decided to erect tall, but spaced, bamboo poles on the edge of the garden and arbors leading in and out along the main path. Plantings, both existing and future will complete the enclosed feel.

Borrowed Scenery and Symbolism

This one is the hardest for me - something that I will need to learn. Though I have to say, I’ve just been introduced to hebe’s and I LOVE how they look like miniature bushes and trees. I’m going to have to find more!

One bonus is some large boulders unearthed in the excavation and together with rocks found throughout our garden will make a lovely ‘pond’. Add a fountain in the middle and voila! we not only have the requisite water feature, but also the sound, and feeling of a pond.

We are also planting some Japanese maple trees (with stunning fall color of course!) that will hopefully feel like small forest when they get bigger.

Evolution of the Serenity Garden

Follow along with the evolution of the Serenity Garden - it truly came to be organically.

Loads upon loads of compost – I’m digging, hauling, dumping, spreading until my back and knees and hips are screaming in pain. But of course, as the days pass, I’m getting into the rhythm and all of a sudden the structure of a garden appears. Is this a pond?

Not only is the answer a big YES! But I finally see where the trees we bought the prior fall should be placed. And perhaps where we need some stepping stones. For now, they are just muddy spots where I pulled away the compost.

I find a really cool 2-part bowl style fountain that can easily symbolize a pond. But of course they are way too heavy for me, so I call in ‘The Earth Mover’ (my hubby). He is so darn good at this kind of thing, visualizing where to place each bowl and each rock just so… so that they look natural and balanced – without symmetry.

Note: while he’s digging in the fountain/pond, I placed some tiny poles where I think the outline of the garden should be and plopped in a metal arbor!

The fountain is in! Let the planting begin! If you squint, you’ll see all the teeny pots of hebe scattered around.

Fast forward a few months and what a difference! The large bamboo are in, the plants are filling out, my little seed starts tucked around them to add a bit of color during the summer.