Japanese Garden plant ideas/landscape suggestions...

[Mandrew968]

Here at Miami Beach Botanical Gardens, we have a neat little Japanese garden. I really like it but have a feeling it could be more complete... or it's just missing a few touches. I am going to post some pics of it and any ideas about particular plantings or specific plant species will be much appreciated! I am currently thinking about adding a couple Chinese yellow bananas and some Japanese blood grass, but I know Palmtalk can help with this one--thanks in advance!!!

 

Edited October 15, 2015 by Mandrew968

[Palm crazy]

Japanese gardens don't have to be all bamboo and maples with lots of rocks and rounded green shrubs. It can also be tropical looking like this picture. 

37537-japanese-garden-1680x1050-world-wallpaper.jpg

[Palmaceae]

Yes that is what I was going to recommend, tree ferns and other types of ferns would look really good. Maybe a few Satakentia's as they are native to Japan, and some cycads?

Edited October 15, 2015 by Palmaceae

[Dave-Vero]

I need to come down to visit.  I help out at the little Heathcote Botanical Gardens in Ft. Pierce with a clever but inauthentic Japanese garden.  There's nothing special about the plants, except for a little Japanese pine that the bosai curator has trimmed back to looking the way it should.  The poor thing had to recover from hedge shears.  

Below, a look at the garden's pond with lights for the December "Garden of Lights" project being tested.  I didn't get photos of a more elaborate setup tonight.

Miami Beach's full-on tropical climate raises problems.  The Morikami Garden in Palm Beach County uses a lot of Florida natives (lots of Hamelia patens cut Japanese style) and they do well with ficus hedges and even manage to keep azaleas happy.

Trachycarpus shows up in Japanese gardens, often as a bit of a weed in the less-tended areas, so Coccothrinax would be fair game.  

Aucuba japonica, a popular shrub in the Carolinas, is apparently growable most of the way down the peninsula.  You can aways grow Podocarpus and assorted ferns.  Bamboo is optional.  Japanese gardens tend to go light on them.  

Some "witches broom" cultivated versions of South Florida slash pine are available--a way to create Japanese-looking small trees.  Don't know suppliers.  One sells at Heathcote's November plant sale.  

We've had luck with what used to be called Ligularia dentata, now Farfugium japonicum var. giganteum.  Yellow daisy with big, round, shiny leaves, like pondsides.  

[Jerry@TreeZoo]

Japanese gardens don't have to be all bamboo and maples with lots of rocks and rounded green shrubs. It can also be tropical looking like this picture. 

37537-japanese-garden-1680x1050-world-wallpaper.jpg

Roger, that looks pretty good, but it looks like somebody took advantage of a red paint sale.

[Palm crazy]

Thanks Jerry, the plants are pretty common and easy to find thats for sure. Unfortunately all the true Japanese plants we grow here won’t grow in Miami. But, the picture illustrates that just by using five or six different evergreen plants and repeating them you get a pretty nice tropical Japanese garden. My point is grow what does best in your area.  I like that picture so much I have it on my computer screen. LOL! 

[John Case]

Surprising that the Sago Palm is not mentioned, being a native of Japan......

[Jerry@TreeZoo]

It is VERY difficult for a Westerner to create an authentic Japanese garden.  It takes a lot of understanding and immersion into the culture.  That is not to say that you cannot create a very pleasing garden, it just would not look or feel right to a Japanese.

 

I think that using different plants that evoke the feeling of a Japanese garden rather than trying to use only Japanese plants is best for a garden outside of Japan.  You want something that grows well for you, not authentic plants.   The  Sago is hardly ever used in SoFla anymore because of the scale problems.  But there are lots of Cycads you could use as a substitute.

 

In Morikami in Delray, they have created a very nice garden but it is the same half a dozen plants that they use over and over again.  They just use them differently.  Non plant people don't notice this but to me, it cries out for a larger plant palette.

[DoomsDave]

Hmm.

I'm not Japanese, but I recall that a guiding principle is to create a space that seems bigger than it is, to either blot out ugly surroundings, or to take maximum advantage of nearby beauty, like a view of a mountain range, or the sea.

That garden in Miami Beach is very nice! That bridge is a bit too loud, but maybe that's just me. No hint that you're anywhere but Japan.

[Palm crazy]

  Although some Japanese garden don’t have any red bridges, just natural wood, personal tastes I think. 

My guess is the red represent some thing in the garden, like red = fire.

You guys are making this too hard, Japanese gardens are one of the easiest to build…..if you do your homework.

No one does Japanese Garden better than here in the PNW. 

Hopefully some of these picture (From PNW) will help you and inspired you to what direction you like to go. As you can see theres more than one style.  Someone with more experience than me can help you with plants to selection for your area.  I say go tropical, not temperate.  You can also change the word PNW to tropical if you like in Pinterest. That will give you some interesting ideas I bet. 

Good Luck. 

 https://www.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=PNW japanese gardens&term_meta[]=PNW|typed&term_meta[]=japanese|typed&term_meta[]=gardens|typed

Edited October 19, 2015 by Palm crazy