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With over a million people expected to view the cherry blossoms in Washington, D.C., from March 13 – April 14, interest in Japanese garden elements is at an all-time high. Increasingly, Americans are incorporating Japanese garden elements, like cherry trees, into both public and private gardens.The Washington D.C. National Cherry Blossom Festival commemorates the 1912 gift of 3,000 cherry trees from Mayor Yukio Ozaki of Tokyo to the city of Washington, DC. In Japanese culture, the cherry blossom symbolizes the fleeting nature of human life. For the one week when the trees blossom, Japanese gather under the trees in public parks and promenades to drink sake and enjoy life. In Japan, the garden is an important reflection of Japanese culture. Cherry blossoms tend to be reserved for public gardens, whereas in smaller private gardens, plantings are chosen for their year-round beauty.
The million visitors to Washington’s cherry blossoms will gather to enjoy the superb and fleeting beauty of the blossoms that for those few weeks are at the height of their beauty. When they return home, they will incorporate Japanese garden elements into their own gardens.
Creative Garden Granite provides Japanese garden design elements for Americans who want to reproduce the effect of the Japanese garden at home. These represent the four elements which are always present and balanced in Japanese Gardens: earth in the form of granite stone, water in water features, air and fire in Japanese lanterns, animals in sculptures.
Japanese garden design is strongly connected to the philosophy and religion of Shinto, Buddhism and Taoism. Natural and man-made elements combine to create miniature reproductions of natural scenery, often representing sacred places or designed to promote meditation. Interesting stones, representing the large stones worshipped in Shinto, symbolize mountains and hills. Gravels, used in the past to designate sacred grounds, are used to line ponds and streams or create entire “dry” gardens. Ponds are a central element of most gardens and often represent real or mythical lakes or seas. Pavilions by the water were used in ancient times for aristocratic poetry or moon viewing parties. Islands in the water might symbolize real islands or have religious symbolism. A wide variety of plants, mosses, trees, shrubs, and flowers—c chosen for their year-round beauty—are carefully arranged to imitate nature.
Lanterns of varying sizes and shapes made from stone, placed in carefully selected locations, provide light. Often paired with water features, they make up a basic component of tea gardens.
Creative Garden Granite was founded by Danish designer and garden enthusiast, Bjarne Olsen. The Japanese garden elements were inspired by visits Olsen made to traditional gardens in Japan. For the last 25 years, the company he founded has been the largest supplier of granite garden features in Northern Europe.
More details can be found on the Creative Garden Granite website. Creative Garden Granite sculptures are also available at amazon.com and a limited number of garden retailers which are listed at the website.
Contact Info:
Name: Sarah Lin
Email: Send Email
Organization: NVA Creative Garden Granite
Address: Plainsboro, New Jersey
Phone: 609-755 4168
Website: http://www.nvaus.com
Release ID: 5398
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