Another year comes and guess what – I make more changes to my vegetable garden! I haven’t done anything yet but below you’ll see what I intend to change from last year’s vegetable garden design. This is step one in altering my garden into what will eventually become an awesome parterre layout. I can envision it now – brick lined paving stone paths, elegant raised beds, integrated companion plantings with flowers spilling over the edges of the stone lined raised beds. Can you see it?

For now the changes will be small. According to the 2010 Vegetable Garden Layout I had four raised beds flanking either side of the central path. For 2011 I’ll be moving those out and replacing the worn out raised bed in the lower right corner with the four smaller beds to make one large bed. In the center of the garden will be a circular garden bed. Nearby I plan to use some rather large pots I rescued from the dump to create herb planters. I’m planning on spray painting the outsides with a metallic paint to dress them up a bit then plant various herbs or flowers in the large pots.

The center circle bed will be made from stone blocks I already have on hand. The brown/tan coloring on the other beds represents the wood that will eventually need replaced.

Related Posts:

• The Vegetable Garden in January
• Vegetable Garden Layout – Parterre Style!
• Preparing the Vegetable Garden in Spring

You often hear people mention the phrase the “bones of the garden.” It’s basically used to refer to the garden elements that provide some sort of structure. Many people refer to evergreen plantings as the bones since they add structure and don’t lose their leaves when the weather changes. Structures like arbors and garden shed could also be bones of the garden since they are more permanent fixtures that you can build the garden around. One other element that I like to think of as part of the bones of the garden is stone. Stone can do all kinds of things from building walls to creating patios or simply outline a garden border as in the picture below.

My stone border in the sideyard does two things:

1. It defines the garden space between my yard and my neighbor’s yard (the border).
2. It separates the grass pathway from the garden.

The stone is an element that is always there, doesn’t change, and won’t float away in any May floods!

Stone is often used for surfaces to walk on like in these stepping stones.  They aren’t set into the ground yet but will be soon once the weather warms up a tad! I like to add stepping stones into the grassy areas to allow people to walk through the yard without getting their feet wet in the morning dew (that’s usually just me though!) It also helps to formalize the pathways.

Stone bones can also be used as decorative elements in statues, water features, or in a plain ole rock stuck in a garden bed! What bones are in your garden?

Related Posts:

• Preparing the Vegetable Garden in Spring
• Vegetable Garden Layout with Raised Beds for 2011
• FAQS

If you want your garden to provide a sense of peace and tranquility, adding some simple Japanese style landscaping ideas will make your goal easy to accomplish. Whether you have a small patio garden or a huge landscape, you can incorporate Japanese style elements into your garden.

In general, Japanese style gardens do not contains a huge variety of plants or a rainbow of color. They are not perfectly symmetrical, nor lavish. They are, however, elegant and timeless and bring a welcomed break from the hustle and bustle of daily life in the modern world. They are places for meditation, contemplation, and thought. This style of garden is enclosed or screened from the outside world through the use of plants, fences, or berms.

Scale And Perspective

Look at the space you wish to use for your Japanese style garden. Scale and perspective are the main techniques used to create a sense of size, space and distance in the garden. You can achieve this through illusion, adding a false sense of perspective, by planting gradually smaller trees or plants farther from the focal point of the garden. If you have water features in your garden, choose the largest for the foreground. Water fountains or a water fall can be a very affordable way to add a peaceful sound to your Japanese style garden.

Add Japanese lanterns and pagodas to your garden, but be sure they are in proportion to the plants and other elements surrounding them.

Rocks in a Japanese style garden take on special meaning. They aren’t simply rocks or boulders but can be the backbone of your garden, around which other elements will fall into place. They represent islands, mountains, and holy places. A boulder can be partially buried to add mass, height, and a feeling of stability to the Japanese garden. Small stones can be used as the borders for pathways or to create the bottoms of water features. They can be used as stepping stones to actually create a path or to cross a small stream. If used to define a pathway, allow the path to wander rather than going in a straight line.

Sentinel Stone

Another use of stone in the [Japanese] style garden is the sentinel stone. This standing stone is used to symbolize warriors, deities, heroes and guardians. It is usually found at the entrance to a Japanese garden or at a major focal point where its presence will enhance the garden’s atmosphere. This type of stone can even be used in an otherwise flat Japanese landscape.

Choose a few Japanese style elements to include in your garden landscape to provide a peaceful place to sit and relax. An austere garden can easily be converted into a Japanese style garden with very low cost and a huge payoff in enjoyment

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