Japanese Style Garden

This portion of the landscape was planted in May of 2022. It is modelled after a woodland or shrubland archetype, dominated by grasses and flowering perennials but with a high number of shrubs and trees dotted throughout. The intention was to gently juxtapose the more formal Japanese-inspired garden immediately adjacent, and to re-wild the property.

We’ve used a high percentage of locally native shrubs, grasses, sedges, and perennials, mixed with select non-native species to provide the full spectrum of colours, structures, and textures we desired for this planting. This garden is a pollinator haven and abundant with insect and bird life throughout the seasons.

The client had a desire to restore the vegetation that was lost in the clearing of the land, and we wanted our design to provide an immersive feeling in the landscape by providing long views, hiding the driveway from view while seated on the patio, and visually tying the landscape into the surrounding forest.

The result is a soft, gentle garden with abundant blooms and grass seed heads that sway in the breeze, and robust stems and deciduous trees and shrubs that provide the winter interest.

Carex pachystachya, Deschampsia cespitosa, and Pannicum virgatum ‘Shenandoah’ comprise the matrix plantings. The bloom colours in the perennials are generally soft and range in colour from whites, purples, pinks, yellows, and the odd burst of orange.

We’ve repeated small blocks and drifts of perennials to give the garden rhythm and visual cohesion, and the specific plant combinations indicate the shift in soil conditions from one end of the garden to the other.

The native sandy clay soil in which most of the garden is planted is prone to collect and hold rainwater during the rainy months, meaning the plant choices needed to be varied enough to tolerate three distinct conditions: dry, mesic, and wet. These conditions vary seasonally, and even the areas that are wettest in the winter are dry through the hot summer months.