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Japanese Gardens: Creative Design Concepts for American Gardens

Presented by Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania at Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania

October 16, 2010

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Learn how Japanese garden principles can be a creative source for American garden designs. This workshop includes a slide lecture followed by a walking tour of Japanese-inspired elements at the Morris Arboretum. Japanese gardens have an inviting atmosphere of serenity. While sometimes the specific details of lanterns, basins, and other elements appear to have limited use in American gardens, by looking at the underlying design ideas, however, we can discover many concepts that have direct applications. Some of these design ideas include: unifying the garden and architecture through repetition of materials; creating transitional spaces between indoors and outdoors; and providing year-around structure through plants, rocks and other materials. Other ideas borrow from the Japanese tradition of artist as garden designer: layering spaces like paintings with foreground, middleground, and background; framing garden elements and borrowed scenery; and creating paths with unfolding vistas and surprise views. The slide presentation will show Japanese gardens in Kyoto, and American gardens that reflect a broader translation of Japanese design concepts.