OK, I'm just posting here to move this thread along.

What is a dart frog? I am only 24 (in my dreams) but I have never heard of one that doesn't hop but your "reading, sketching, and fantasizing about it" J gardens that is,has given me an idea.

Thanks for asking, Inkognito. They are tiny, brilliantly colored frogs, also called poison dart frogs, from Central and South America. Their skin in the wild secretes the toxin once used on the tips of spears. They live in an aquaterrarium with a simulated rainforest environment.

Sorry, I realize that tropical rainforest animals have very little to do with creating Japanese gardens.

What idea?

Here is a link that might be useful: More than you wanted to know about dart frogs.

This...

Here is a link that might be useful: books

Thanks for the link. I see several books for my Amazon wish list! As well as several I already have.

PS - Shouldn't "Sakuteiki" be on this list?

Hi,
I'm also over 50 and moved from a flat suburban yard to the side of a mountain in NC; a challenge. Have loved the art of Japanese gardens for years but I guess I'm a little intimidated. There are so many dimensions; technical, spiritual, harmony, balance. So much to think about. I hope I'll be able to find some information on this forum to get started.

Hello,

We (DH & I) are in the process of landscaping around a new house that we moved into last summer. The front is too small for a traditional lawn surrounded by deep beds with large trees and shrubs (like my old garden). So, I'm attempting to create a welcoming space with smaller scaled trees and shrubs.

I'm not knowledgeable or skilled enough to attempt a true Japanese garden (I grew up in Japan and have seen many beautiful ones), but I'm hoping to evoke the calm serenity that one experiences in a beautiful Japanese garden.

To that end, I've lurked endlessly on the landscaping design forum, I'm reading old posts on this forum, and I'm working my way through the book list that inkognito posted (thanks, Ink!).

I've been an avid gardener for a long time, and have learned that it's a continual process. It took me nearly 14 years at my old home to learn that sun loving plants would not thrive under old cedar trees, but that there are wonderful shade lovers. Now, the new site is mostly sunny, so I have the happy challenge of learning about a whole new palate of plants.