Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
harvwald

Any suggestions for Japanese garden plants in clay soil?

harvwald
18 years ago

I just returned from a 2-week visit of Kyoto, and am enchanted by the images I carried back with me of Japanese gardens. I have a long narrow strip of land outside one side of my house that I would like to turn into a sort of Japanese garden space. I say "sort of", because I am not thinking of authentic elements. However I am thinking of a space I can look down on from inside my house that has the feel of such a garden -- serenity, harmony, beauty, etc. I'm looking for suggestions of what shrubs and plants might grow well in this area and create a Japanese sensibility. As I mentioned, the soil is clay, though I will amend it. The area gets about a half day of sun. I'm also looking for suggestions about ground cover. My husband would like something green (not what I had in mind). Your suggestions will be most appreciated!

Thank you,

Pam R

Comments (5)

  • MrNorth4
    18 years ago

    Hi!

    It would be of great help if we could see a picture of your site!

    Moss as ground cover is preferrable, and will ad a lot to a "wabi" look, but then you really need a shaded location with lots of moist.

    SOme general suggestions:

    * if you have a lousy background, add a bamboo screen

    * if you have rocks available, a stone grouping is a nice thing, complete with a japanese maple and perhaps a lantern to balance the scene.

    * for a smaller area, a tsukubai scene is a delight. U need a water basin, preferrably a lantern, a bamboo water pipe/ladle and some plants (bamboo, hosta, iris etc).

    But then again, some pics would be nice!

    /Henrik

  • harvwald
    Original Author
    18 years ago

    Thanks for your suggestions. I hesitate to try to photograph the area as it's a long strip and would be hard to do, given my limited photographic abilities. So I'll try to describe it. It's a long narrow strip of land, about 5 feet wide and the length of the entire side of our house. But I probably won't convert the whole area. I at least want to convert the part that I can see from the kitchen windows, which is about 12 feet long. Future project would be the part below the dining room windows, another 12 feet or so. On one of the sides is the reddish brick wall of our house and includes a few basement windows. The other side is a reddish-stained cedar fence. It currently has native grape vines covering much of it. That could go or stay. It's a dry area, though I will provide some water. Moss wouldn't work. I can't put a lot of water into that soil because it is elevated and supported beyond the fence by a retaining wall that is tilting. Consultants have told me that introducing plants would be good for the stability, but not to saturate the soil with water. It's currently a weed patch, but I am smothering the area to kill them. There is a very large yew (tree-sized) at the end of the area, corner of the house. Hope this helps.

  • nandina
    18 years ago

    harvwald,
    Actually you have a very interesting situation! Similar to a Japanese garden I landscaped many years ago. Sorry, all my pictures are slides taken well before the digital age. A few suggestions. Leave the wild grapevine growing on the fence. Add some Clematis at the base of the fence which will twine through the grape. Think in terms of different types of paving through the area with planting pockets. Refer to Japanese garden books for the various paving styles and note how it is possible to install a number of paving textures which blend together. Work out the 'floor' of your design first and as you do you will see where a few important rocks should be placed. Then a water feature and some evergreen shrubs. Perhaps a lantern and bench. Study "passage garden" design in the books and on Google. This should be very helpful.

  • Cytania
    18 years ago

    You may be able to reform your strip of land simply using gravel and rocks. Carefully placement could give a very pleasing look with the vine as your plant interest. Is that vine old and gnarled? If so consider removing leaves to reveal the rugged trunk at places.

    Good groundcovers in clay;

    ophiopogon planiscarpus - there is a green form but the black is hugely popular.

    juniperus communis Repanda - pleasing foliage shade and strong horizontal grower.

  • harvwald
    Original Author
    18 years ago

    Thanks for the 2 new posts. Nandina, I love the idea of the "passage garden." Sounds like this could work for me. I'll do some research. Also for the suggestion of the Clematis. Always wanted to grow those and it hadn't occurred to me to do what you suggested. Cytania, Thanks for the plant suggestions. I don't know what the bases of the old vines look like, but I'll strip some leaves to find out. Another good idea.
    Pam R

Sponsored
FineLine Kitchens, Inc.
Average rating: 5 out of 5 stars81 Reviews
Award Winning Kitchen & Bath Design Center Serving the DMV Area