Japanese-style design

If you want a calming outdoor space, try taking inspiration from Japanese garden design, says Louise Curley, with its emphasis on foliage rather than flowers

- Louise curley

WHEN it comes to creating a calming outdoor space to escape the hustle and bustle of modern life the plants you choose to grow are key, but with so much choice online or at the garden centre it can be hard to know what to plant. One way is to take inspiration from Japanese gardens. While there are several different types of Japanese garden design, including dry gardens with raked gravel and tea gardens with their tea houses, stepping stones and stone lanterns, what unites them is an atmosphere of tranquillity and a celebration of nature.

Foliage rather than flowers

Compared to western gardens, the colour palette is restrained with an emphasis on foliage rather than flowers – a celebration of green in all its varying shades. Trees and shrubs are used more than herbaceous perennials – plants such as ornamental cherries, acers and rhododendrons are all classic Japanese plants, adding height, structure and seasonal interest with colourful foliage or flowers. These plants all have cultivars that don’t get too big, which means you can still get the look even if you have a pruned into undulating forms inspired by the natural world, such as cloud-pruning, where plants such as Ilex crenata or pines are clipped to resemble clouds.