Our last few posts have all been about our news, so this week we thought we’d do a little something different. We have become intrigued by Japanese gardens. They aren’t just about neat lawns and well-kept hedgerows but are works of art, reflecting religious and cultural beliefs and traditions.

To spark your interest, here’s a few fascinating facts…

• Us Westerners tend to winterise a garden at the end of the summer, whereas the Japanese garden is purposefully designed for all seasons. Plants are used to represent the tapestry of the four seasons, such as the Japanese maple that alters dramatically with the seasons and represents the continuous changes in life.
• A Japanese garden must contain stone lanterns that symbolise the illumination of one’s path through life.
• It is generally accepted that there are 3 main types of garden; Karesansui (dry landscape), using raked gravel and sand, creating abstract art with rocks and moss, representing ponds or islands. Tsukiyama Gardens reproduce an entire landscape in miniature form, otherwise known as hill or hill and pond gardens; they almost always contain an artificial hill. Then Lastly, Chaniwa Gardens are built for holding tea ceremonies, so must incorporate some sort of structure like an iron gazebo as a tea house.
• Tea ceremonies held in the gardens of Japan were a cultural activity to teach the importance of the Japanese virtues; loyalty, righteousness, politeness, wisdom and trust.
• Water is always present, either actually or symbolically, as in the dry garden where the gravel is raked into patterns representing waves.Bridges are important, allowing different viewpoints but they also have a symbolic meaning, represents the journey of life from one world to another.

So what about wrought iron furniture in a Japanese-style garden? You’ll find that it fits in well with this type of garden, because the material is rustic and looks natural, especially with one of our antique patina finishes, for a natural, age-old look. The colour also means it will blend seamlessly in the landscape. Plus, they suit a more modern, Zen type style.

Wrought iron furniture is also great for all seasons, helping you enjoy your garden in the autumn like the Japanese do! Iron dining tables and chairs can withstand all weathers too, perfect for embracing the elements and seasonal changes. And if you want to add your own tea ceremonies area, Paris gazebo which would look amazing in that setting.
 

Avi Reisman