Theme Gardens: Japanese Shofuso with Zen

A Serene Garden

Zen, Shofuso & Ikebano

The Tranquil, "Pine Breeze Villa", Flower arrangements on a grand scale.
Imagine walking into your own backyard, and it was a real forest scene with delicate formed topiaries of azaleas with thick green carpets of clovers and mosses.

A large pond or waterfall hosting fish, with tall pines to nest the birds.
Poetic, quiet, and serene.

Pond with Floral Bushes

Japanese Garden House

Well, the option to create a little Japanese house that borders the garden edge would be more official-looking. Yet, it's not necessary. A few Japanese-looking screens, and occasional lanterns along the side of the house area will help fit the Japanese style.

How Popular Are They?

The sanctuary garden effect is really for the home-owner to experience every day. However, they're such interesting gardens, that you might attract a bunch of curious people, who would love to see your "Japanese Forest"

Smaller Shofuso Garden

Backyard Spaces: Large & Small

The conversion would take some effort, but even a smaller garden can accommodate the theme., A few basic items help to define the space as a Shofuso:

1. Pine trees
2. Water feature: waterfall, pond or brook (river)
3. Floral bushes
4. Calm ground-covers
5. Delicate Pathways
6. A Bridge, with or without a small island.
7. Large Garden Ornament(s), boulders
8. Low maintenance, once established.

Oddly, planting varieties are much more minimal in retrospect to a typical English Cottage Garden. The bushes tamed into rounded forms, with ground-cover which takes up most of the ground space.

The sky itself is often an important interplay, where clouds chance the mirror upon the water.

However, it's not for everyone to have an open garden look. If left too-open, the garden could be appear as "amusement-park tacky", like a disneyland with it's very open sky, waiting for a giant costumed creature to shake your hand.
The trusty trees are a mandatory planting, in order to create the "symbolic refuge effect".

Shofuso River Look

Waterfalls & Rivers

The meandering river directly off from a back porch would be amazing. Water intensive though, an easier garden in rainy regions, especially.

Desert gardeners, the re-circulation process can be done, even filtered gray water sent from the house to create a humid environment. In drought areas, ponds & mini-rivers would need to be replenished with water often. i.e., an average desert region pond requires a refill once a week during the summer of approx 10 - 20%.

Waterfall with Koi Fish

Believe it or not, some states do not allow the plumbers to re-route gray water, so, gray-water is an Ecological Political issue.
Converted, Laundry and shower water (botanical soaps) can bring thousands of gallons into a garden space from an avergae sized house. If you do it yourself, it may effect your property re-sell values. The thousands of gardening gallons are there, they're simply going into the sewer systems. Another political fight on the eco-table.

Mosquitoes are an issue, but with fish the larvae doesn't late long, and becomes their dinner. I prefer to include the mosquito dunks & recirculating the water as a precaution.

Water features of course also attract, small mammals, birds, amphibians (toads, frogs and salamanders), snakes and even turtles.

Philadelphia Shofuso Gardens

Famous Japanese Gardens

There are the Shofuso in Philadelphia and The Huntington Botanical in Los Angeles. As well as a few other notables like the busy Japanese Tea Gardens in San Francisco, with it's steep bridge.

The Huntington using more of the Ikenobo technique which can look a bit more wilded. Allowing for large decorative grasses.

Huntington Botanical Gardens

Note, the size of the Huntington, which in the image, is actually the same as a typical backyard (rear garden) space in the USA.
 
Showing that given the chance, the delicate theme of a Zen directional garden, from Japan can exist on most plots of property.
 

List of Japanese Gardens
in the United States.

Cherry Blossoms & Geta's

Don't forget your Geta's !
Fun wooden sandals worn by men and women.
Ready to pour tea,
while resting into the ideal of a respected space.

Japanese Geta Garden Shoes

Waterfall's Plethera

Cherry blossoms to Weeping pines
bringing the Japanese motif into reality.
Imagine the birds, as they stop over,
 

"What is this magnificence,
the land of Nature's Utopia?
I must stay & rest my idle hours,
to ponder my journey's next."

Mazes & Grassy Swirls: French Chateau's of France

Indifference,
Spelling Disaster: Fontainebleau

The Mazes of France

Before, I naturally dedicate my time and energy over the topic of Shofuso Japanese Gardens, with their design and structure. I'm afraid I have a few French Garden relics to swelter into my dis-enchantment of.

A long wait, for those trees to grow

Why so Atrocious,
Large and Empty?

Disappointment, begins, on the very sight of them. Mazes so vast, an airplane can land in their fields.
Gardens with swirled hedges like a wallpaper canvas, & very little topiary. They've been a real ecological plight for native and visiting wildlife.

Certainly not a preferred garden for this era of Climate Warming, rather a garden who's time really needs to end.

A Helipad Wannabee?

 
 
 

No longer are we playing court games with a free romp in the "maze", under petticoats and satin's.

 
Away from the "party" of courtiers, those times have past, and the mazes have become just a cheap & lazy garden blanket of hedges with shapes.

Large grounds adrift in surreal,
"Where are the roses, the chameleons, lilacs & honeysuckle for the birds & the bees?"

Beauregard, too busy for life?

I'm all for a smaller maze,
then, there is intrigue and mystery.
The large mazes are just a blatent shock design to view from outer space.

The show of opulence for the excitable tourists can be accomplished even more so,
without the blight of another "fibonnaci" stuck into form.

An open wedding plan?
Well, it's gone too far.
The French maze-gardens are shouting the words,
"emptiness, too-wicked, and disheartening"

As, I list each of these Chateaus, there is hope, they can be modified. Gardens can flourish there again. & Visitors will be "pleased" with their visits.

Nature and natural places are our time now, instead of Hectares of devoid, unloved and sterile.

Hopefully, after my admonishment of their lazy indifference on offer, the Chateaus in question will make amends and jump into our 21rst Century.

Vaux Vicomte

The Vaux Le Vicomte's garden design is enough for anyone to hate politics forever, Helipads and mazes. What a concrete bore!

& to change those horrible gardens of tragic emptiness, one would have to re-locate the rich & famous EU participants into the reality of today.

Aonach: A beautiful change !

Today ! Look at Aonach!

Today brings the chance for aromas
of scented-florals,
birds nesting and chattering at dusk,
ducks swimming and devouring delicate grasses.
 
All the while,
gorgeous blooms proliferate,
instead of the decadent treaties
that forever fail.

Brought into the light

As an amendment to our times: I suggest 75% of the formal Maze* gardens (*they are practically from Mars) per Chateau, officially be turned into true gardens. Gardens that are intimate with nature; ... gardens with: trees, fruits, berries, flowers, billowing vines, pergolas, bridges, ponds and bushes.

Charming... but, needs limits

Take Heed of my Critical Review?

 
 
Absolutely,
the 14th Century
and King Louis' games
with the Bourgeosie have changed.

Sweet-Styled

"Dream Forests Only"

A dream forest and cottage gardens of blooms, that's what people want.
They want gardens of opportunity, because it states "survival", and the old regime of 5 HA's of mazes & grassy swirls has become just a kick in the teeth.

Addressing the chateau owners who are "history-locked" into placation

Massive door-keys, & gate-keys are real locks, but the key to a Garden is simply, "the choice of making a change".

& Yes, this applies to you also, "Decadent Castles of Austria." known for keeping gardens, without any love.

Castle Notes

The above castles, are from my Vaux line.

Free Thought & The Future of Self: the World of Social Media

"Dainty": Into the Pond of Thought

Where will our minds go?
"The Future of Self"

Curiosity Beckons

As we each become more Internet savvy, questions arise as to whether or not this direction has been good for humans on a Philosophical scale.

Experientialism with Freedom of Thought is more possible than ever, decisions & opinions to stalwart with. Communicating on Social Media and finding interests well-suited to our own.

The old "no-choice" of being glued to past rhetoric now has a chance to lift away,
the veil of thousands of yrs of have-to's, due to strict religious and political mechanisms of control, has been lifted.

Freedom of thinking and the ability to communicate those individual thoughts is a powerful gift.

A gift that allows for completeness and substantiality of "being human",
a new thought passage for many, a chance to live with our thoughts.
Thoughts non-wasted, and allowed to earn respect in agreement.

Victorians Be Gone

Without this new chance of freedom, far away from the Victorian & Colonialist Eras,
we would still be captive prisoners of societies "standard heeds" and "warnings", filled with superstitious beliefs, that for centuries have put millions under control.

"But I love tea-time!", don't get me wrong I adore tea-time also.
Biscuits and beautiful teasets, with a time for purposed "Civility".

Beyond rituals of scheduled fun, there were ritualistic thinking patterns during the last few centuries, heavy with societal ordinances:
Such as... :
How "humans" relate with animals as animals-only, and rarely were they seen as pets (companion animaux).
Compliances such as Family Sunday Dinner after Church,
Never speaking out of turn towards a parent or elder, regardless of their "sane or non-sane" reasoning.
Devout religious rituals and pious sanctity of chastity holding moral vices on every living soul.
Where Puritanical ruled for centuries.
"Mum is the word", "better left unsaid", "It's been our way"
The age of writing a letter, being the main method to initiate the possibility of a courtship, to even spark the chance of a life-long marriage.

What a Break-Out!

In order to pursue this gift of "free thought thinking",
each of us must be allotted the time, else we feel incomplete and sent back into those restrictive historical eras.

Social media has become our new thought-resource "speak-out" event, in which to obtain even more free-thought thinking.
A place where we can each make decisions of whether: "to follow or not follow" the lead.

Although as empty and vast, it can feel to each person by being online,
it does offer the chance to disclose ideas, in which to pool towards a higher human self.
A human self generous, ethical, intellectual, "World-purposed as opposed to being Self-purposed".

The Crude Past

The disclosure of thoughts processes from oneself is an important new beginning, for the much of the human race.
Whereas prior, only a certain few were granted the privilege to "Ponder",
While the others lived in their mired sweat-factories and mills, entertaining "crude aspects of personality", being their only norm.

It will take time for generations to grab hold of this new allowed freedom though.
Due to years of inherited & taught conditioning from "ruled" perspectives.

My Quick list of...
Motivational & Philosophical
Youtuber's:

Matt
Russell Brand
Markus Rothkranz
Mark Bajerski
Sadhguru

Although as empty and vast, it can feel to each person by being online,
One day though, I do believe many people will be true "Free-thought thinkers",
"Creators", where their mind-sight is enriched from having the new ability to draw their own conclusions, gained by their discovered insight and experiences.

Where personal satisfaction grows-up,
and looks forward to the new daily expansion;
of free participation to share and continue formatting ones own belief systems.
Where like a brook, that rarely new the rain, the expanded mind now has the chance to flow.

Therefore to be online, is not just the first flippant extreme held for years as "this is my funny gag".
Oh no, we definitely have the opportunity each to go past those moments of sheer stupid human tricks,
or idle non-caring.
Towards a future, rich into the philosphical aspects of self, where maturity becomes a true satisfaction.

A Pool of free-thought?

As time goes on, we will not be just a pool of chorinated toxics, but rather a beautiful thought pond: an ideal gathering of life's constructs;
where frogs, dragonflies, birds & fish inhabit along a flowing river surrounded by willows & pines, with cool water perfect to step into during the days heat.

Do we resent online? Yes, especially when it's turned into a media glitch of non-discovery. All in good time, the ads will not be so required, companies will be appropriated for their efforts, in other ways, and we can finally be able to live within the game of our thoughts and expression.
Our compelling worries & woes, our new creates, and our expressions of love and joy will be never be leashed again.