Moss in Japanese gardens

A few mossy photos to share…

I have enjoyed seeing moss covered gardens in Japan. Here’s one with a thick groundcover. There are stepping stones, so visitors can avoid walking on the moss.

A close-up of a water feature covered with moss. The water is used to wash hands…

I love the mossy top of the stone lantern

 

Another garden with dense moss groundcover (see next photo)

A close-up of the groundcover

Here’s another garden

And another…

Moss – lovely, moist, soft, mushy, green, wet…

Have a nice weekend.

Japanese gardens

Hope you are having a good week. Every time I look at my holiday photos, I marvel at the beauty of the gardens in Japan.

Here are a few photos.

Kiyomizu-dera temple

Garden at  Kiyomizu-dera temple in Kyoto - a very green area with stones, lanterns and water. The ground cover is moss. It was raining heavily, so I didn’t take many photos.

Heian Shrine

Beautiful irises at Heian Shrine

Very green across the lake…

 

A lovely bridge. It was a very hot day, and many people were taking a break from the sun and resting on the bridge.

Trees are being propped up (see next photo). I love the stones in the water…

  

Reflection of a stick used to prop tree branches

And finally splash of red.

Fukuoka Daimaru Pot

Happy Cactus Monday. Hope you had a lovely weekend.

Finally I have something to share for Cactus Monday. This lovely yucca was in front of Daimaru Department Store in Fukuoka, Japan.

I had loads of fun in Japan, and enjoyed their gardens a lot. They are so peaceful and beautiful. I am sneaking in a couple of garden photos here, taken in Kyoto:

Beautiful old bridge

  

A personal favourite – I am glad this elegant lady came into my picture. I love those little stone bridges.

Have a nice week.

Update: I am saddened by the news of fellow blogger, Judy Butler’s health. I wish her peace in her journey ahead.

Japanese gardens – less is more…

We were looking for a restaurant located in a fancy suburb in Osaka and while walking around, I had the chance to admire the many plants I see in front of homes. 

I could have taken a lot of photos, but my husband was worried that we might not be able to find the restaurant – there were no road signs.

I love this arrangement of rocks and plants. The entire arrangement is so pleasing to the eye from top to bottom and it makes the entrance so inviting.

Simple but really lovely to have part of the tree leaning over the entrance

How about these…? They are so neat and lovely, but I imagine that there is a lot of work involved to keep them this way.

 

We did find the restaurant. It did not look like a restaurant from outside, but because we had made a reservation, a kimono-clad lady was outside by the road waiting for us.

We could not see their garden from the road. We entered through the door on the left. This garden only has a few plants, and the groundcover is moss. The number of items here is less than most western gardens but it is such a lovely space.

I began to wonder if I could incorporate the idea of “less is more” (not necessarily Japanese) into my little garden. Japanese gardens also focus on forms, structures and foliage… which make me think of succulents. More for me to ponder over.

Hope you are having a nice week.