Miniature Japanese Gardens: Beautiful Bonsai Landscape Gardens for Your Home

Japanese gardens don’t have to be large or elaborate to be beautiful. Bring the tranquillity of a classic Japanese garden into any space in your home or office. Miniature Japanese Gardens shows you how to create simple Japanese-style container gardens using inexpensive plants and materials that are available everywhere! A detailed plan of each garden provides a basic template along with information about plant types and containers. The container itself can be an old pot, ceramic bowl, or just about anything you might have lying around. Such “found” objects lend themselves to the Japanese art of wabi-sabi, the beauty of imperfection. Add rocks and other elements to produce Zen-like gardens that enhance any interior. Step-by-step photos of over 40 different container gardening projects-ranging from a kokedama (moss ball) to a miniature bamboo grove-and the amazing landscapes in Japan that inspired them will appeal to gardeners, Zen students, and small space enthusiasts alike!

Kenji Kobayashi studied engineering and landscape gardening and design in his native Japan, but it was in Portland, Oregon that he discovered a love for Bonsai and the art of creating miniature landscapes. When he returned to Japan, he became absorbed in the study of Bonsai and created a new style called Keshiki Bonsai (landscape Bonsai). He has exhibited his landscapes widely throughout Japan. He is a teacher, the author of several books, and the owner of the Tokyo shop Sinajina.