It Came From Japan

The fourth Designer Bed installation was 'It Came From Japan' by Katie's Garden's Catherine McMillan, author of Gardening for the Uncommitted: What You Really Need To Know When You Don't Really Want To Know.

“All the plants in this bed are native to Japan. Although we are not trying to replicate a traditional Japanese garden with all its symbolism, our bed does aim to convey some of the tranquillity associated with them.

The planting includes lots of easy-care evergreen plants to provide a great mixture of shape, tone and texture from leaves and shoots alone.

How you combine plants is key to the look and feel of a garden, and this bed shows how some overlooked plants such as conifers, Euonymus and Spiraea can be used to good effect.

Of course we couldn’t resist having some flowers, especially as so many Japanese plants bloom in spring!”

A simple wooden bridge traverses a small stone 'river' flowing through the space. Height comes from a weeping cherry tree in one corner, with bamboo in another section. Planting is relatively sparse, intespersed with stones, and surrounded by bark-covered ground.