Montréal Japanese Garden. Photo : Michel Lambert

The source of life and a symbol of passing time, water is always present in a Japanese garden.

The earliest gardens, influenced by the Chinese, already had a pond or a lake-a liquid mirror for the clouds, the sun and the moon.

	The Golden Pavilion (Kinkaku-ji), Kyoto. Photo : Claude Gagné

The water is not always in liquid form, however.

In a Zen garden, it is fine gravel that ripples in concentric waves or spreads out like a vast ocean.

In a moss garden, ground covers transform the earth into a wavy green sea.

Open Windows on Japanese Gardens 1. Opening a window onto a universe 2. A very famous Zen garden 3. Step by step on stepping stones 4. Endless maintenance 5. Key to the project: the choice of stone 6. The birth of a "Japanese" garden in Montréal 7. Wanted: Hardy species 8. The three religions of Japan 9. Three gardens, three relationships between man and Nature 10. Shakkei or borrowed scenery 11. Living symbols 12. 3, 5, 7 13. Of appearance and essence 14. Precious, colourful carp 15. Mineral strength 16. Changing scale 17. The spirit of stone 18. Islands of the Immortals 19. Plants and time 20. Discreet but essential ground covers 21. Shrubs and the art of plant sculpture 22. Trees, venerable above all 23. Water, a moving mirror of life 24. A pond and its fish 25. Islands and bridges 26.Flowing, shimmering water 27. Listen to your Heart 28. Some important dates

Next