Perfectly trimmed shrubs, in the Japanese Garden in Montréal. Photo : Michel Lambert

Summer is a restrained season in a Japanese garden.

Yet the greens of shrubs chosen for the depth or delicacy of their foliage fill the eye, and their perfect shapes delight the senses.

For the Japanese recommend that shrubs be pruned constantly. Not to subjugate nature, which they venerate, but to emphasize the uniqueness of each plant. By creating an extraordinary profile for each one, the gardener imbues it with symbolism and a near-divine perfection.

Gardens, after all, were once said to be the homes of the gods.

	Shrubs are pruned frequently. Photo : Claude Gagné

A master gardener selects shrubs with the greatest care.

Should they flower in the spring or, more discreetly, in the summer?

How best to combine evergreens and deciduous plants?

Some are chosen for their red berries in the fall, others for their twisted winter silhouettes.

Others are used together to create a subtle dialogue between different hues of green, to fashion valleys or enclose the garden with an opaque hedge.

A view of the Hanbe garden, Hiroshima. Photo : Claude Gagné

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

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