Were it not for Asian cultures, we would not know the joys of yoga, sweet and sour pork or tea. Our world would be absent the ancient martial arts, silk and the dwarfed trees known as bonsai. And from this world comes a great gardening truth: those that reflect seasonal change are among the most beautiful and rewarding.

And nothing does that more simply than the Japanese tea garden.

This garden is composed of evergreen shrubs and plants arranged to reflect the sculptural qualities of nature. It would be a static landscape if not for the designer’s effort to highlight the spring and fall with certain plants that best represent those seasons’ essence. Most often the cherry tree would be the embodiment of spring. A Japanese maple would signal the dying transition into winter.

Thus cherry blossom time sparks the festival of spring in Japan as in every garden bursts into bloom at the same time. The cherry trees are specially bred flowering forms developed for heavy bloom but minimal fruit. In large tea gardens it literally rains petals in a snowstorm of blooms.

Flowering cherries are actually an entire group of species and cultivars, making individual selections difficult for beginners. To choose a long-lived and reliable variety, check out the Washington, D.C., National Cherry Blossom Festival Web site at www.nationalcherryblossomfestival.org. Under “maps” you’ll find a downloadable file of the cherry trees keyed into a list of named varieties. This list includes about 10 of the best performing forms. Rest assured, any cherry that can grow in a city park where it receives minimal care will do very well in most home landscapes.

At the opposite end of the solar spectrum, the fiery hues of autumn would become manifest in the Japanese maple. The smaller dimensions of Acer palmatum fit more easily into gardens than larger members of the maple clan. Breeding this species led to a great range of leaf shape and color, size and habit.

The world of Japanese maples has produced a staggering array of cultivars — from green leaf to purple and variegated. The five-fingered, palm-shaped leaves have been modified into deeply dissected frilly fern-like forms textured much like a feather boa.

Beware of Japanese maple seedlings that can produce disappointing fall color due to the natural diversity of a seed grown plants. For centuries breeders isolated more potently hued plants grafted onto a rootstock to ensure great color every year. Japanese maples range from a normal 20-foot tall tree to low weeping forms more like a shrub. To see a good range of named cultivars, check out wwwBuyMaples.com. For more background articles and pictures of these fascinating plants for knowledgeable gardeners, try Mountain Maples at www.MountainMaples.com.

The collective wisdom of tea garden masters provides homeowners with a model for simple, seasonally exciting gardens. Both the cherry and the maple are adaptable to nearly every yard and even some tiny urban lots. If you follow the Japanese example to include at least one cherry and one maple in your landscape, it ensures a distinctive difference as the seasons pass. Including more than one variety of cherry or maple expands the color range even further adding pink to white blossom storms and sunset tones to the autumn garden that literally sets it on fire.

What the garden masters of Asia teach is that just a few trees well chosen can completely define a garden. Their seasonal contributions help to create variety in our views through windows and from outdoor living spaces. Planting cherries and maples in high profile locations means that view is forever changing, and you will be inspired by the beauty of these transitional seasons.

They say there are no new ideas and it is so true. But this technique is as vital today as it was when first discovered millennia ago.

source : www.suburbanchicagonews.com By Maureen Gilmer DIY Network