This job involved restoring a pre-landscaped 1/4 acre Japanese-themed garden created in the early 90s. Although this type of project is opposite to our usual permaculture work, we embraced the challenge! I thoroughly enjoyed learning about Japanese garden principles and have added these skills to my repertoire to help people create their dream spaces.

This was primarily a restoration job. Our initial tasks included weeding and stripping the garden to its original form, restoring it to its former glory. The dried-up cascading stream is now fixed and flowing, creating an essence of zen. We also added a Japanese bridge at the midpoint to facilitate energy flow across the space.

We relieved trees of stress from bramble overgrowth and damp conditions, creating an airy landscape for them to thrive. There are now multiple Japanese maple trees in their mature stages, adding beautiful colour and making a strong visual statement in the garden.

This is the biggest job we’ve tackled to date. We learned a lot and gained new skills that will undoubtedly broaden the scope of the work we can undertake. This project clarified the opportunity to merge Japanese garden principles with permaculture, creating a blended approach that highlights energy flow while working alongside nature.