Japanese Zen Garden Plants

Japanese Maple Tree (Acer Palmatum) – Zone 5-8. An amazing ornamental large shrub or small tree that grows between 10-20′, the Japanese maple was originally a native of Japan and Korea but is now used world wide. A low-branching tree with highly attractive palmate foliage, Japanese maples are often used as accent or specimen plants and are usually the focal point of a Japanese garden. The maple leaves are attractive season long, often with colored veins or edges and the foliage often turns bright colors in the fall as well. Japanese maples need light shade and do not tolerate full sun, overly hot summer or dry soil conditions.

Japanese Apricot (Prunus mume) – Zones 6-9. Another ornamental flowering shrub or tree often used in Japanese gardens for the scented, pink flowers, the Japanese Apricot bears fruit as well. The apricots are smaller and generally considered more bitter than a traditional fruiting apricot but are often used in jams or jelly with good success. The Japanese apricot is a low-maintenance plant that lends itself to gentle shaping and pruning. Diseases to watch out for include rot and canker so be sure to use clean pruning shears if you trim the deciduous shrub. Grow in moist, fertile soil.

Chrysanthemum hortorum or Chrysanthemum morifolium – Zones 5-9. Like other Japanese plants, these flowering perennials grow best in evenly moist, fertile soil. These Chrysanthemums prefer full sun and will tolerate very little shade. Prune or pinch back lightly all through the spring and early summer to encourage bushier growth and more prolific flowers but stop cutting the Chrysanthemum back around the end of June to allow for bud and flower development.

Moss – There are several different species of mosses that can be used in a Japanese Garden and most are evergreen providing a lush color to shady garden areas year round. As most mosses gather the nutrients they need from the air there is little maintenance required beyond providing a space clear of debris that would choke out a young moss plant just establishing itself. Many mosses will grow on rocks, between pavers, over sand and in other seemingly impossible garden areas. All moss prefers shade and moisture for proper growth.

Japanese Water Iris (Iris ensata) – The Japanese water iris is a graceful perennial flower that prefers moisture retentive soil and can actually grow in standing water for much of the growing season. In the winter months the iris plant should be removed from standing water to prevent the rhizome from rotting but the water iris makes an excellent pond plant the rest of the year. Green, spiky foliage adds a vertical accent that contrasts with many of the other plants in the typical Japanese garden.

Tree Peony (Paeonia suffruticosa) – Zones 4-8. A beautifully flowering deciduous shrub, the tree peony is a native to China and Tibet but has a place in the simplistic ornamental nature of a Japanese garden space. These peonies are woody shrubs that do not die back to the ground during the winter so only prune out dead growth or sucker branches. Tree peonies are long-lived and deep rooted which is part of the symbolic appeal in a meditation garden or Japanese garden. Many tree peony cultivars are available in a wide variety of flower forms and colors making it easy to coordinate with a particular color scheme.

See Evergreen Plants for Japanese Gardens for more plant ideas.