Plants and planting (Shokobutsu) in Tsubo-en

Plants in particular trees and shrubs, are important to give the Japanese garden its unique character. While the European garden is colorful and diverse with its trees, bushes and flowers the Japanese garden is predominately green with its almost exclusive use of evergreen trees and shrubs. When flowering shrubs are found in the Japanese garden they are usually camelias or rhododendron, specifically the tsubaki, sazanka and satsuki. Flowering can be abundant but mostly for a short period early in the year.

In Japan, replacing traditional plant species with new natives in a different geographic location is a long tradition. As your garden is not located in Japan you need to find plants that will survive in your climate zone but that reproduce the effects of Japanese garden plants.
For plant selection (planting = shokobutsu) there will never be a guarantee that you make the right choice. The first time you will definitely need a plant encyclopedia that is specific to your country or climate-zone. We used a well known Dutch standard-work for that [9]. Important factors are your climate-zone, specific location and placement characteristics like soil, exposure, rainfall, humidity, light levels and wind, in your garden. Our climate-zone or "USDA plant-hardiness-Zone" is 7 to 8 (see: B&T World Seeds for Europe and for USA, USDA/AHS).

In [12] you find a recent book reference to "Niwaki", (niwa ki) clipped and pruned garden trees, a book that we should have had right from the beginning. Unfortunately at was not available at the time. Nonetheless, although late it is never too late for this kind of expert information. What we did use as a reference for trees is a book on bonsai [13]. Most trees, shapes and techniques on training and pruning that apply to bonsai can also be applied to full-size niwaki. During selection of trees it is important to know how they will grow and show and need to be handled.

Now we can add the plants and planting to the garden-plan to look like this:




Planting has been subdivided into the following chapters:

Planting and Plant-groups in Tsubo-en Click for an extensive coverage
Mosses & lichen	Groundcovers	Shrubs, topiary
Deciduous trees	Evergreen trees	Miscellaneous

Statement of caution: Keeping the gravel clean and having the raked patterns last as long as possible requires careful consideration. That means that we need to keep deciduous plants away from the Ginshanada. And not only those as eventually all shrubs and trees let go of their leaves. In some cases we will however not be able to do so or because of specific aesthetic properties we want to have we need to compromise this principle. As long as the consequences are well considered that is fine.
In Tsubo-en the Nothofagus antarctica in section "A/G" forms a canopy over a portion of the gravel. And so do the Pinus densiflora in section E and the Abies procera "Glauca" on the Turtle island (section "A"). The O-karikomi, section "D" is very close to being a canopy and needs special attention when getting clipped. The latter is even more true for the "the five Islands of immortality" that stand in the middle of their own small Ginshanada extension.

Niwaki (plants) examples

This section shows a selection of fine authentic examples that all originate from Japan. These examples show how design principles and rules are applied and interpreted and how and what materials are used in genuine Japanese gardens. These examples should be of help and inspiration during realization of your own Japanese garden.

Part of these photos is from our own trips others have been collected from different sources, including but not limited to the Internet. New examples will be frequently added.

Note: The examples will only display correctly after the page has fully loaded !

Niwaki (Japanese garden trees) [12] are subdivided in Evergreen trees, Deciduous trees, etc. In the examples section we do not make such distinction. This with the exception of some Shrubs and most Karikomi and hako-zukuri shrubs that have a dedicated examples chapter.

Index of plants in Tsubo-en

The table below contains a complete index of all plants used in Tsubo-en. In the related chapters you will find hyperlinks into databases, Wikipedia etc. where you find general and specific information on plants. The right most column "Tsubo-en Subdivision" is a hyperlink to the relevant chapter.

In addition some of the best sites with plant information are listed in the IV - Sites with plant information section of the Links page.

"Latin" name	Common name	Family or class	Tsubo-en Subdivision karesansui.nl page
Abies Koreana "Tundra" ("Little Gem")	Fir Dutch: Koreaanse den	Coniferous tree	Evergreen trees
Abies fraseri	Fir	Coniferous tree	Evergreen trees
Abies procera "Glauca"	Noble Fir Dutch: Zilverspar	Coniferous tree	Evergreen trees
Acaena magellanica	Dutch: Stekelnootje	Perennial groundcover	Groundcovers
Acer palmatum "Bloodgood"	(Iroha)Momiji Japanese maple Dutch: Japanse esdoorn	Deciduous or broadleaf tree	Deciduous trees
Acer palmatum disectum garnet	(Iroha)Momiji Japanese maple Dutch: Japanse esdoorn	Deciduous or broadleaf tree	Deciduous trees
Acer platanoides "Royal Red"	Norway Maple Dutch: Noorse Esdoorn	Deciduous or broadleaf tree	Deciduous trees
Acer pseudoplatanus "Brilliantissimuni"	Maple Dutch: Esdoorn	Deciduous or broadleaf tree	Deciduous trees
Armeria Maritima	Dutch: Engels gras	Perennial groundcover	Groundcovers
Anthemis nobilis See: Chamaemelum nobile		Perennial groundcover	Groundcovers
Asplenium scolopendrium	Hart's-tongue Fern Dutch: Tongvaren	Fern	Miscellaneous plants
Asplenum trichomanes	Maidenhair Spleenwort fern Dutch: Steenbreekvaren	Fern	Miscellaneous plants
Azalea Japonica "Stewardstonia"	Rengetsutsuji Dutch: Japanse azalea	"Evergreen" shrub	Shrubs
Buxus sempervirens	Box, boxwood Dutch: Buxboom, palboom	Evergreen shrub	Shrubs Karikomi and hako-zukuri
Caloplaca flavescens (Hudson) J.R. Laundon	Dutch: Gelobde citroenkorst	Lichen	Mosses and lichen
Castanea	Chestnut Dutch: Kastanje	Deciduous or broadleaf tree	Bonsai
Chamaecyparis Lawsonia "white spot"	Dutch: Californische cipres	Coniferous tree	Evergreen trees
Chamaemelum nobile "treneaguei"	Roman Camomile, Chamomile Garden camomile Ground apple Low chamomile English chamomile whig plant Dutch: Loopkamille	Perennial groundcover	Groundcovers
Cotoneaster "Coral beauty"	Dutch: Dwergmispel	Evergreen shrub	Shrubs
Cotoneaster "dammeri"		Evergreen shrub	Groundcovers
Cotula minor	Dutch: Speldekussen	Perennial groundcover	Groundcovers
Cotula potentillina	"Water buttons" or "Buttonweeds" Dutch: Goudknopje, Vedermos	Perennial groundcover	Groundcovers
Cryptomeria Japonica "elegans"	Sugi	Coniferous tree	Evergreen trees
Dryopteris atrata		Fern	Miscellaneous plants
Euonymus Japonicus "Compactus"	Mayumi Dutch: Kardinaalsmuts	Evergreen shrub	Shrubs Karikomi and hako-zukuri
Fissidens bryoides	Dutch: Gezoomd vedermos	Moss	Mosses and lichen Bonsai
Fissidens taxifolius Hedw.	Dutch: Kleivedermos	Moss	Mosses and lichen Bonsai
Hosta Sieboldiana		Other	Miscellaneous plants
Iris "White Knight"	Dutch: Hoge bardiris	Other	Miscellaneous plants
Juniperus horizontalis "glauca"	Dutch: Jeneverbes	Evergreen coniferous shrub	Shrubs
Juniperus media "blue"	Dutch: Jeneverbes	Evergreen coniferous shrub	Shrubs
Larix (Europeaus) decidua	European Larch Dutch: Lork	Deciduous coniferous tree	Deciduous trees
Laurus nobilis	Bay Laurel Dutch: Laurier	Evergreen shrub	Shrubs
Leptinella minor See: Cotula		Perennial groundcover	Groundcovers
Leptinella potentillina See: Cotula		Perennial groundcover	Groundcovers
Nothofagus antarctica	Dutch: Schijnbeuk	Deciduous or broadleaf tree	Deciduous trees
Opiopogon Japonicus "minor" "Nana"	Tama-ryu Dwarf snake’s beard Dutch: Slangebaard	Perennial groundcover	Groundcovers
Pinus densiflora	Japanese Red Pine "Aka-matsu"	Coniferous tree	Evergreen trees
Pinus leucodermis "Satellit"	Dutch: Den	Coniferous tree	Evergreen trees
Pinus mugo mugo		Coniferous tree	Evergreen trees
Pleioblastus pygmaeus		Bamboo	Miscellaneous plants
Prunus laurocerasus "Otto Luyken"	Dutch: Laurierkers	Evergreen shrub	Shrubs
Prunus lusitanica		Evergreen tree	Evergreen trees
Quercus robur	Oak Dutch: Eik	Deciduous or broadleaf tree	Bonsai
Rhododendron Japonicum See Azalea	Rengetsutsuji Dutch: Japanse azalea	"Evergreen" shrub	Shrubs
Rhododendron (Repens) "Baden Baden"	Dwarf Rhododendron Dutch: Dwergrhododendron	"Evergreen" shrub	Shrubs
Rhododendron (Repens) "Morgenroot"	Dwarf Rhododendron Dutch: Dwergrhododendron	"Evergreen" shrub	Shrubs
Rhododendron (Repens) "Scarlet wonder"	Dwarf Rhododendron Dutch: Dwergrhododendron	"Evergreen" shrub	Shrubs
Sasaella asamuneana		Bamboo	Miscellaneous plants
Skimmia Japonica "Rubella"		"Evergreen" shrub	Shrubs
Skimmia Japonica "Foremanii"		"Evergreen" shrub	Shrubs
Skimmia reevesiana		"Evergreen" shrub	Shrubs
Taxus baccata	Yew Dutch: Venijnboom	Coniferous tree Hedgerow	Miscellaneous plants Bonsai
Taxus media "hillii"	Yew Dutch: Amerikaanse venijnboom	Evergreen tree	Evergreen trees
Thuja occidentalis "Braband"		Coniferous tree Hedgerow	Miscellaneous plants
Thymus Praecox "minor"	Thyme Dutch: Tijm	Perennial groundcover	Groundcovers
Thymus Praecox pseudo langinosus	Thyme Dutch: Tijm	Perennial groundcover	Groundcovers
Ulmus parvifolia "seijn"	Elm Dutch: Dwerg Iep	Deciduous or broadleaf tree	Deciduous trees
Vitis	Vitis vroege van der Laan	Other	Miscellaneous plants
Wisteria sinensis	Fuji Chinese Wisteria Dutch: Blauwe regen	Deciduous, perennial climbing vine. Here trained as a tree.	Deciduous trees

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