Sunday, October 26, 2008

Our Courtyard

Our house has a small courtyard in front, that originally was just pea gravel and dirt. I've been waiting a while to have a small yard of my own to landscape. I appreciate the Japanese way of gardening, and I tried to model mine after it. The traditional Japanese garden has roots centuries ago with the tea ceremony. The garden was where you walk through to clear your mind or collect your thoughts or something, on your way to the tea ceremony. The plants tend to be evergreens or grasses of Asian origin and will usually mimic nature in the layout.


I built the pond, which I would estimate it to be about 200 gallons, so on the small side. I've stocked it with koi, goldfish, mosquito fish, white cloud minnows, bitterlings, Japanese dojo eels, and a couple turtles.


I didn't realize how much landscaping costs. It feels weird paying for rocks. But when you live in the city, you can't just gather some from the surrounding area. I tried to stick with smaller plants and items on sale, so it kept my costs to under $500.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

hey, guys! i love your mini car...it's so cute! drew, great job on the garden! i love japanese gardens. the japanese friendship garden at balboa park in san diego is one of our favorite places to visit! i'm waiting for neil to build my koi pond in the backyard. well, i look fwd to hearing more about your experiences in japan! candy, i'll send an email update about the babies soon. i'm just so tired. still working full time. i'm drained. oyasuminasai! xoxo, ro (^_^)/

Anonymous said...

i would have put blue fin tuna in there so i can have fresh sushi whenever i want.