Recreating the Serenity of a Traditional Chinese Garden

Traditional Chinese gardens are renowned for their tranquillity, elegance and for creating the perfect balance between nature and architecture. Chinese culture has a long and highly revered history of beautiful garden design, and horticulture and cultivation are activities which are still associated with ideas of art and intellect. Chinese garden designers set themselves a goal of connecting the ideal with the physical, creating a harmony between nature and humans.

If you love the calming elegance of Chinese garden design but feel that the ideals of traditional Chinese horticulture are a little beyond your reach, there are simple and easy ways to recreate this beautiful look at home. In this blog post we’ll explore some of the elements of traditional Chinese gardens, whilst giving you a few ideas on how to bring a touch of Chinese elegance into your own garden.

Symbolism in Nature

As with so many aspects of Chinese furniture and interior design, Chinese gardens frequently include elements of symbolism inspired by nature. Many plants and trees have special meanings in Chinese culture. Pine trees, for instance, represent wisdom, whilst Peonies, with their stunning blowsy blooms, are a popular choice amongst Chinese gardeners and are used to denote power and wealth.

Chinese plum trees are also sought after garden plants and are prized for their winter blossom and tangy, juice fruit. These beautiful trees – Prunus mume – are suitable for growing in British gardens but if you don’t have space for one, Chinese sweet plum bonsai trees make a wonderful substitute and symbolise creativity, protection and new life.

Bamboo’s vigorous growth and poker straight stems are a common feature of Chinese gardens, representing upright morality and strength, whilst autumn-flowering Chrysanthemums symbolise the ideal of a perfect Chinese scholar. Combining the trees, shrubs and flowers which have been popular in classical Chinese garden design for many centuries offers a lovely way to introduce a feeling of calm and tranquillity into your own garden.

Water

The chances are that when you think of a traditional Chinese garden you think of a mirror-calm pond, filled with bright orange goldfish and beautiful water lilies. Water, whether in the form of ponds, fountains or streams, is an essential element of classical Chinese garden design and symbolises life itself.

Outdoor Rooms With a View

Classical Chinese garden designers have understood for centuries that it’s important to be able to make the most of the space you have. As masters of creating a feeling of space and tranquillity, the inclusion of screens or ‘windows’ to frame a space has long been a popular way to maximise the Chinese garden designer’s art of contrast and extension.

By carefully placing features such as carved screens, large rocks or sculptures, you’ll encourage visitors to your garden to wander through the beautiful surroundings you’ve created. Meandering garden paths encourage exploration, whilst the use of outdoor mirrors and contrasting textures – think stone Buddha or ceramic stools, for example – offer a further way to add interest.

Keep to Scale

Last and by no means least, one of the most important elements of classical garden design is scale. Chinese garden designers rely upon imitating nature but in a scale that complements the space you’re working with. This means that any garden design elements such as specimen trees, rocks or water features must be to scale: items which are too big will dominate, whilst lots of small items will shrink the space and add a feeling of clutter, rather than simplicity. Establishing the scale of your garden is easy: simply consider trees, structures or building which are already there and use their size to dictate your approach.

Inspiration for Your Garden at Shimu

As the home of Chinese furniture and design, here at Shimu we have a wealth of beautiful ideas for creating the perfect oriental-inspired garden. From stone ornaments and sculpture, to ceramic stools, lanterns, cushions, candles and more, our selection is available for convenient delivery directly to your home.