The colour of the gravel you choose will be an essential element if you want to create the feel of a genuine Japanese garden. Here we take a look at some of the essential information you need to consider when thinking about your Japanese gravel garden ideas and give you some pointers as to what sort of garden gravel bulk bags you could buy or what other options you may have.
The feel you are trying to achieve
When considering garden gravels for a Japanese garden, you need to consider the atmosphere you are trying to create. Japanese garden design generally draws on Taoist, Buddhist and Shinto philosophies and aims to inspire feelings of peaceful contemplation.
If you are trying to create a Japanese garden, you need to be combining basic elements of water, rocks and plants to create a tranquil atmosphere with clean, simple lines and colours, such as greys, blues, whites and greens.
Create mystery
Another key element of Japanese gardens is creating vignettes that aren’t all revealed at once when you look into the space. This is where a winding gravel path can really come into its own. The colour gravel you choose for this will depend on other items you are including in your design. If, for example, you are planning on installing a stone pagoda, you will need your gravel to complement the stone it is made from. When creating a tranquil space, you really need to think about maintaining peace through colours and not use anything that will clash or jar the senses.
Evergreen appeal
Despite a need to create a cohesive environment, there is absolutely no need to stick to a single colour throughout the whole of your Japanese garden. In fact, this type of space will often rely on subtle colour differences, as well as a range of different textures. Evergreens such as conifers are a popular choice, offering soothing green shades that combine well with different gravels. Good choices here could be the likes of a Pearl Grey Bulk Bag or Golden Gravel 10-20mm.
Keep evil spirits at bay
Japanese legend says that having a zig-zag bridge in your garden can help to keep evil spirits away. This is because it is thought that these spirits can only travel in a straight line and so will get trapped in a zigzag bridge. You could use this idea and create the impression of water in the surrounding area using gravel such as the blue/grey tinged Deco-Pak 20mm Oyster Pearl gravel. Kelkay Sea Green Chunkies 20-50mm would be another option, although this would not work with the Japanese tradition of raking smaller gravel into patterns around larger rocks or rockery stone, creating the impression or islands in a watery setting.
You may also want to include the protection offered by traditional guardian lions in your garden design. Just make sure that you know where should foo dogs be placed. If you don’t know, they should be positioned at the entryway of your garden facing out, with the female on the left facing the entrance and the male on the right. If you choose white guardian lions, you may position them on white gravel such as Classic White Chippings 8-12mm or go for a contrasting look with the darker shades of Nordic Frost Chippings.
Bring luck to your garden
If you are deciding on garden gravels, then you may want to be inspired by what colours are considered luckiest in Japanese culture or which are most popular. Here is some information that may give you some ideas, as well as some garden gravel options.
White and red
White and red are very prominent colours in Japan and are often combined in decorations for joyful events. If you like this idea, you could try uniting Deco-Pak White Spar with Deco-Pak Red 14mm Flame Chippings.
Blue
Blue is a popular colour in Japan, denoting fidelity and coolness. It is also considered to be a very lucky colour. Other lucky colours are white, purple, yellow red and green, meaning plenty of choice when it comes to choosing your garden gravel bulk bags or other gravels. Some choices offered by Decorative Gardens include Deco-Pak Strawberry & Cream 20mm and French Pearl 16-32mm.
Gold
Gold is a very important colour in Japan, symbolising the power and mercy of the gods, as well as the sun. Gold colours are often found at shrines and temples. If you want to bring some to your Japanese garden, there is no shortage of garden gravels to choose from. Your options could include Golden Grit 2-6mm, Autumn Gold Flint 8-12mm, Golden Gravel 10-20mm, Deco-Pak Yorkshire Gold, and Deco-Pak Golden Gravel.
Let the water flow
Flowing water is often a major part of Japanese gardens, and so coloured garden gravels that complement this are a popular choice, as are those that add to the peaceful environment. Blues, greens and greys are a great choice and contrast beautifully with green planting and bright orange goldfish in an ornamental pond. Options may include garden gravels such as Deco-Pak York Grey and Deco-Pak 20mm Green Chippings.
