True Japanese gardening is steeped in rich history and tradition. Many people have the wrong impression of Japanese gardens too. Some people think for instance, that a Japanese garden is filled with elaborate and exotic plants and flowers. In reality though, traditional Japanese gardens can sometimes seem quite mundane, or even boring at times.

Japanese gardens actually attempt to mimic nature, and this is the primary reason they don't always appear to be overly elaborate or showy. If for example, a garden is being designed for mountain type terrain, then the garden will have plants, shrubs, and other elements which make it look completely natural for the area it's in.

Besides trying to mimic and blend into the natural surroundings, Japanese gardens will often use items symbolically too. A garden which wants to have space representing the ocean may have no water in it at all, for example. Instead it may have a raked rock area which is designed to just represent the ocean.

There are many common elements that most Japanese gardens have though. Most incorporate rock for instance, in various ways. Rock and stone could be in a Japanese garden around a pond, in the sitting accessories or decorations, or simply as landscape elements instead. The basic rule of thumb however, is that nothing  should be in a Japanese  garden that's not natural.

A Japanese garden wouldn't have a square pond in it for example, because there's no such thing as a square body of water in nature. A Japanese garden also won't usually have tropical flowers in it if the garden is located in an arid or rocky environment too. Because of this tendancy towards blending the garden with natural elements surrounding it, Japanese gardens tend to vary quite widely.

If you can create a garden which looks like it was put there by nature though, you've succeeded in building a proper Japanese garden. Your garden can have water elements if you'd like - and if they fit naturally with the area you live in. The water elements can be fish ponds or natural waterfalls for instance, but don't put a plastic liner in your Japanese garden pond because these don't appear in untouched natural environments.

Rock and stone are primary elements to use in all Japanese gardens. Using stone in the garden should also be done in a natural way though. You won't usually find three uniform, perfectly shaped stones in nature, so you shouldn't have those in your Japanese garden either. Instead, try putting together groups of three to five boulders or large rocks that vary in size and shape.

Stones can also be used to create a garden walking path, but the path should be created to fit the lay and flow of the land of your garden. Don't try putting a garden path straight up a hill or slope for instance, if you want the garden to have a true Japanese feel. Instead, have your path wind it's way up the natural curves and shape of the slope.