Every homeowner wants a piece of their outdoor space to bring peace and tranquility and there is nothing better for evoking that than a Zen garden.

Creating an outdoor Zen retreat is not as difficult as you might imagine. In fact, you can find many of the things you need from local garden gravel suppliers.

Zen gardens were the brainchild of Buddhist monks who created them as meditative spaces. Classically, these gardens incorporate water in some fashion and dry landscaping, which can save you both time and money. Zen gardens, although they can be incredibly beautiful, are pretty low maintenance.

Things you’ll need:

  • Tape measure
  • Shovel
  • Level
  • Stones for edging
  • Decorative Stones (from garden gravel supplier like Essential Disposal)
  • Plants like moss, low shrubs or trees
  • A stone bench and some Zen decor like a Buddha statue (optional)
  • Crushed granite/calcite, preferably white or off white
  • Rake with tines widely spaced
  • Hoe
  • Pruning equipment.

Get to work!

  1. Figure out where you’d like your garden located and mark about a 10-by-16-foot rectangular area and dig that area out to about four inches deep.
  2. Check to see if the area is level and push down the soil until it’s compacted.
  3. Take edging stones to line the garden area. Rectangular stones look nice or you could enclose the area with four-by-fours by hammering them into the ground.
  4. Mark off the areas where you’d like to locate larger stones, plants, benches, statues, etc. Stone will need to be set at least six inches into the ground. They should be placed so they look random, yet symmetrical.
  5. Plant any plants about two inches deeper than their roots. Water them right after they’re planted. Place any other accessories you may have like statues, lanterns, etcetera, where you think they would look best.
  6. Pebbles or crushed granite that you’ve purchased nearby garden gravel suppliers should be poured into holes about three to four inches deep and spread evenly with a hoe around everything you’ve placed. You can rake ripples into the granite with the rake, creating a wavy look representative of water. You could even install a water fountain for added effect.
  7. Prune plants to reflect the mood you want to create.

Just a tip: Visit garden gravel suppliers like Essential Disposal to get help ordering the right amount of rocks for your Zen oasis. They will be able to answer any questions about what would look best in your new outdoor quiet space.