Garden and landscape design is something I enjoy doing following Eastern thought and philosophy. Other designs following the English gardens or Olmstead gardens in USA are fine, but I personally like how Confucian and Taoist thought can transcend our thoughts into action with nature. I especially like the Confucian concept of “harmonious but different” in garden design. Beginning with the idea that similar objects are not defined, meaning that beauty cannot come from singularity and coordination between opposing objects. This idea comes from studying the I Ching that we are following every day here on the website.
Something I like to follow is the idea of composites of different elements that try to achieve balance, harmony, and moderation. Why having the plot plan, and having a starting point is important. Something we’ll expand on over the coming months. The key is mixing and matching of all types of what appears as different, to what produces the harmony in both our design and plants. Again, what we are trying to do is what appears to be “harmonious but different”. I utilize this idea in planting both annuals and perennials thinking about the use of complimentary opposites in gardens and landscape design. Using your own imagination, you can mirror your thoughts in designing your own garden.
Don’t think of garden design in China using how you might view current politics. I traveled and taught in China for twenty years. What we are discussing here is garden and landscape design that traces more than three thousand years of Chinese history.
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