DIY Japanese Garden Decorations

Rocks

• As you decorate your Japanese garden, think of ways to imitate nature on a miniature scale. Rocks play a special role in Japanese garden decorations and can be effectively placed in groupings that recall mountains, valleys and trees. Locate weathered rocks that have unusual shapes by getting permission to explore your neighborhood or nearby rural areas. To add a very Japanese decorative touch to your garden, use a large rock with a hollow that collects water. This traditional element of Japanese gardens offers water for the guest to brush the cares of the world away. This may also be accomplished by placing a bowl of water on a rock of arrangement of rocks and fresh floating flowers add a touch of elegant simplicity.

Sights and Sounds

• Water is a staple of the Japanese garden for its reflective quality, rippling texture and the calming sound that it emits. You can make simple water feature from a clay bowl strategically placed among rocks and trees to resemble a lake setting.

  The suikinkutsu, or water harp, is a special item for embellishing the Japanese garden with the sound of echoing water drops. This water harp is not visible, but rests beneath a water basin so that when the basin overflows, the water drops fall into echo chambers designed or "tuned" to make a calming, peaceful tones. Creating a traditional water harp requires professional experience, but you can make a replica of one for your garden by arranging a series of copper forms underneath the water flow from a fountain. Experiment to discover how different sizes and shapes of the copper make various sounds.

  Place a Japanese tea lantern near your water harp to add a particularly distinctive touch. Make a tea lantern by repurposing a metal container. Create a design by making cuts in the container where light will shine through using snips or a sturdy metal cutter. Design the cuts to repeat in a simple narrow vertical cut then add copper paint to the whole lantern.

Sculpture

• Sentinel stones are traditionally situated near the entrance of Japanese gardens to recall deities that guard. Make a sentinel from a log by roughly cutting a human form in it, or place the log in natural form to weather in your garden. Rocks resembling human form also make unique sentinels for Japanese garden décor.