Instructions for Building a Zen Garden

Clear the space for the garden and turn over all the soil, ripping out old roots and any rocks that will not be part of the design. Layer a sheet of weed barrier over the flattened space to prevent rogue plants from forcing their way up into your design.

Mark the spaces for gravel, boulders, a bench or two, a water feature and any trees or plants in chalk on the weed barrier. Set the boulders in place first.

Position the container for a carefully pruned tree or a controlled stand of bamboo in the garden. Begin to layer the gravel around the boulders and the plant containers.

Dig a hole deep enough to contain a prefab basin to act as the water reservoir in the space reserved for a pondless fountain. Set the basin in the hole and place a submersible pump in the basin. Dig a shallow trench to the power source from the basin and lay PVC pipe that contains the power cord in the trench. Test to be sure the pump is working and fill in the trench.

Lay a sturdy metal screen or grid over the hole and place a fine screen over the support grid. Set a large ceramic pot or urn with a center hole for the water pipe on the screen, over the pipe. Fill the pot halfway with decorative river rocks. Attach a bubbler fountain head to the pipe and fill the reservoir with water, using a garden hose. Test the pump to see that the water circulates and bubbles out the fountainhead, spilling over the rim of the pot and into the reservoir below. Hide the reservoir by covering it with gravel.

Place the bench or benches in the garden and plant small groundcover near the boulders or in low containers made of stone or wood. Rake the gravel in curvy waves to resemble the ocean.