# How to Make a Desk Top Zen Garden
People conceived Zen gardens centuries ago in Japan as a way of relieving stress. Most people don't have a lot of time to devote to gardening or stress-relieving activities, so try ridding the mind of turmoil by bringing a Zen garden right to your desk. In spite of the name, a desk top Zen garden contains no living things, so even a brown thumb can enjoy this project.
Things You'll Need
- Tray
- Playground sand
- Rocks
- Miniature rake
Instructions
-
-
1
Choose a tray for your desk top Zen garden. You can use metal or wood, but the tray must be shallow and small enough to fit comfortably on your desk. A wooden serving tray works well.
-
2
Fill the tray with white sand to ½ inch of the top. The sand is symbolic of water. Purchase deluxe playground sand, which workers screen and filter to remove debris.
-
3
Add some decorative rocks to the garden to symbolize mountains. Go with odd numbers rather than even number for the most visually pleasing display.
-
4
Keep at least one miniature rake beside the garden. You can find these in a hobby store that sells miniature collectibles. You can use the rakes to create ripples in the sand that mimic water ripples.
-
5
Replace the rocks or choose a different color of sand as it suits your mood. Flow and change are Zen concepts and your garden shouldn't feel stagnant.
-
6
Maintain your desk top Zen garden. Wash the dust off the rocks once a month, and change the sand twice a year to prevent dust buildup.
-
1
- How to Make Simple Desk Legs
- How to Make a Zen Garden Bridge
- How to Build a Zen Sand Garden
- How to Make a Plywood Desk
- How to Make a Built-In Desk
- How to Make a Desk Top Zen Garden
- How to Make a Tiki Garden Statue
- How to Make a Cardboard Desk Top Organizer
- How to Make a Concrete Garden Fence
- How to Create a Mini Zen Garden
- How to Make a Large Zen Garden
- How to make a rain garden
