How to Make a Chinese Garden in Carson City

Plan

• 1

  Draw a plan for your garden before you begin any work in your yard. A scholar's garden should be conceived of as a series of views. Think of the scenic views in your garden as though they are two-dimensional pictures instead of three-dimensional spaces.

• 2

  Draw the wall around your garden. If you are planting the garden in your backyard, you probably already have a fence. If not, you'll need to build a wall. Think of the wall as the canvas for your pictures or the background for your views.

• 3

  Draw the major features of your garden onto your plan, including any pavilions, seating or water features. You don't need these large features to make a traditional Chinese garden but all the big gardens have them. Once you build these features, you probably won't be able to move them. Think carefully about where you want to place them. You can maximize the space in your garden if you can place them in the middle, rather than in a corner or along a wall. This way, these features can be viewed from a variety of angles.

• 4

  Draw the stone path into your garden plan. The path should meander throughout the garden and reach any features such as the pavilion and seating. A Chinese scholar would not stray off this path, so make sure that the path allows you to see every interesting part of your garden. You want to create as many interesting and varied views from the path as possible.

• 5

  Draw large stones, trees and wooden screens along your path to increase the number of scenic views. You should not be able to view the entire garden from any point, so these features will help you to break up the space in your yard. You should be able to stroll along the path, turn corners and encounter new and surprising views. You can use the stones, screens and trees to create more "canvas" space for your garden as well.

Build

• 6

  Clear your yard of any existing plants and remove any large stones that you don't want to use in your garden. Lay the large stones for your path on the dirt. Make sure that you like the arrangement and that you are using your entire yard when creating the path. Walk along the path and check how your space looks from the different points you are planning to create your views.

• 7

  Build your pavilion and furniture, if your garden has these features. Note that the furniture in traditional Chinese gardens is all wood; you aren't allowed to build with any nails. If you want to build traditional furniture, order kits from a garden supply shop. Otherwise, you can cheat a little bit and build a regular pavilion and furniture. Install the water feature in your garden, if you have one. This could be a fish pond or even a waterfall. You can buy kits to build these things at home improvement stores or you can hire professional landscapers to build them. Be sure to carefully follow the instructions if you build your own. Because of the hot and dry climate in Carson City, you'll need to make sure that your water feature does not evaporate. While a water feature in a desert may seem wasteful, keep in mind that these features only need to be filled up once and then topped off slightly on a regular basis. They don't actually consume much water.

• 8

  Plant the trees in your garden. Choose trees that are local, such as evergreens, cacti or yucca. These trees must be able to survive with little water and intense sunlight. Do not worry about choosing species native to China; the plan of your Chinese garden is more important than the types of plants you choose. Everything must look natural to your surroundings. When you have your trees planted, install large, decorative stones to create extra walls and barriers. Choose stones that are native to your region.

• 9

  Plant your garden with a great variety of local plants and bushes. Plant them in groups because you are creating specific scenes that you are meant to stand and contemplate, rather than a garden you admire while strolling through. Choose plants that vary in height to create visual interest. If you wanted to make an interesting scholar's garden that would fit perfectly into your Carson City environment, plant all cacti.

• 10

  Spread the gravel all over the ground to serve as ground cover.