Southern Living Plants Logo
  • About Us
    • History Of The Collection
    • Events
    • Brochure
    • Testimonials
    • Botanical Gardens
    • Why Choose Plants from Southern Living® Plant Collection?
  • The Plants
    • Shrubs
    • Trees
    • Berry Plants & Fruit Trees
    • Annuals and Perennials
    • Groundcovers/Grasses
    • Tropicals
    • Vines
    • New Introductions
  • Where to Buy
    • Find a Retailer
    • Online Retailers
    • Local Landscapers
  • In the Garden
    • Plan Your Garden
    • Inspiration & Projects
    • Planting & Care
  • Connect With Us
    • Like Us
    • Pinterest
    • #SLPlants
    • Youtube
    • Request Newsletter
Menu
  • About Us
    • History Of The Collection
    • Events
    • Brochure
    • Testimonials
    • Botanical Gardens
    • Why Choose Plants from Southern Living® Plant Collection?
  • The Plants
    • Shrubs
    • Trees
    • Berry Plants & Fruit Trees
    • Annuals and Perennials
    • Groundcovers/Grasses
    • Tropicals
    • Vines
    • New Introductions
  • Where to Buy
    • Find a Retailer
    • Online Retailers
    • Local Landscapers
  • In the Garden
    • Plan Your Garden
    • Inspiration & Projects
    • Planting & Care
  • Connect With Us
    • Like Us
    • Pinterest
    • #SLPlants
    • Youtube
    • Request Newsletter
Search
Close
Garden border of Yewtopia and Everest Carex

Asian Design Inspiration for Your Backyard

  1. Home
  2. Asian Design Inspiration for Your Backyard
  • By Kim Toscano
  • August 6, 2019
Create a serene garden retreat at home with these tips

Do the elements of tranquility, simplicity and balance appeal to you? If so, an Asian garden, which reflects these characteristics, might just be the ticket. Discover how you can create a serene retreat at home with the following tips.

An Overview of Asian-Style Gardens

The elegant beauty and serenity of Asian-style gardens emerges from careful selection and placement of natural elements such as stone, water and greenery. Design is driven by textural contrasts rather than color, which tend to be simple, rich greens and browns. Luxurious foliage is layered to enhance the movement of energy through the landscape.

Focus on Foliage

The base of any great garden design is evergreen color and structure. Start the Asian garden with texturally-diverse evergreen shrubs in varying hues of green. The dark needles of Yewtopia® Plum Yew contrast with the softer tones of Baby Gem™ Boxwood and ‘Lemon Lime’ Nandina, while the strappy leaves of ‘Soft Caress’ Mahonia provide the delicate look of bamboo without the maintenance headaches. Let fine- and medium-textured foliage dominate.

Build in Layers

Asian gardens mimic nature and incorporate the layered effect of woodlands. The Japanese maple is a cornerstone of Asian gardens, yielding height, texture and color. Other landscape trees and shrubs can be used to provide this upper structural layer. Empress of China® Dogwood provides evergreen color as well as canopy structure. Tall shrubs such as October Magic® Inspiration Camellia give height to the garden. The ground layer is also important.  Again, incorporate multiple textures through plants such as ferns, spurge and Cleopatra™ Liriope.

Limit Color

A bit of discipline must be practiced when adding color to Asian gardens. Color is used sparingly so as not to disrupt the clarity of the garden. Color may be introduced through foliage and is often found in accent plants, such as the Japanese maple. Foliage color may also be used to highlight a focal point, such as a ground layer of Purple Pixie® Loropetalum or Flirt™ Nandina underlining a small statue. Flower color is typically fleeting, with seasonal bursts from peonies, azaleas or rhododendrons. The Southgate® Rhododendron Series offers hardy selections for bringing the Asian garden to life in the Deep South.

Sense of Enclosure

Many Asian gardens are enclosed by a wall, whether living or manmade. Create a wall of green around the garden with tall shrubs such as Bigfoot™ Cleyera, or for smaller spaces, the streamlined ‘Scarlet’s Peak’ Holly. Wood and stone are also used to create garden walls.  Consider accentuating the Asian style with a horizontally aligned wooden wall or bamboo fence.

Less is More

This old adage is the key to successfully creating an Asian aesthetic. Design with a light hand, allowing the natural beauty of your location to shine through. Incorporate local stone in the form of gravel and boulders. Stone can be used to strike a balance between empty and filled space by replacing greenery under accent trees or shrubs. Limit the types of materials and plants in your design to avoid clutter. When designing an Asian-inspired landscape, remember to seek simplicity above all else.

Kim Toscano

Kimberly Toscano is a freelance writer, gardening expert and traveler with an eye on design. Kimberly blends her formal training in horticulture and entomology with her passion for design to educate and inspire gardeners.
View More Articles

Related Articles

Loading...

Shade Lover’s Garden

Those of us with a lot of trees in the landscape often wonder what to do!

Plant Combinations: Asian-Inspiration Meets Southern Style

Many classic Southern plants originated in the Far East, so it is only natural to look to Japanese and Chinese gardens for design inspiration.

3 Ways to Use Soft Caress Mahonia in Your Garden

Mahonia ‘Soft Caress’ is an elegant shrub that offers an ideal choice.

Plants Featured In The article

Loading...
Plum Yew

Yewtopia® Plum Yew

Cephalotaxus harringtonia ‘Plania’
Nandina
Lemon-Lime Nandina foliage clippings in bright chartreuse green and dark green against white background

‘Lemon-Lime’ Nandina

Nandina domestica ‘Lemon-Lime’ PP24749
Cleyera

Bigfoot™ Cleyera

Ternstroemia gymnanthera ‘Sotall’ PP13680
Mahonia

‘Soft Caress’ Mahonia

Mahonia eurybracteata ‘Soft Caress’ PP20183
Nandina

Flirt™ Nandina

Nandina domestica ‘Murasaki’ PP21391
Dogwood
Close-up on white flowers of Empress of China Dogwood

Empress of China® Dogwood

Cornus angustata ‘Elsbry’ PP14537
Camellia
Inspiration October Magic Camellia in white with pink edged petals

October Magic® Inspiration™ Camellia

Camellia sasanqua ‘Green 97-039’ PP20566
Rhododendron

Southgate® Brandi™ Rhododendron

Rhododendron ‘Brandi Michele Raley’
1 2 Next »

Join the Conversation!

Where To Buy
Southern Living Plants

{find a garden center near you}

Southern Living Plants Logo
Instagram
Facebook-f
Pinterest
Youtube

Plants

  • Annuals and Perennials
  • Berry Plants & Fruit Trees
  • Groundcovers/Grasses
  • Shrubs
  • Trees
  • Tropicals
  • Vines
Menu
  • Annuals and Perennials
  • Berry Plants & Fruit Trees
  • Groundcovers/Grasses
  • Shrubs
  • Trees
  • Tropicals
  • Vines

About Us

  • About Us
  • History Of The Collection
  • Events
  • Botanical Gardens
  • Testimonials
  • Contact Us
Menu
  • About Us
  • History Of The Collection
  • Events
  • Botanical Gardens
  • Testimonials
  • Contact Us

PRO Resources

  • Brand Resources
  • Marketing Support
  • Fact Sheets
  • Image Gallery
  • Re-Wholesaler Locator
Menu
  • Brand Resources
  • Marketing Support
  • Fact Sheets
  • Image Gallery
  • Re-Wholesaler Locator
©2021 Southern Living Plant Collection