Wabi-Sabi: Creating the Perfectly Imperfect Garden
Gardeners and homeowners alike strive for the perfect garden and landscape. But our need to have the perfect plant or weed-free landscape can quickly become overwhelming and discourage us from spending more time outside. What if I told you that an impeccable garden is a thing of the past? Something we can put behind us for the chance to focus on reality.
Let’s face it. Nothing in life is perfect. Plants live, and plants die. They look gorgeous one day and struggle the next. The reality of gardening is much like our existence. It’s perfectly imperfect.
For all those homeowners and gardeners who struggle to keep your landscape looking like it belongs in a magazine – you can stop now. Now is the time to take a step back and breathe. Set aside the obligations of creating a perfect garden and live in reality.
Let me introduce you to a term that is taking the gardening community by storm this year and just happens to be one of the top gardening trends of 2018.
Wabi-Sabi
Wabi-sabi is not easily definable and is complicated to translate. Wabi once referenced the loneliness of living in nature while Sabi translated to chill, lean, or withered. Wabi-sabi often referred to an old and lonely hermit living away from societal pressures.
However, by the 14th century, the meaning that described Wabi-sabis despondency began to change. The once lonely hermit turned into a wise man freed from pretentious Japanese society. A man who chooses to look past excessive possessions and wealth. Who decides to live in harmony with nature and all its beautiful imperfections.
Today, Wabi (a philosophy) and Sabi (the aesthetic) typically refer to a rustic simplicity and quietness in life. It appreciates the beauty that comes with age.
How does Wabi-Sabi relate to gardening?
Imperfect Plants:
Wabi-sabi allows you to release yourself from the unrealistic need for perfection. It finds beauty in the transience of every living plant. But the understanding that the plant will return the following spring allows peace with natural events.
In the Garden:
- Plant natives. Allow them to self-seed and grow naturally instead of being controlled by the ideals that so many equate to gardening.
- Leave seed pods through winter for wildlife to feed on and enjoy.
- Don’t view insects, disease, or the death of a plant as a failure. View it as a part of the natural life cycle.
- Enjoy the weeds in our lawns. Dandelion and clover are both tremendous food sources for bees.
Imperfect Design:
Some aesthetics of wabi-sabi include asymmetry, simplicity, and modesty. It allows mistakes and imperfections and creates sustainable gardens that are one with the existing, native landscape.
Using natural materials such as wood, metal, or stone is part of the wabi-sabi concept. The aging materials don’t show a lack of maintenance. They indicate an appreciation of the nature of these materials.
In the Garden:
- Use natural materials in your garden and allow them to age and become one with your garden.
- Repurpose old objects – use an old gate as a trellis or a metal container as a planter.
- Create gardens that appear to be one with the nature that surrounds them.
- Choose the right plant for your area so you can enjoy its natural form without excessive pruning.
- Create sustainable lawns by growing native grasses and sedges instead of the non-native grasses that make up our lawns.
Nature’s grandeur will always surpass our human attempts at perfection. By following the practices of wabi-sabi, we are allowed freedom from every self-imposed expectation. This gives us the spectacular opportunity to create a perfectly imperfect garden.
Sources
All Photos Baxter Gardens
Garden Trends 2018 – Garden Media
Wabi-Sabi and Understanding Japan
