Japanese gardens in Quebec

Happy Monday everyone at GPOD!

We have seen some of the great Japanese gardens that Bas Suharto created in Canada (Building a Japanese Garden, Japanese Courtyard Garden, and Building a Garden with Bass). And today we can see another gentle design. . As an added bonus, we’ve included a variety of mockups that we created throughout the design process.

I would like to share my friend Stefan’s backyard. Recently he sent me a photo. He added a rock in front of Hakone “Kokufu” (Hakone Croix Makura “Kokufu”, zones 5-9). There is also another photo with a tall rock added in the center of the “island”.

The beginning of his garden. I visited Stephen in Montbleu, Quebec before the COVID-19 pandemic. We discussed his backyard, which had an existing lawn, plants, and trees. This is a photo of the backyard before winter in December 2020.

Stefan wanted less lawn and more organization or grouping of plants for easier maintenance. We proposed a basic design based on the sketch. There are also existing trees such as burgundy smoke trees and fruit trees. We discussed preliminary designs based on this sketch, and he liked the idea.

The sketches were turned into 3D drawings to show the ideal look. Stefan really liked the idea of a Japanese garden with a “peninsula” and an “island” and a dry lake look called Karesansui. (For more on the history of Japanese dry gardens, check out this great article from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign).

Final garden plan including plant list.

During the summer of 2021, we removed, pruned, pruned, and removed existing shrubs and trees. We buried all the branches and leaves to create “hills” and “islands” and covered the bottom with the removed lawn. We added marine compost mixed with topsoil to the planting area. I only worked with Stefan for a few days. The photo above is a photo of the garden being constructed. We installed geotextile beneath 3/8 inch river wash stones and stepping stones (flag stones).

Stefan continues to plant plants himself based on the designs. He planted “islands and peninsulas” with creeping thyme (Thymus serpilum, zones 4-8), a green groundcover.

Last summer I visited Stefan’s Garden for a review. Pruning or fixing certain plants or changing the location of rocks. In early autumn 2024, I visited his garden again. Photos are posted below.

The groundcover on the far right, thyme, is well-growing and has golden Japanese forest grass (Hakonechloa macra ‘Arreola’, zones 5-9).

Grouped hosta ‘Purple Passion’ (Hosta ‘Purple Passion’, zones 4-8) and thyme ground cover.

This is the result of cutting down Japanese maple trees and shaping them into a tree shape during last summer’s (2024) “Niwaki” project.

Another photo of his garden, an area he added with raked gravel and rock placement (see the zigzag rocks moving?)

Thank you, Bass, for sharing yet another rich and inspired design! I’m always jealous of your friends and neighbors who can take advantage of your great eyes.

Do you have a garden you would like to share?

Do you have photos to share? We’d love to see your garden, a collection of particular plants you love, or any amazing gardens you’ve had the chance to visit.

To submit, please send 5-10 photos to: (email protected) It also includes information about the plants in the photo and the location where the photo was taken. We’d love to hear about where you live, how long you’ve been gardening, any successes you’re proud of, what you’ve learned from failures, your hopes for the future, your favorite plants, and any funny stories that happen in your garden.

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