Certain flowering perennials, such as iris and hellebores, also offer attractive foliage year-round. When using herbaceous plants such as hosta and ferns, incorporate them into rock groupings to avoid blank spots in the winter landscape. Learn basic bonsai techniques. These can be applied to pines and other trees planted in open ground not only to limit their size in small gardens, but to achieve the aged, gnarled form that is characteristic of the style. Well-done Japanese gardens tend to impart a feeling of antiquity and timelessness.
Nothing gives the patina of age to a newly-placed boulder or stone lantern like moss.
In a humid climate, moss will eventually settle in on its own. If you re impatient, it s possible to hasten the process by digging moss specimens from a wooded area and carefully transplanting them. Keep them moist until they settle in. It can be a pond, a bubbling stream or a cascading waterfall, but not a fountain. Water brings another dimension to the garden by masking undesirable noises, providing a home for fish and attracting wildlife.