Garden visit: Japandi garden at Sylvia's

– It was an open lunar landscape when we moved in here, so we had the opportunity to create a completely unique expression from scratch. I used the first winter after moving in to gather inspiration. You can travel around the world via the garden accounts on Instagram, and along the way I was inspired by several people who mixed black wood with green plants, she says.

Sylvia and her husband Tore decided to create a garden that mixed Norwegian and Japanese elements – a so-called Japandi style. The couple has the garden as a collaborative project. Tore has built most of it himself, while Sylvia takes care of the plants.

A little piece of Japan at Larkollen – white wisteria blooms for about 2.5 weeks and is beautiful when the flower clusters are allowed to hang from a pergola like at Sylvia's.

Sylvia is a trained graphic designer and is passionate about form and creating visual expressions. She loves playing with contrasts.

– I constantly think about hard versus soft, stone versus wood, and black versus green and gray. It is important that the garden is pleasant to look at. There is a thought behind where we have placed most of the things. The elements slide into each other to create peace for the eye. I think good sight lines create harmony and a sense of security, she says.

Elements of nature such as stone, fire, and water create balance and give the outdoor space a meditative feeling.

Black water bowls of various sizes are placed around the garden. The stones make it easier for birds to land.

– I like to sit under the aspen and listen to the leaves whispering to me in the wind. And see how the top of the water ripples a little when it's windy and is crystal clear and calm when it's calm. It's also calming to see how the ornamental grasses sway in the wind. The expression in the garden reflects the strict and simple style we have inside the house so that there is a natural transition between outside and inside, she says.

Sylvia's absolute favorite perennial in June is the white wisteria. Right now it is hanging densely with unearthly beautiful flower clusters over the pergola and smells seductively. When it blooms, you just have to throw everything you have in your hands and enjoy the magic. The buds appear on bare branches and from the moment the first ones can be glimpsed, it creates anticipation: When will they open? How much will it bloom this year? The climbing plants grow every year and create an ever-larger flowering roof in the garden

The white wisteria blooms for about 2.5 weeks and smells like a mix of lily of the valley and honeydew.

– The morning I come out and the flowers have finally burst forth, I can smell the intense scent before I see them. They smell like a combination of lily of the valley and honeydew melon, and the sight and smell are breathtaking. Then all you have to do is sit and enjoy the sea of ​​white flowers dancing so beautifully in the wind. It almost doesn't look real, she says.

Repeating elements create a clean expression. River stones are used as a substrate throughout the garden. The plants grow in black-stained boxes. Stepping stones are repeated throughout the garden.

Sylvia wanted an easy-care garden. That's why she opted out of grass and lawn clippings and instead went for a maintenance-free substrate of river stones. She loves combining form and function. All plants are planted in black-stained, raised wooden boxes that Tore built himself. They are open at the bottom to give plenty of room for the roots. At the same time, they create a tight effect around the growing plants. 

– I think it's nice to have defined boundaries around the plants. It provides a framework and orderliness in the midst of all the lushness. There would have been too much work with edging around the boxes if we had chosen grass as the substrate, she says.

Behind the Buddha head, the iris shows itself in all its floral splendor. The plant fits well into the Japanese style since it is tall, tight and at the same time lush. It is beautiful to plant in groups like here to create extra volume and visual effect. When it has finished flowering, it functions as an ornamental grass for the rest of the gardening season.

The mix of tall trees, shrubs and perennials that return year after year also helps ensure that the garden requires little maintenance. 

“I have chosen plants that become more and more beautiful over the years as they become more established and larger,” she says.

Different seating areas are spread around the different zones, creating flexibility.

Sylvia has been inspired by British garden author and TV presenter Monty Don's philosophy of repeating a maximum of 10 different perennials in smaller outdoor spaces. This provides a common thread in the expression and creates peace. She likes to mix foliage with different types of texture, shape and colors. Japanese maple, black elder and Wisteria have pointed leaves. Ornamental cherry, aspen and wig bush have round leaves, while pine and thuja have needles.

Repeating elements create a clean expression. River stones are used as a substrate throughout the outdoor space. The plants grow in black-stained boxes. Stepping stones are repeated throughout the garden and invite you to go on a journey of discovery. The sky is reflected in black, round water mirrors. Both the pergola, fence, planters and retaining walls are built of black-stained wood. Square lanterns, Buddha statues and natural-colored stone are used as decorative elements. 

– Stone is a hard material, but at the same time the shape is soft. That's why they are exciting to use to shape and experiment with, says Sylvia. Stone can also be used as ground cover in places with open soil. Just make sure to give the plants some air around the trunk, Sylvia advises.

The straight lines are repeated in living walls with black balusters like this one. The dark color makes the green of the plants stand out even more.

Sylvia wanted to create a completely unique outdoor space – and she really did it!

Follow the Japandi garden through the seasons:

• Garden visit: Autumn in Sylvia’s Japanese garden
• Garden visit: Crisp lines against soft snow at Sylvia’s

More from our world of gardens:

• JAPANDI GARDEN - simple, peaceful and balanced

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