The original design of the garden was dictated by the world's oldest gardening manual - a Japanese text written sometime between 785 and 1184 AD. It subscribes to a series of principles including those of Buddhism and geomancy; which most of us will be more familiar with in its popular form of feng shui. Structurally the garden makes use of the two key elements of the natural world: mountains and water. The "mountains" in the garden are the rocks scattered throughout the garden, some apparently randomly, and others built into an impressive rockery and waterfall. A staggered bridge runs across this waterfall, and you can walk across it, peering into the froth of the waterfall to spot enormous koi carp lurking in the pools.
BogglishSuzie has some wonderful photos of the garden in all its summer glory; Gerry at That's How The Light Gets In beautifully captured it in the snow.
