Tea garden

Sunset, August, 2004 by Suzanne Touchette Kelso

The inspiration for Richard Faylor's teahouse garden came from his seven-year stay in Osaka, Japan, where he worked as a writer. "The Japanese have figured out how to borrow a little piece of nature and immerse themselves in it," he says.

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After a hectic workday in Boise, Faylor dons a pair of slippers, strolls into his backyard, and sits back in his teahouse. Reclining on the futon, he gazes upon goldfish and koi swirling in the nearby pond and listens to softly falling water.

Faylor built the teahouse himself in just a few days. The redwood-framed structure, which measures 7 feet wide, 6 feet long, and 4 feet, 4 inches tall, has a concrete-tile roof. In the evening, a lamp provides gentle reading light and illuminates a pattern in the wall (shown top left).

A patio of pavers laid on sand links the teahouse with the pond. Faylor dug the pond 2 feet deep, lined it with rubber sheeting, built waterfalls at both ends, and installed a recirculating pump.

The lean planting scheme includes Hall's honeysuckle, a Japanese maple, and Oregon grape. The pond is fringed with sweet alyssum, Vinca minor, and woolly thyme.

RELATED ARTICLE: Make your garden tranquil

* Surround it. "It's all about enclosure," says Richard Faylor. "The walls enclose the garden, and the teahouse encloses the viewer." Use fences, walls, fabric or wood screens, or plants to do this job.

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* Keep it simple. Limit plants to a few choice specimens for sculptural focal points.

* Create comfort. Compose a shady nook for sitting or lounging by adding a chair, a chaise, or a hammock, with a small table placed nearby for a refreshing beverage or a good book.

* Add water. Whether it's a pond, a small fountain, or even a single water lily floating in a ceramic pot, an aquatic feature soothes the senses.

* Admire nature. Add a pond for fish to swim in or a birdbath or feeder for birds to flit around. Such sights and sounds help the mind unwind.

* Make it glow. Soft, low-voltage outdoor lights make a garden more pleasing after dark.