GARDENER'S NOTEBOOK
A Japanese Inspired Garden by Indigo Farm, Inc.
Remarkably Zen and Peaceful
By Jani Gardner
At a truly unique West Tisbury home is an unexpected, breathtaking, yet so very calming, Japanese garden, designed by Michael Turnell and built and maintained by Indigo Farm, Inc.
As you enter this Japanese inspired garden, you are greeted by a few elements found in a traditional Japanese garden, such as a waterfall flowing into a Koi pond, a Zen rake garden and a wooden foot bridge leading to a small bluestone patio. This paving brings one even closer to the flora, plantings and waters of this truly unique, quiescent Japanese garden. All so very Zen and peaceful.
The dramatic, yet serene, water pool is punctuated with seemingly eternal fountain waterdrops. The quiet color burst of plantings, surrounding the pool, includes yellow Lady’s Mantle, cranberry pink azalea, purple iris, rhododendron, plus remarkable native plants and grasses. Each layer of this carefully crafted outdoor art form is serene, unique and vital, lending intrigue and momentum to the next layer.
“We strove to create internal views and focal points within the garden,” tells Michael Turnell, president/chief designer at Indigo Farm, Inc. “We situated green leaf and red leaf maple just beyond the pool area.
The woods provide a backdrop for “holding you in” this unique layered space. Every window provides light and is a “framed photograph from within.”
Credit the mesmerizing waterfall, with its sustaining tempo of continuity, as well as the Japanese lighting fixtures, salvaged cedar posts (cut down on site, to be reused), for continuing the magic of this unique site. “Flat river worn stones catch drainage, while a rain chain just outside that adjacent bedroom, collects water in a special basin.”
Mike Turnell points out that the existing landform worked well as a spot for the creation of the waterfall. About the remarkable rolling, rising, gently falling land, Michael explains that “This was a natural land form. We did very little to change this site, staying within keeping the gentleness of the landforms. We strategically placed rocks and stones to create focal points, pockets for planting, and to add winter interest. This is so rewarding ... creating a space that allows people to slow down. We at Indigo Farm believe in creating a landscape inspired by the spirit of the Vineyard.”
As you enter this Japanese inspired garden, you are greeted by a few elements found in a traditional Japanese garden, such as a waterfall flowing into a Koi pond, a Zen rake garden and a wooden foot bridge leading to a small bluestone patio. This paving brings one even closer to the flora, plantings and waters of this truly unique, quiescent Japanese garden. All so very Zen and peaceful.
The dramatic, yet serene, water pool is punctuated with seemingly eternal fountain waterdrops. The quiet color burst of plantings, surrounding the pool, includes yellow Lady’s Mantle, cranberry pink azalea, purple iris, rhododendron, plus remarkable native plants and grasses. Each layer of this carefully crafted outdoor art form is serene, unique and vital, lending intrigue and momentum to the next layer.
“We strove to create internal views and focal points within the garden,” tells Michael Turnell, president/chief designer at Indigo Farm, Inc. “We situated green leaf and red leaf maple just beyond the pool area.
The woods provide a backdrop for “holding you in” this unique layered space. Every window provides light and is a “framed photograph from within.”
Credit the mesmerizing waterfall, with its sustaining tempo of continuity, as well as the Japanese lighting fixtures, salvaged cedar posts (cut down on site, to be reused), for continuing the magic of this unique site. “Flat river worn stones catch drainage, while a rain chain just outside that adjacent bedroom, collects water in a special basin.”
Mike Turnell points out that the existing landform worked well as a spot for the creation of the waterfall. About the remarkable rolling, rising, gently falling land, Michael explains that “This was a natural land form. We did very little to change this site, staying within keeping the gentleness of the landforms. We strategically placed rocks and stones to create focal points, pockets for planting, and to add winter interest. This is so rewarding ... creating a space that allows people to slow down. We at Indigo Farm believe in creating a landscape inspired by the spirit of the Vineyard.”