Lee Burkhill’s top tips for designing a Japanese gravel garden

Burkhill was keen to design a “modern take” on a traditional Japanese design. “It’s all about keeping that simple detail, which is really hard to achieve,” he said. Rakes at the ready – we share his top tips to help you create your own meditative space. 

Japanese gravel gardens are usually stylised miniature landscapes, evoking a sense of calm. The gravel often denotes water and can be raked to create a ripple effect. It’s important to choose rocks that contrast or complement each other, with Garden Rescue’s presenter encouraging us in the episode to “be bold and never clutter the space”.  

“Japanese gravel gardens hold real symbolism in Japanese garden design,” said Burkhill. “They are usually used in places where you want either some meditation or quiet contemplation. You use rocks, stones and gravel to represent mountains and the sea. 

“I’m going to be using a number of different types of gravel. We’ve got this gorgeous, fine very white clean gravel that’s going to form the seabed around the pergola area. We’ve then also got these beefy [granite] cobbles that I’m going to arrange in different patterns to provide inspiration, as if you’re looking out towards the mountains.” 

The stones, arranged into rock formations, add a little height and a tactile, sensory element to the garden. Burkhill said that although he could have left the garden with simple gravel that could be raked into formations, he wanted to “pack a punch in this small garden and give Craig and Becky plenty to observe”. 

Burkhill took his time choosing their position, observing each one and working out where he wanted it to go.  

You’ll need somewhere to sit down, switch off from the hustle and bustle of life and observe the stillness of your Japanese gravel garden (or take the opportunity of a quiet moment to read a book). Consider which direction you want to view the garden from, the material of the garden seating you’d like to relax on, and whether you’d like to be under cover. Lee’s design incorporates a modern take on a traditional Japanese pergola made from scaffolding, which Becky and Craig can sit under and gaze at their gravel.  

Before you raise your eyebrows at the mention of scaffold poles (we did too, at first), they’ve been used for good reason – and this pergola design was the feature that clinched the deal and helped Burkhill’s plan win the hearts of the homeowners.  

“This is a new-build house, and it’s surrounded by all sorts of old, industrial buildings,” he explained. “So, I wanted to nod to that and recreate a Japanese pergola with a more modern material. The beauty of the scaffold poles is that they’re really thin, so rather than big, chunky timbers, we’re keeping it really neat and tidy.” 

When the base of your gravel garden is in place, the next stage is to add some height. Burkhill chose a stone monolith to add texture and variety. He spent more than £200 on a “stunning chunk” of gneiss – a metamorphic rock similar to granite. 

“I really want to show all the gorgeous ridges in the stone monolith,” he said. We couldn’t agree more and can imagine the light of the setting sun glinting off glittering particles within its formation. 

Ensure any large rock used is placed in a stable position, with the side facing the seating area – giving consideration to where it’ll be viewed from. 

When it comes to planting around your Japanese gravel garden, striking, low-maintenance evergreens are ideal, and in keeping with tradition (though Burkhill bends the rules slightly). 

“Technically, I am breaking a few Japanese garden design principles,” he said. “Usually, with a gravel garden, you keep the planting evergreen and there are very few – if any – flowers. However, I want to evoke the feeling of being near the sea with the gravel ‘ocean’.  

“I’ve chosen a few specimens of salvias, which are in this beautiful light blue colour, just to give Craig and Becky the feeling that they might be near a river or the sea. All the plants are evergreen and have structure that’ll hold throughout the year.” 

Along with the salvias, Lee settled on a range of simple grass-like perennials, including slender sweet flag (Acorus gramineus). Note that this plant is happiest in very wet soils or next to water if your gravel garden is by a pond.

Lee topped up and smartened a sizeable planting hole cut into the raised decking (which is home to a miniature acer) with materials from his Japanese gravel garden. He added the same granite boulders and then filled the gaps with the same white gravel.  

“Using the same materials in different zones of a garden design gives a visual link and helps tie the whole space together,” Burkhill noted.  

Desperate to discover how you can create your own Zen garden? You can watch the episode in full on BBC iPlayer – you’ll need a TV licence to stream the show online.