Japanese gardens look awesome and can help turn your backyard into an oasis of calm.
Japanese-style gardens use simple color schemes but have a diversity of plants. You might find moss, grasses, shrubs, and even trees!
Trees can provide shade in your backyard and also space for other plants, like ground covers or shades for other plants with some sun cover from the tree, but it’s important to make sure you choose trees that fit in with your Japanese garden theme. You have several options for trees such as quince, cherry blossoms, Japanese maples, Black Pine, and Styrax.
Keep reading to find out about the different characteristics of each tree, the care they need, and other species that may work well with them.
Quince Fruit Trees
Quince trees are like really big bonsai trees with really nice pink and white flowers in Spring, and unique golden fruit in the Fall.
Fruit and Blossoms
The fruit from quince trees, at maturity, is similar to an apple or pear but has a golden-green color when ripe. These fruits give off a citrusy smell when ripe, and they taste sweet when you cook them into jams, jellies, and pies.
In the spring, the quince tree has tons of pink and white flowers. Quince is safe for humans, dogs, and horses; it is also nontoxic.
The flowers appear in early spring, like May and the fruit ripens in the Fall. The flowers help bring in pollinators such as bees to your gardens which will help your quinces and all the other plant varieties.
When and where to plant
Quince trees are also hardy trees that like full sunlight and moist yet well-drained soil and planting should be done in March and/or April so they can grow and establish during Spring.
They have a south-facing, west-facing aspect and grow to an average size of 13 feet in height and spread.
How to care for Cherry Blossoms
Quince trees are very low maintenance with watering since they can withstand drought conditions for short periods.
Quince will not usually suffer from overwatering, so if you are ever in doubt if they are getting enough water, go ahead and water.
Good companion plants
Quince trees grow well with:
- Forsythia
- Flowering almond
- Spirea
- Mock orange
- Pyracantha
Cherry Blossom Trees
Cherry Blossoms are some of the most recognized trees in Japan. Japan has festivals every year mostly in March and April when the trees bloom in pink and white flowers.
Toyko cherry blossom trees are some of the more recognized.
Fruit and blossoms
Cherry blossom trees grow fragrant white flowers in the Spring that turn into small black fruit near to the end of the fall growing season. Their green leaves turn some brilliant shades of orange and red in the Fall seasons.
These flowers will begin blooming March and April and they will not attract any pollinators or other wildlife.
Cherry Blossoms can also be poisonous to horses, dogs, and cats so let that guide you when deciding to use them in your garden space.
Where and when to plant
Cherry Blossoms prefer a south-facing, west-facing aspect. They average around 39 feet high and 29 feet wide when mature.
They like full sun and well-drained, moist soils. You’ll want to mulch with either garden compost or well-rotted manure each year. There is debate over the best planting time as spring and fall have both worked well for tree specialists.
How to care for and prune Cherry Blossoms
Water moderately while the Cherry blossom tree is establishing—once per week for around 30 minutes and once established, they will only need to be watered every two or three weeks.
You will want to prune your Cherry Blossoms when the tree is dormant during winter and only start pruning when the tree is 5 years or older. You only need prune dead branches and can do minimal cutting a little for shape.
Good companion plants
Cherry blossoms grow well with:
- Marigolds
- Comfrey
- Chives
- Daisies
- Spring bulbs like tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, irises, allium and crocus
- Nasturtium
- Sweet Alyssum
- Lupine and white clover
- Lavender and rosemary
Japanese Maple Trees
Japanese Maple trees come in all leaf colors and shapes and will turn vibrant colors in the fall! Also they will appreciate being underplanted with something like shrubs, or hakonechloa!
When and where to plant
Japanese Maples are perfect to plant in the fall as it allows them to start establishing roots while being dormant!
That said, you can plant them in the spring, but while frost damage is not a threat to the new plant.
You will want a location that is sheltered from wind, with well-drained, moist soil that contains organic-type materials.
None of the parts of Japanese Maples are poisonous to humans or pets.
How to care and prune Japanese Maples
Japanese Maples will require that you keep watering them regularly and do not over or under water too long, please avoid the extremes.
Once the tree has established its roots, it will be able to tolerate a little more changes to conditions. We would recommend, to not use fertilizers until the second year of growing, and then only in early spring before may, fertilizer can impact the roots negatively.
Japanese Maples require little pruning as long as you are okay with the tree’s natural design features. If you are willing to let your Japanese Maple grow to an airy design, you may wish to thin out the number of branches over time.
The best time for pruning out the branches is july and august when sap will not be running in the branches.
Good companion plants
Japanese Maples grow well with:
- Ginkgos
- Dawn redwoods
- Conifers
- Sedum
- Dianthus
- Azaleas
Black Pine Trees
If you include some black pines in your Japanese garden, they will be a good evergreen plant option for your landscape. Their needles contribute to an acidic soil when they fall to the ground, which benefits other plants like azaleas that prefer a more acidic soil ph.
If you want a neat and tidy backyard, however, the Black pine should not be your pick, as it will drop its needles regularly.
When and where to plant
While Black pines are strong trees and can grow all year round, there are hardier options on this list. They need full sunlight and sandy silt soil.
Another consideration, as a plant that prefers salty soil, Black pines may be best suited for properties located near a beach. Black pines can reach heights of 15 to 40′, with spreads of 20 to 35.
Black pines are not toxic to either humans or animals.
How to care and prune Black Pines
Black pines need watering at least once a week. This is especially important in the first year of planting, but after the first year, they will be able to handle more adverse conditions.
Ensure the soil is well-drained, as Black pines do not tolerate wet conditions well. You may need to add some fertilizer in the spring to create the right mix, since they prefer acidic soil.
Black pines are okay with humidity but are sensitive to cold. If the temperature stays around ten degrees Fahrenheit for a while, their needles will turn brown and become dry.
Good companion plants
Black pines grow well with:
- Red maple
- Juniper
- Forsythia
- Spruce
Styrax Trees
Styrax trees are native to Japan and have white, bell-shaped blossoms that bloom in the summer months. It’s commonly called the Japanese snowball tree because of its distinctive flowers.
Blossoms and leaves
Styrax trees have wide branches and a fan-shaped growth habit so that they grow well adjacent to ponds or walkways that allow their branches to hang over them.
The pretty bell-shaped flowers bloom from early June until the end of August, and its pale green leaves turn a particularly bright yellow in the fall. Flowering will take place from early June until the end of August.
Styrax trees are non-toxic to humans and any pets.Â
When and where to plant
You should plant your Styrax trees in either March or early winter to allow their roots to establish themselves while the rest of the plant is dormant.
Styrax trees will grow in full sun to partial sun; if you live in a more temperate climate than where it is native, and you can plant it in the shade, that will be fine. However, if you live in an area that’s a little colder, you should give the tree the full sun option.
Styrax trees prefer well-drained to acidic soil, with an eastern, western, and southern aspect. They will usually grow to about 39 feet high with a spread of 26 feet.
How to care for and prune Styrax trees
You will need to prune the branches each year to keep them in check.
You will also need to regularly water your Styrax trees as they do not like to dry out in the hot sun, but be careful not to over-water as they do not like wet roots either.
Good companion plants
Styrax trees grow well with:
- Hydrangeas
- Lily of the valley shrub
- Lenten rose
- Mountain laurel
- Hosta
Final Thoughts
Adding trees to your Japanese garden is an excellent way to add height diversity and shade for the species that prefer it.
When you plant trees that bloom flowers, it can help encourage more bees and other pollinator for your backyard so that your plants can benefit from them.
Plus, more trees will result in a benefit to your soil too, as the leaves drop to the ground in the autumn and create organic matter that will break down and improve the nutrient value of your soil.
More than anything, it would be an excellent way to tie the scenery of your backyard when inspired by a Japanese garden aesthetic.