Gardens Of Bali
Oriental gardens are gardens with a purpose.
They are gardens filled with symbolism. They attempt to create a peaceful ambience, often through simplicity of design. Balinese gardens frequently avoid clutter, and consciously avoid using an excessive variety of materials. The number of plant varieties is often limited. Cultivars are often planted in mass, to create an effect.
Balinese gardens strive to create harmony and balance, often by imitating nature but rarely through the use of symmetry in the design. As a person moves through the garden, a series of pictures or images should unfold. For this reason it is important that the design creates a sense of enclosure.
In a western garden, we think of creating the hard landscape, then adding the plants. But in oriental gardening, the plants and hard landscape components are thought of as inseparable. Natural components such as rock, water, timber and sand or gravel are important, but may often be used in a stylised or symbolic way.
Linda Ross of Ross Garden Tours is planning a tour of Bali in August this year that will visit traditional gardens in Bali's villages, temples and palaces as well as some fabulous contemporary tropical gardens.
Go to: http://www.rosstours.com.au.
