The teahouse is the "ultimate expression of Japanese culture," says Mosko. Visitors to a tea house rinse their mouths and splash water on their faces before entering. The teahouse is of cedar with Douglas fir posts. The shoji panels, removable, are rice paper sandwiched between glass. The teahouse has electric and gas, allowing for brewing of tea leaves and quiet garden contemplation. The groundcover is blue fescue grass and Veronica lewanensis. Mugho pine and Euonymus alatus compacta make up the shrubbery. Mosko likes to use low groundcovers to show the contours of the land. The trees are Acer palmatum shigemori, Acer palmatum bloodgood and thornless hawthorne.

I won't delve much further into this philosophy, as it is too encompassing for this article, but will briefly speak to the contemplative garden concepts of earth-water-fire-air-space.

Earth

Stones and mountains are the earth elements, the unchanging aspect of the garden. "Once they are set, the energetic personality of the garden is set," says Mosko. There must be a balance between the stones and the garden's other elements.

White Mountain, to the west of Mt. Sumeru, houses the shrine to Amitabha Buddha. The keyhole windows of the shrine frame the torii gate and a view of Mt. Sumeru. All paths here are straight and geometric, masculine (Yang) elements. The foreground plantings are yellow and white daffodils; the mid-ground is Hawthorne, dwarfed scotch pine, lanterns from Bali and white tulips; the background reveals more white tulips and the fountain in front of the shrine. The steps are granite.

Water

"There must always be water in the garden," asserts Mosko. The qualities of water are myriad: clarity, purity, freshness, power, reflectivity, depth, movement, sound"???stillness. It is what connects and leads the visitor through the garden. He notes that water in gardens was not employed in the west until the Italian Bramante in the 16th century. While the French and Italians were using water in the center of gardens, the Japanese moved the water off-center, the Japanese aesthetic of slight imperfection, Mosco explains. If water cannot be present, a water basin or dry streambed will do.

Fire

Trees and plants are fire metaphors, expressing the sun's heat and light that gives them life. "Plants balance with earth and water to give the garden its character," writes Mosko. Color theory, says Mosko, is useful but should be contemplative, not formulaic. Color, in Buddhism, describes five energies: blue=clear, cool (wisdom to see things as they are); yellow=richness (fulfillment, fruition); red=passion (seduction); green=activity (accomplishment); white=calm knowing (peaceful understanding).

Turtle mountain leads to the veranda off of the master suite. It has a hot tub and teak bench. Snow Lion Mountain (at right) is covered with Turkish veronica and dwarf pussytoes.

Air

The energy of the garden, what the Chinese call chi, is the air element, brought into form by paths, bridges and the garden structures which air flows through, as a narrow rock gate. Air is energy expanding. A path leading ("blowing toward") to a stopping place creates tension. Paths generally meander through the garden and return to the origin, offering vantage points for viewing. Yin and Yang are at work. Straight, direct paths are masculine; curved, unfolding, undulating paths are feminine. The path that narrows or becomes rough with stones slows the pace.

Space

Space is the opposite of form and energy. It is not a dead area awaiting to be filled, but lines and patterns broken to open space. Contrasting sizes of space are significant. A small, protected or shaded area invites stopping and sitting. Such an area is more effective when approached from a more open area.

"When the "presence of infinite space can be felt, the garden design has succeeded," writes Mosko.

The fanciful path was designed by Chester Simmons and Mosko's son, Basho, at another garden. It incorporates dimensional strips of sandstone, Mexican pebbles set in black mortar, and cobbles and three-quarter inch thick granite set in mortar.

Other Points to Consider

Entrances"???The entrance to a garden is important, as it sets the first impression. In Chinese, Mosko explains, one first enters a small "room," then passes through a gateway into the first area of the garden via a threshold"???a bridge over water, an allee of trees, an opening in a hedge. The entrance establishes the mind and mood. Mosko believes a garden should have a maximum of four entrance/exit points. One gives the most "control."

Boundaries"???The garden must have boundaries to establish a frame of reference, just as paintings are framed to focus attention. Mosko believes a soft boundary is ideal, such as a ridge. Shrubs can form a boundary, of course, and fences. Although not "soft," fences make precise boundaries and can also separate areas within the garden.

Red tulips accent the entrance to Red Mountain. In the background is a plum tree.

Structures"???Structures leads people off pathways. They can be as simple as stones or as elaborate as the teahouse and shrine in this feature. The Mosko teahouses are tranquil, inviting, built with low ceilings (a man's scale). Shrines, however, are larger dimensioned and elevated toward the heavens. Bridges are used as entries to paths, representing the outer world to the inner. Masculine structural elements are linear, geometrical, upright, strong; feminine elements are rounded, twisted, softer and more inviting. Mosko balances and harmonizes the masculine structures with the feminine elements. The garden designer seeks to blend structures to the garden, not to the home, as the garden structures and the residence are generally not view simultaneously.

Grottoes, Caves"???These elements offer a "profound experience of quiet and the internal," providing the opportunity to incorporate interesting approach elements.

Light"???Light and space are highly interconnected. As you move through a garden the light is every changing. The contrast of light and dark brings drama and organizes space. Shadows retreat backgrounds and make them appear smaller. Lighter areas help frame and give order. "The effect of a red flower can be doubled in direct sun," notes Mosko. "The shadow cast by the home itself should be a design consideration." Nature, of course, the time of day, the season and whether it is sunny, cloudy or rainy, dramatically alters the garden and its forms. It's all about controlling space and light.

Viagra falls is about nine feet high. Water flows down from the mouth of the Dragon into a river that cascades into the pond, recirculated via a 5 hp pump. The pond is a concrete shell covered with an EPDM liner and then gunited with six inches of cement to protect the liner. All rocks were hand selected but not modified except for the bridge stones. The waterfall stones were set on a base of concrete and then cemented into place with shrink proof concrete. All the granite, 4,000 tons, was hand-selected by Mosko from the Albert Fry quarry in Clear Creek. Chester Simmons, who worked with Mosko since 1985, set the stones. He was killed in a trailer accident four years ago.