context: gardens > general points

Standard Elements

a stone lantern

First, the major ones:

Water

Rocks

Plants

Besides those fundamentals, there are bridges, mostly of stone or earth rather than the better-known curved wooden bridges, though these do exist. Stone lanterns became a major feature with tea gardens - they aren't always used for actual practical lighting, more as decoration. Fences of various kinds are used as aesthetic elements as well as for marking boundaries. Finally, most lakes and ponds had fish in them, with koi carp being big favourites, and birds were naturally attracted to many gardens, though the ones most inclined to eating fish were discouraged.

backwards: borrowed scenery