In her book, Ideas and Adventures: 1200-1700, Sonia P. Seherr-Thoss includes a section on Japanese garden design that summarizes some of its salient features. For instance, in speaking of Japanese garden design as manifested in the abstract garden of Ryoanji, she refers to "an extraordinary composition which imposes a spell through the media of only three elements: gravel raked in patterns, a few bits of moss, and fifteen rocks. Textures and a harmonious spatial balance produce a magical impact. The sparseness itself is conducive to meditation as there are no distracting embellishments."

While I'd love to visit such a garden, I can't say I'd want it in my own backyard. I enjoy a certain degree of minimalism, but I want to be "distracted" by showy plants when I step out into my yard.

Seherr-Thoss continues by saying that in Japanese garden design, "the permanence of the landscape design was a primary requirement. The aim was not a colorful display of flowers but a balanced composition with masses and voids, varying textures and tonal values." One's creation in Japanese garden design "was expected to continue through time as originally visualized."

If the potential for low maintenance in Japanese garden design catches your attention, just remember this: if people are going to be walking around on your raked gravel surfaces, you'll be constantly re-raking to maintain that manicured look.