Countrywide
the south is wet and humid, the north is more dry
South is rice, cane, and tea
North is wheat and millet
and everybody likes planting corn, soy, melons, and greens
Most of these pics are from a small town south of the capital Beijing
across the river where its cheaper
latitude about 39 degrees north

Here we go

Gotta have big rocks, that is symbolic of the mountains where earth deities and spirit immortals live, basically holding down the fort
front and center

Water is another essential element, ideally with waterfalls
cause out of that rush, plunge, and bubbles is the visual manifestation of universal energy flow chi
willows are the classic waterside plant of antiquity and paintings, as are water lilies
tall reedy things like irises, cattails, and giant reeds bending in the wind are also present
frogs, gold fish, and dragon flies are all part of the ideal scene

The hardscape walks unravel like tapestries and scroll work
patterns are repeated, centers are accented, theres a bit of mix and match going on
smooth and rough pebble – some painted, some natural
granite and concrete, marble and jade, its all over the place lol
floral geometry is the main theme – billowing and spiraling motifs

Structures are bright and showy, cause that’s where the dragons live
open sided for viewing, clear in and out portals
with benches for plenty, suitable for two to three to twelve to take a rest in the shade,
check your phone or write calligraphy, change a diaper or take a snack

Window frames and interiors got the blend of curves and straight lines
shapes that focus the minds eye with something other than just a rectangle

Garden tables and seats are flat topped smooth with wonky sides
occasionally elaborate, sometimes not so au naturel but symmetric and clean cuts
take out your tea set, and a basket of yummies for a daytime event
and prep some shebabs of meat and a bottle of alcohol for a moon viewing night

Garden beds are terraced in the same way that farm plots are, for ease of irrigation and water retention
at the ground level, hostas and daylilies are perennial favorites, dying back in the snowy winter

shrub wise it is green blocks, miles and miles of hedges, all kept in orderly fashion
euonymous, barberry, and occasionally boxwood too lol

the favored trees of the past thousands of years of poets include –
pine, magnolia, and that whole group comprising prunus
prunus of stone fruits like plum, peaches, almonds, nectarines, apricots

On the streets, fast growing trees are favored by government and planners the world over
so hence you got poplars, catalpas, sycamores/planes, celtis, goldenrain, euonymus
they are all topped and kept in line, equally spaced, lookin like little soldiers on a field

sometimes they are planted in an extensive uniform woodlot monoculture –
for greenery, for pollution abatement, for ease of management
in the summer its is green all over, but come winter most of these trees are deciduous and drop all their leaves
the ginkgos are quite the golden yellow sight, as are the reds and oranges of the maples
graceful tulip trees scattering foliage

Theres a mixture of strategies to keep the tree wells neat and clean
most are some kind of a barrier with a traditional design
try to keep the weeds out, and yet conform to the bumpy tree roots

you also get trees like paperbark brousonettia comin in on their own here and there
and of course, pigweed, thistles, portulaca sow themselves
but the dryness, the heat, and the constant human cultivation and spraying make life hard for weeds
If I leave out bamboos people gonna complain
yes theres bamboos but not as extensive as in the south where theres more moisture

Planted containers are carved and chiseled granite or concrete
begonias do alright, they try chrysanthemums too, and showy million bells calibrachoas
but like everywhere, container soils dry out fast, its hot
and oftentimes the containers outlast the wilting planted material

Aside from the more typical lighting of strung up brass lamps
found this cutie that is in the ding dong ding dong shape of those drums with a pebble on a string
The same kinda celestial motifs extend even to the drainage grate covers, no detail is spared
once you pull up the cover underneath it is the same ol metal grate, but above you have the depiction of floral clouds and heavens

Bathrooms are whimsical
the toilets are a hole in the ground, flushing but requiring agility
if you go there, make sure you know how to do the Asian squat, or you are gonna be in a whole lotta kaka and have an embarrassment of soggy soiled wet pants

Signage is practical and utilitarian
they look like government pamphlets that did not go through the same design committee as all the rest of the garden lol
sometimes people follow the rules, sometimes they do not, it is like that

Of the signage above, the first is for a magnolia, aka jade orchid tree
the second is for the ginkgo tree
the third sign is for the hawthorn tree whose fruits are commonly made into ‘haw’ flakes snacks
and the last sign says: less wine more water, less smokes more tea

Gardeners use the same ol tools more or less wherever they are
brooms, shovels, string trimmers, lawn mowers
and wheelbarrows or carts for garden transport of plants, irrigation pipe, and tools
at the small scale end of farms and gardens China has gone mostly all electric
grandma farmer with a load of long beans to sell
old man gardener with a couple of dug up trees to transplant
they are zipping past big diesel trucks and gas and oil sedans and old fashioned bikes
this conversion to electric transport was all done in the past twenty years or so cause the pollution was so bad you could hardly see a blue sky
it is much better now

And the architecture, well, it is four or five thousand years of emperor style followed by about twenty thirty or fifty years of rapid dense high rise development
some folks still live in a brick compound with a courtyard and livestock
other old time houses have been preserved for modern shoppers reminiscing bout ancient times
while lotta places are full speed ahead packed to the hilt with construction and activity
you know how developers and capital roll

This is about gardens and landscapes,
not about real estate, apartments, factories, stocks, market fluctuations, speculation, interest rates, and so on,
haha, so that’s bout it
the end