Claire Sawyers in “The Authentic Garden,” (2007) explores the following five principles that she states “help instill a sense of authenticity.” The five principles are: 1. Capture the sense of place; 2, Derive beauty from function; 3. Use humble or indigenous materials; 4. Marry the inside to the outside; and 5. Involve the visitor. She advises careful observation, and draws upon Japanese concepts of wabi-sabi. I will discuss each of the principles over the next few weeks and describe wabi-sabi! Wabi-Sabi is an interesting concept similar to Ikebana, a Japanese concept for flower arranging.
