Visions of Japanese zen gardens were in the back of our client’s minds when we met with them about their front yard. While not an everyday request, designing zen-style gardens is not out of the question. With our climate’s extremes of hot, cold and dry finding the right plants can be a challenge. These gardens rely on the contrast between void and form. Pathways flow through the heart of the garden, designed to create vantage points and give the sojourner a window through which to glimpse beauty. A singing brook bubbles from an outcropping of massive river boulders, winding its way beneath a stone bridge, ending in a shallow pool.