It is said in Japan that with one stone and a solitary tree, Shozo Arai can create an entire world. Arai is among just a few dozen master gardeners in the Zen tradition.

We may fail to comprehend the fuss over a Zen garden containing little but gravel and a handful of rocks. Yet the Western need to fully control the garden environment equally perplexes Japanese gardening practitioners who seek instead to harmonise what already exists rather than subdue it.

Teiji Ito, an architect, gardener and interpreter of Japanese gardening philosophy, says of western technique: “Trees are ordered, paths are straightened . . . he (the gardener) will never become lost while taking a stroll because he, the lord of creation, has himself made the garden.”

The Japanese harmonise and enhance what is already there. Rocks, mosses, water, evergreens and their context are the chief expressions. The tsukubai, or tea garden, uses lanterns, and attempts to harmonise the gardens within the context of a tea house or water source. Zen gardens, designed primarily for meditation and the development of harmony, use gravels and stones to represent dry oceans and islands. Most common is the kaiyu-shiki teien or tour garden.

I recently visited the Japanese gardens in the Irish National Stud, Tully, Co Kildare, which were created between 1906 and 1910. They were devised by Colonel William Hall-Walker, who later became Lord Wavertree, and were laid out by the Japanese designer Tassa Eida and his son Minoru.

Lord Wavertree chartered ships to collect many of the garden’s plants, statues and ornaments. After the sale of the estate in 1915, they went into decline. Then iIn 1946 the Japanese Gardens secured a horticultural supervisor.

Jim McCabe, current head gardener, says: “Late summer into autumn is one of the best times to appreciate the gardens as the foliage colour comes into its own.” Anemone hupehensis ‘Japonica’ (Japanese Thimbleweed) which flowers in colours from white to carmine pink, is spectacular.”

While it might take a lifetime of study to become a master Japanese gardener, we can at least glean from McCabe a list of plants at the core of the Japanese style.

Japanese maple: Two of the most beautiful are Acer palmatum ‘Osakazuki’ and A palmatum ‘Shishigashira’.

Throughout the summer the leaves are green but, like many Japanese plants, it comes into its own in the autumn when the foliage turns a fiery scarlet. Acer p ‘Shishigashira’ is a very slow-growing form.

It has lovely upright growth and the leaves are dark green, changing to old gold in autumn.

Japanese Angelica: Aralia elata produces panicles of white flowers which appear from the base of branches in early autumn. This is a large shrub or small tree which is mainly grown for its attractive, large leaves. Again, autumn brings a lovely golden colour to the leaves before they fall.

Bamboo: Arundinaria auricoma is a compact bamboo that spreads slowly. Its leaves are striped irregularly with yellow and it never exceeds 4ft. When buying bamboo, steer clear of the invasive types.

Katsura Tree: Cercidiphyllum japonicum, commonly called the Katsura tree, is an attractive species with leaves similar to those of the Judas tree only smaller. This forms a small- to medium-sized tree. In autumn the leaves develop a soft yellow and sometimes smoky pink colouring at the same time. Before the leaves fall, the tree produces a sweet scent just like burnt sugar. This tree needs rich, deep soil to grow well.

Maidenhair tree: Another of McCabe’s favourites is Ginkgo biloba. “Fossil records of this species have been dated at about 190 million years,” McCabe says. “In the East they are a sacred tree. Its foliage is a distinctive fan-shape and the leaves turn clear yellow before they fall.”

Hosta: A wonderful perennial is Hosta fortunei ‘Aureovariegata’. It dies away in winter and re-emerges in spring. This variety has lovely golden-yellow variegated leaves. It's ideal for shade and will grow in most soils, although slugs and snails can quickly destroy the leaves.

Japanese Yew: Taxus cuspidate is an excellent fast-growing tree or shrub which can help to create a well-sculpted anchor for a shady site. As equally versatile as hedging, the female yew trees produce an attractive red berry.

Bonsai: “We have several bonsai, the oldest of which, Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Aurea’, is about 150 years old,” says McCabe. If let grow freely in the garden it would make a conical tree with flattened sprays of golden yellow foliage. Conifers look great all year round but particularly in winter when so many of other trees, such as maples, have lost their foliage. McCabe says: “If you’re limited on space, you could try a low-growing Cryptomeria such as C japonica ‘Bandai-sugi’. This variety is very slow growing and remains small. It has a compact bushy habit which becomes more irregular in old age. The foliage is green, turning bronze in very cold winter weather.”

Japanese Cherry: Prunus spp ‘Pink Perfection’ has flowers that are rose pink in bud and a paler tone once open. They are carried in long drooping clusters in mid to late spring. The young foliage is bronze-tinted. It is spectacular in spring when in full flower.

Emmenopterys: “One of our rarest treasures is Emmenopterys henryi,” says McCabe. The sought-after tree was discovered in the early 1900s and named after Augustine Henry, the Irish plant hunter. “It hasn’t flowered at the Japanese gardens and has only recently been recorded as flowering in cultivation. I believe it flowers in June or July, producing beautiful large white bracts. It’s hardy and is growing well,” says McCabe.

Dermot O’Neill’s articles are archived on his website, www.dermotoneill.com

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