garden elements
since several
years we have been honing our collection of stone lanterns and water basins
for our clients. Throughout this process it was important to us to choose
shapes which have proven a success in many gardens because they were of
simple beauty.
what to look out for?... more
how do I order?... more
delivery?... more
what are your terms and conditions?... more
about stone lanterns ...more
how do I
put a stone lantern up?...
more
about water basins... more
How do I build a ‘tsukubai’ (water basin arrangement)?...more
what to look out for?
Stone lanterns and water basins are made of grey granite.
As they are hand crafted from natural stone, slight variations in size
and preparation are possible.
All stone lanterns, wherever it seemed sensible, have been fitted with
drill holes for electric illumination.
Square edged light openings are delivered with a simple small wooden frame.
The heights given indicate overall height.
Pillar type lanterns will be sunk into the ground about 20-30cm deep.
Beyond our own stock we can source any shapes, even custom made versions.
Cost is mostly determined by the scale of elaborateness of the shape and
by weight. The lead time for custom makes is approximately four months.back
how do I order?
Let us know by e-mail, fax or phone which item you would
like to order, the approximate delivery time, the delivery address and
your telephone number.
In return we will send you a quote including delivery cost, the delivery
date and, if requested, pictures of the ordered items, since they sometimes
slightly vary in form or finish.
In addition we send you an invoice which as a new customer we kindly ask
you to pay in advance. back
delivery
As soon as the amount due has cleared into our account,
we will send the ordered items by freight forwarding, who in turn will
be in touch with you to inform you of the delivery date. Should you require
a particular delivery date and or time (please specify) it will incur
a surcharge. back
What are your terms and conditions?
All stated prices are ex stock of Bartschendorf and include
19% VAT. The amount is due in full in advance. Delivery is only possible
within the EU and Switzerland. For other countries please contact us.
back
about stone lanterns
Stone lanterns – everybody has seen one sooner or
later and knows, that nearly no Japanese garden can make do without them.
They represent the linking joint of nature and human kind, of garden and
architecture. Likened to be used to steer the view of the garden visitor
into a particular direction, they also set focal points in the garden
design. In that context its function of an illumination device is rather
secondary. Only in tea gardens, where a tea ceremony could be held at
dusk or night time, is the illumination of paths and the water basin a
necessity.
We ourselves offer our customers lanterns predrilled, so that electric
illumination can be installed.
A 25W bulb is perfectly sufficient to illuminate the garden and to indicate
the path, but a tea light can also do just that.
Traditionally they mostly are made of grey or sand coloured granite.
Our stone work is imported from China and are hand made with the help
of electric drills and stonemasonry tools. This explains that even distinctively
defined, historic shapes can vary when finished. back
How do I put a stone lantern up?
It is recommended to be in two to put up a stone lantern
(especially those which are made up of several parts) and have a spirit
level, a tape measure/ foot rule and some flat wooden wedges at hand in
order to bring all pieces together at level and centred. The ground should
preferably be compacted, possibly even underpinned with a cement foundation.
Even safer would be to invisibly fix the individual parts with silicone
or a tile bonding agent.
We offer our lanterns with little window frames. Already on many occasions
we stuck a thin sheet of Perspex behind the frame – we have definitely
surrendered the idea of paper cladding, because the birds (in some desperate
attempt to find food maybe?) had categorically picked it open. back
The shapes
of water basins are as numerous as those of stone lanterns.
The ryoanji- basin (see abouve) is well known because it stands in the
famous Ryoan-ji garden. It has the shape of a Chinese coin it is round
with a square cavity. The characters around the lip of the basin roughly
stand for ‘what I know is enough’ or ‘everything I need
to know, I already have within me’.
Further there are very simple round basins, cubic ones with graphic relief
carvings or basins in the shape of a lotus flower.
A basin is rarely on its own, it is rather embedded in a particular arrangement
of rocks and stepping stones which as a group are called ‘tsukubai’.
Originally the ‘tsukubai’ was a part of the tea garden. The
tea guest ritually cleansed his mouth and hands at the basin filled with
fresh water, before entering the tea house.
Today instead the tsukubai is designed to be a little water feature in
small gardens. Pumped water is drizzling through a hollow bamboo stem,
which then overflows the basin into a storage container. A pump in the
container pushes the water back into the hollowed bamboo pipe.
During summer time due to evaporation the container has to be refilled
more frequently respectively a ‘swimmer switch’ will automatically
adjust the refilling if it is hooked up to a water mains. In winter time
the basin should preferably be drained and the pump removed. back
how do I build a ‘tsukubai’ (water basin arrangement)?
First, countersink
a large (app. 300l) and robust container at the desired location approximately
10cm below the earth level and line the rim with i.e. cement and pebbles.
Several cavity block tiles, a pedestal made of fibre glass or similar
serve as a platform to take the cover or a rost free grate as well as
the weight of the stone basin. It is important that the cover of the container,
be it a fibre glass lid or a grate, has an opening, to make it easy to
access the pump for removal or replacement.
The pump should only be weak. Too high a pressure will result in an uneasy
dripping sound. A 10W pump with a performance of max. 80l per hour is
ideal.
These pumps have to be removed before the frost and should never run dry!
Especially in the summer the water container has to be checked and refilled
every couple of days. The electric cable of such pumps is about 10m long,
but it is advisable to install an outdoor socket nearby.
Now the water basin is placed onto the cover. In order for the water to
overflow evenly, the basin needs to be exactly level. The cover is now
masked with pebbles; the pump opening needs a larger stone to cover up.
Evidently, if you are using a grate, the grid should not be too largely
spaced otherwise the pebbles will fall through.
The bamboo pipe is placed behind the water container and the hose has
to be connected to the pump nozzle.
The container and the water basin need to be filled with water and the
pump placed into the container. Plug it in – done!
It is particularly nice to put rocks and plants around it and possibly
add a stone lantern to the arrangement...back
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