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How to Make Your Own Frugal Desktop Zen Garden

By Chris Dunmire

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Sand: White sand is used in the Zen garden. You can find white sand at craft and hobby stores or at garden centers. You'll need 1/2" to 3/4" inches of sand to fill your tray.

Shallow Tray: You can buy or build a tray to hold the sand and stones in your Zen garden. Since water and other liquids are absent, you can use any type of materials that works for you: wood, metal, plastic, ceramic, etc.

While the tray can be of any shape or size, it should be shallow enough to allow easy access to cultivating and raking your garden, yet deep enough to allow ample sand and some space at the top so the sand doesn't spill over the sides easily. A 1-inch deep rectangular tray is ideal for your Zen garden. Other possibilities include a picture frame, baking pan, or shallow box. Whatever you choose, a dark color contrasts beautifully with white sand. In my example above, a 17 1/4" x 11 1/2" x 1" large dark gray cookie pan is used.

Rocks: Any small rocks or polished stones will work in your Zen garden. Choose rocks that appeal to you. If rocks don't appeal to you or get in the way of your sandscaping, don't use them. Small polished stones are used in my example.

A Raking Tool: Make your own raking tools from dowel rods or use alternative items like forks, combs, and other pronged-tools to rake the sand in your Zen garden. Ideally, raking tools will have evenly-spaced nibs like a garden rake, but can also have a flat side for raking the sand smooth. I used a black plastic fork in my example for both raking and smoothing the sand.

Project Directions:

The Book of Meditations notes: “A Zen garden is for contemplations, for finding truth and personal enlightenment. It transcends space and time.” Once you have all of your tools and materials together, find a quiet space alone where you won't be disturbed and:

1. Pour the sand into the tray and distribute evenly.
2. Begin raking.

Rake the sand into formations, lines, swirls, dunes, oceans, mountains, valleys, artistic sandscapes, and whatever else inspires you. Use the rocks. Or not. Be a purist or be free. There are no rules in Creative Energy Rakey — only possibilities for personal enrichment and nurturing yourself, and by extension, your creativity.

If you haven't already, please see how I've used the art of Zen gardening to relax, rejuvenate, and enhance my creative flow in my 26 Ways: Zen Garden article. •

© 2008 Chris Dunmire, CoachingYourCreativity.com. All rights reserved. (6/8/08)

About the Author
Chris Dunmire is the founder of the award-winning Creativity Portal® Web site and is a Master-in-training Kaizen-Muse™ Creativity Coach who supports clients through overwhelm, procrastination, perfectionism, and other blocks to their creativity AND celebrates the joyful, expressive parts of being . . . an imaginary being! Connect with Chris to experience how creativity coaching can enrich your life.