Evergreen trees are generally used and flowering plants are greatly restricted in order to enhance the appreciation of a spray of flowers thrust in a vase awaiting the guests in the cha-seki. While cleanliness is insisted on, an infinite care is taken to grow moss on the ground and on stones, in order to invest the garden with sabi (patina), which is highly valued in all things connected with cha-no-yu. None could lose sight of the fact that the gardens of Nippon, whatever their style, have been very greatly influenced by the cha-seki garden.
[Wabi-sabi (in Kanji: ??) represents a comprehensive Japanese world view or aesthetic centered on the acceptance of transience. The phrase comes from the two words wabi and sabi. Wikipedia, 2007]
