Japanese Maple beside a Pond

A red Japanese maple bends over a quiet pond, its leaves reflected between mossy rocks and tall reeds. A low wooden bridge crosses the far side, while koi move below the surface in orange, white and charcoal shapes. Waterfalls, stepping stones and layered shrubs give the garden more than one route through the picture.

The maple trunk and thick branches provide the first dark structure, with leaf clusters branching away from it. Sort the koi by their markings before placing them into the rippled water. The bridge makes a clean horizontal line, while the stepping stones create a broken path along the foreground. Reeds form narrow vertical groups at the right. Keep the reflections and small waterfall for last, once the pond's edges are established.