Photography by and courtesy of Don Freeman

Come with us on a tour of the Japanese-inspired garden of gallerist Peter Blum and his wife, Rita. Designed by Marc Peter Keane, a specialist in Japanese gardens, the Irvington, NY garden inspires contemplation and serenity.

Keane sourced bluestone from the Catskills.

To provide enough nutrients for the lush plants, Keane had the existing dirt removed and replaced with topsoil.

A gneiss stone, sourced from Connecticut, was carved into a flowing water basin.

The exterior of the house is sided with knotless cedar.

The sand garden is not meant to be entered; rather, guests sit and observe on a cedar slab bench.

The boulders and small-leaf azaleas symbolize islands and coastlines.

Finely crushed granite was used for the sand.

Keane installed a system of perforated pipes in a trench below the sand to encourage drainage.

Daily raking is required to keep a sand garden looking precise.

An island of mondo grass and small-leafed azalea surrounds a Japanese maple tree.

Bluestone boulders carve a path through the sand.

Keane had a bamboo grove planted beyond the garden.