Whimsical

Stephen,
Actually, there is a style of japanese gardening that applies specificly toward small areas. You'd do best to goto your local library and do some research. For some reason that escapes me, japanese gardening is a topic scarcely touched in detail on the web(as far as I can find). But basically, you would want to find a confined little area of your yard, and try to add the elemental features of japanese gardens. These are rock, water, and least importantly plants/trees. Moss is an excellent feature in a japanese garden for areas to place stepping stone paths. Never induce a straight line of any of the elements. Formations of plants, stones, and water should be asymetrical. And, for plants and stones should always be in odd numbered groupings if possible. Trees are trained to be smaller than their wild counterparts, but usually not to the extent of bonsai, although through similar techniques and styles. As Robert said, mostly green plants are used to instill a sense of timeless tranquility. In a "corner garden" such as this you would probably only have one accent specimon tree. Japanese red maples and cherry trees are very popular choices for this. The accent tree will bring the changes of the seasons to your little paradise, adding an element of connectiveness to nature. In a garden of this size, many times the element of water is displayed through the use of bamboo deer chasers, or stone wash basins. Both of these can be done beautifully, cheaply, and with much less care than a pond.

There is a brief intro to the art. It will take a good bit of reading and planning. And, a whole crapload of practice in your garden to get a good grasp on the style. As for how cheap, it can be done affordabley. You can find your own rocks, or make them from concrete. Mondo grass, juniper, iris, and other traditional plants are found cheap.