Serenity in the Garden

In honor of my new book, The Spirit of Stone - 101 Practical and Creative Stonescaping Ideas for Your Garden  (St. Lynn's Press, 2017) that was released last week I am sharing this post about stone benches. Stone Bench - Dallas Arboretum - photo by Jan Johnsen Stone Bench by  Johnsen Landscapes & Pools In the heat of the summer when we should be pruning what we really want to do is sit in the cool shade and drink a tall glass of iced tea. Antique sandstone Bench from  English Garden Antiques Ah, a place to sit in the cool leafy shade!  What better contrast to the soft green lushness that surrounds you than a stone seat or bench, immutable, grounded and cool to the touch... sitting on stone outdoors grounds you and aligns you to the earth's electromagnetic pulse... It is like a calming sedative that you feel almost immediately. See some great stone benches at the  Stonepost  website Stone seats in the garden have a

Winterhazel from American NurserymanMagazine What blooms earlier than forsythia, has a delicate fragrance and is an easy-to-care for  compact delight ?  It is also hardy to USDA Zones 6-9 and native to Japan and Taiwan. Buttercup winterhazel    ( Corylops is pauciflora)   Toward mid April (depending where you live), the bare branches of buttercup winterhazel hang with inch-long clusters of soft yellow flowers that appear as little lanterns.   The fragrance is noticeable, making it perfect near a sitting spot.  It was awarded the  Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit (AGM) in 1993.  This is a different species of winterhazel - Corylopsis glabrescens  ‘Longwood Chimes’ has exceptional fragrance. Winterhazel (pauciflora)is good in a small city garden or as a woodland underplanting in open shade.  It glows in front of evergreens and is a perfect pairing with purple   Rhododendron mucronulatum  since  they flower at the exact same time.  And 

Never lose hope, my dear heart... miracles dwell in the invisible. - Rumi