623 Fortune Crescent, Empire Tower, Suite 210 Kingston, ON K7P 0L5
Members of the Ontario Society of Landscape Architects & Canadian Society of 
Landscape Architects

A Stone Garden Design Solves Problems

Feb 04, 2018
It is sometimes surprising how design ideas pop into your head. Occasionally there is a spontaneous synthesis of inspiration and experience but usually ideas are a result of research, serious thought and the client’s wish list. Sometimes landscape problems are solved simply through discussion with an experienced professional.

The design process begins with inventory and site analysis and discussion of the clients objectives. After that there could be several directions to choose from. Or, one could just get that flash of perfect insight.

One recent project had the following parameters. A favourite, authentic Japanese lantern to incorporate; needed camouflage of septic covers and standpipes; improved surface for the service yard and a more interesting view from the upper level Materials available on site were limestone and other boulders and cedar rails, historically used on the property.
Stone Landscape by Mirei Shigemori
In Japan, there are many examples of gardens that depend primarily on stone arrangements although they are somewhat rare in this country. However, this image discovered long ago and vividly remembered, seemed the perfect inspiration. (As it happens, this stone landscape was designed by a very famous landscape architect of Japan – Mirei Shigemori – for the Yuzen Kimono Dyeing Union Headquarters, Kyoto 1975. The photo is, I believe, from a book by Gunter Nitschke. Google Mirei Shigemori for more information)

The proposed plan, not quite as brilliant as the Shigemori inspiration, satisfied all the parts of the program and re-used materials in a new way. Although it does not include plant material, there is enough surrounding garden and greenery for contrast.
Stone Garden by day
Most interesting on a bright night, the stone garden becomes a Moon Garden sparkling with frost on the different stones and creating unusual drifts in winter. Sometimes that flash of inspiration really works!
Moon Garden from above

A Book for All Seasons

28 Feb, 2018
Whether you are in the doldrums of January or the sweltering heat of August, Nature’s Year –Changing Seasons in Central and Eastern Ontario, has many fascinating facts to alert you to the ongoing rhythms of the natural world. This book is written by Drew Monkman a retired teacher, naturalist and newspaper columnist. Each monthly chapter describes exactly what the birds, bees, mammals, fish, weather, plants and fungi and also the night sky is doing. This organization allows you to read the most relevant information and return to the book many times. If you are reading in your armchair, I’ve found it stimulates your interest in the outdoors. It helps interpret the many inter-relationships going on out there. If you are walking in the woods, the book tells you what to look and listen for. It also mentions typical smells of the season such as maple syrup. For the current chapter, “March – Waiting for Spring-To-Be” we can be assured that migrating birds are returning throughout the month So let those bird songs be your cue to take a walk in the woods to hear the owls or a bike ride along the lake to check out shorebirds or a trip to the countryside to collect pussy willows. Here is a small checklist of birds back now. Robins Red Winged Blackbirds Red Tailed Hawks Grackles Turkey Vultures Tree Swallows I’ll bet you’ve seen them because it’s all true. Wondering what will happen in April? – Frog Song and Sky Dancers page, 82!
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