better. I like to use coarse granite, because it is available in my part of the world, and I admire its dense character and grainy texture. Granite, an igneous rock, was formed during the fiery beginnings of our earth and is associated with balance, stability and determination. Healers say it is a guardian stone that offers protection and enhances the ability to be practical. It is said to disperse negativity. This is the “gift of granite.”
A Napping Stone…
Pets love to soak up the sun while stretched out on a large rock. Why not place a large flat stone in your garden as a napping place for your pet? It is the opposite of a standing stone and can be nestled in some foliage, hidden away.
Your choice of stones to use should be made both with your mind and with an instinctive “knowing” on your part. In fact, choosing the right stone and placing it upright is more a matter of collaboration with the stone than anything else. The secret is to learn to listen to the wordless instructions of the rock. Your eye may fall upon a stone and you will know that this is the right one to use. After that, it may tell you more. When I set a standing stone, I will look intently at it and let the rock “tell” me if it is correctly placed, at the right angle, etc. I know it sounds odd, but try listening to the stone, and always know there are no wrong choices.
This naturally “white-washed” standing stone is in the garden of Phillis Warden in Bedford Hills, New York. The stone sits in a plant bed with a beautiful Japanese red pine (Pinus densiflora) as an evergreen backdrop.
Using Local Stone
Stone that is native to your area can quietly connect you to a place, since it resonates with its surroundings. By becoming familiar with the native stone, we can know the area better. The granite mountains of New England tell a different story than the schist of Manhattan island or the limestone hills of Indiana. Each has a different pulse and impacts us differently.
Using native stone in a garden rather than synthetic materials elevates the garden. The Japanese architect Kengo Kuma likened using local materials to making sushi: “If the journey of the ingredients is too long, the taste of the sushi is compromised. That is a problem that can’t be solved by modern technology, and that program of using local material in season is the secret of good taste…”
A standing stone in the Crawick Multiverse designed by Charles Jencks celebrates both the earth and the sky.
Magnetic Rocks
The perception that rocks are lifeless and inert is wrong. In fact, some rocks are magnetic and resonate to the pull of the sun, moon and earth. This eye-opening concept may explain why certain stones are deemed by some cultures to be beneficial in a garden.
This photo is a striking example of a magnetic stone. Its magnetic attraction is so strong that the paper clips adhere to a hand that sits upon the rock! It contains a great deal of magnetite, which is the same stone that ancient mariners used to create their navigational compasses. It is located in the magnificent estate garden Lotusland, in Montecito, California. You can try it there for yourself.
An Artful Cairn for Your Garden
A stacked cairn of local stone sits on the grounds of Phillis Warden’s garden in Bedford Hills, New York.
You might want to consider including a stone cairn in your garden. The grace and beauty of these towers of stone add a special meditative quality to a garden and can vary widely in appearance. It is fun to make a cairn! You can choose to simply place stones in a tapered pile using rounded or flat stones of any size. Or you may choose to fashion them into a more shapely form, such as a rounded or egg-shaped structure. If so, use flat stones, because they stack more easily than round ones. They also lock together better, as long as the joints are staggered. There should be no need to chisel the stone if you take time to hand pick each stone.
The size of your cairn depends on its intended purpose and surroundings, but for safety’s sake, don’t build a cairn that is taller than you. To begin, dig a hole in the ground about 12" down, compact the earth and lay down filter fabric within the hole. This helps make the foundation more sturdy. Install a 6”-thick layer of angular (not rounded) gravel or crushed stone and compact it thoroughly. You can make it a little thicker if you want, just be sure to install in 2-inch layers and compact it thoroughly. Check that the gravel base is level.
Note: Do not install the cairn in a low spot of the property without providing proper drainage. Use several stones or one large stone for the cairn’s base, making sure that they cover the entire base, are level and very stable. The base is the most important part!
Lay a second course of stones on top of the first course. Stagger the stones and joints as if you were laying bricks. The cairn can become gradually narrower from its bottom to its top or can be a straight column. If a stone doesn’t lie flat on the stone below it, insert a smaller stone to act as a stabilizing wedge. Place larger capstones at the top. It takes practice and patience – slow and steady is the way.
A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral.
~ Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Advice from a Stone Sphere Maker – Devin Devine
A mesmerizing spherical stone creation by Devin Devine.
Devin Devine is a stone mason and artist residing in Pennsylvania. Among other things, Devine builds spherical cairns for his clients. He never calls them cairns but simply “dry stone spheres.” He says, “My preference is to build them dry laid, but sometimes well-hidden glue and/or cement may be included in order to protect from vandalism or to make smaller sculptures movable.” Devine also sometimes includes small notepaper with his prayers and poems for humanity written on them. He encloses the paper, along with pieces of quartz, in the center of the spheres as he builds it.
Devine writes that “stacked stone spheres are kind of challenging. The risk of collapse is there, especially at the halfway point. And getting the flow just right is not something that I take very lightly. This type of project does involve a bit of play…but overall it really is not so much whimsical or spontaneous, but rather thoughtful and calculated.”
You can read more about his process at his website: www.devineescapes.com.
Stacking Stones — Zen Stones
A far simpler variation on making a cairn is simply stacking a column of smooth stones. The sight of tumbled, water-buffed river or beach stones – sometimes known as Zen stones – balanced atop one another quiets us in a very subtle way. Perhaps this is because rounded rock is a soothing sight.
You can create a stacked stone tower anywhere in the garden. I collect a
