and trips to the seashore and bring them home. I wash them off in a bucket of water and leave them sitting atop a low wall, waiting for one of my visitors to stack them. It is a fun activity.
Choose a place to balance your stones where it will not be knocked over. I like to build them at a crossing or entrance to a garden. Select three, five or seven rocks and stack them with the largest at the bottom. Here is the challenge! You must find the balance points of your stones by playing with the shapes and their weight. It takes some deft, light touches, but it is enjoyable to do. It is an especially engaging activity for children in the garden. For added drama, you can also highlight the balanced stone tower at night.
Caution: once you stack some stones, you may be hooked. You may become a full blown stone stacking enthusiast and begin to balance larger ones atop one another in precarious places…it all starts with a few stones.
Stacked stones are a simple way to play with stones. Finding the balance point in each rock makes for a relaxing but focused outdoor activity. The result is a stone-on-stone piece of natural art.
You can collect water-smoothed rocks near the seashore or along river banks. Take a few home and try stacking them with kids or friends.
There is nowhere better than a rocky shoreline to practice your hand at stacking stones. This is what Thomas D. Kent, Jr., does when he visits Grindstone Neck in Winter Harbor, Maine, every summer. Kent creates what he describes as “balanced stone sculptures” using the rocks he collects there. He says he finds solace in wandering the beautiful coastline, which is a change of pace from the hustle and bustle of Philadelphia, where he lives. He selects the stones, balances them and then takes a photo. He admits these are ephemeral and says it is not long before a gust of wind upends them or a seagull mistakes them for a stable perch. He notes, “It is a rare thing when I arrive the following morning to find them all still intact.”
Stacked stone sculptures silently adorn the coastline in Winter Harbor, Maine. Sculptures by Thomas D. Kent, Jr.
Chinese Scholars’ Stones
If you are seeking to place a stone with meaning in your garden, the history of the Chinese scholars’ stone may be of interest to you. These strangely shaped limestone rocks, riddled with holes, furrowed and gashed with indentations, are a highly prized feature in traditional Chinese gardens. Scholars’ stones have been worn away by water and time and stand like organic abstract sculptures amidst ponds, bamboo and patterned paving. Their fanciful presence is a silent nod to the Chinese belief that these specific stones have supernatural powers that entice beneficial spirits into a garden. However, the accepted appeal of scholars’ stones rests on the notion that these fantastical rocks inspire lofty moods. Indeed, scholars’ stones stand tall and connote the vertical thrust of mountains. As Confucius said, “The humane man delights in mountains.”
In a Chinese garden, the size of the rock is not as important as its character and positioning. They are recognized for their resemblance to mountains or caves, particularly the magical peaks and dark grottoes believed to be inhabited by immortal beings. These unusual, some might say beautiful, rocks are judged on four important criteria:
• thinness
• openness
• perforations
• wrinkling
The most highly prized of these water-worn stones are called Taihu stones, coming from beneath the waters of Taihu lake. These limestone rocks have been collected since time immemorial and are rare. They are white or bluish-black and full of deep hollows and holes. It is said that if one strikes these stones they reply with a faint sound. The most highly regarded rocks emit a bell-like ring when struck.
Scholars’ stones with their strange shapes are considered to have supernatural powers, according to traditional Chinese belief systems. Here, the gnarled stone contrasts with the refined and intricate paving pattern in the Garden of Flowing Fragrance at The Huntington in San Marino, California. The weathered limestone rocks, from Lake Tai, symbolize the eternal.
The tall waterfall in the traditional Chinese Garden of Flowing Fragrance in The Huntington in San Marino, California. is set against a wooded backdrop of oaks and pines. It is made up of limestone from Lake Tai and can be viewed from the Pavilion for Washing Away Thoughts.
The primary attraction of scholars’ stones, however, is not their looks but something deeper. Kemin Hu, an expert on scholars’ stones, explained: “Easterners say that scholars’ stones share a telepathic connection with human souls.” It is the soulful qualities of these stones that make them a desired feature in a traditional Chinese garden. This was the reason that in the late 12th century, the artist Mi Fei, a stone-lover, had a pavilion built in his garden. It was expressly for the purpose of the contemplation of his stones. He even had a favorite stone that he bowed to and addressed as his “elder brother.”
The ancient instructions for setting scholars’ stones state that they must appear solidly based — with more of the stone beneath the ground than above. When in groups, the stones should never be symmetrically arranged, and if they are stacked to create an overhanging feature, they should be placed so as to avoid any feeling of instability or artificiality. They may be placed under a stately pine or combined with flowers. If they are large, they can be set up in front of big halls. This is useful stone-setting advice for us today as well.
The personal and spiritual affinity felt for some of these stones was shared by the great Tang Dynasty Chinese poet Bai Juyi (772-846), when he wrote:
Then I turned towards my two rocks asking If they would stay with me when I am old. They could not speak yet seemed to say That they would remain my faithful friends.
Japanese Viewing Stones
Special “viewing stones” are featured in the Japanese Garden in The Huntington in San Marino, California. By silently looking at these water-washed stones, so elegantly displayed, you may experience artistic inspiration or, at least, a relaxing mood.
The popularity of the limestone Chinese scholars’ rocks influenced the development of the Japanese art form known as suiseki or viewing stones. The Japanese had a deep respect for unusually shaped stones, trees, mountains and ponds, believing them to be inhabited by nature deities, so the idea of artful viewing stones was a natural progression. The stones are found in nature, often coming from rivers, and are prized for their natural shape, texture, color and surface pattern. These character stones are untouched by an artisan’s hand and are often displayed on special bases for best effect.
Like other art forms, Japanese viewing stones can be valued for their abstract essence. They may also be prized for their resemblance to perceived realistic scenes and are placed in categories such as Distant Mountain Stone, Stream Stone, Thatched Hut Stone, Human-shaped
