popular outdoor feature in the 17th century.
In 1625, English philosopher Francis Bacon wrote in his “Essay of Gardens” about forming a high “mount” in the center of a landscape: “I wish also, in the very middle, a fair mount, with three ascents and alleys enough for four to walk abreast; which I would have to be perfect circles…; and the whole mount to be thirty foot high.”
Visitors would walk up a three-story grassy hill via a path spiraling around to the top. The walk would cut into the mound, making it look like a snail shell, thus the name “snail mount.” The gradual ascent, going round and round, was perfect for ladies in their stiff hoop skirts. Their climb was rewarded at the top with a view of the formal gardens below. A power spot indeed! I suspect that another reason for creating a snail mount may have come from the availability of excess soil that was generated from the creation of the water features and sunken gardens popular during this time.
A Quiet Power Spot
A shady spot and a secret path enhances a power spot.
The lookout reigns over a garden, but the shadowy niche nestles within its heart. This kind of quiet power spot is “a place to dream and linger in of a summer evening, green with perpetual verdure.” So wrote the American poet and author Hildegarde Hawthorne in The Lure of the Garden. Such a place becomes a sweet outdoor sanctuary, as in the seclusion experienced under a wisteria-covered arbor, beneath the canopy of a wide-spreading apple tree or beside a ferny grotto. Interestingly, a garden that contains both a bright open area and a muted, shady spot makes for the most appealing locale, as it blends two distinct atmospheres. Imagine, for example, sitting on a bench under the protective canopy of a tree and looking out onto an open sunny lawn.
This was a shady spot that I enhanced with a stepping stone path, ostrich ferns, and a rock bordered dry stream that serves as a seasonal drainage feature. Sustainable, functional and lovely – a quiet power spot indeed!
A Woodland “Folly”
Shady corners can become power spots if you enhance them in some way. You can do this simply by clearing brush away from around a large tree or placing an art piece in a forgotten corner or niche among plants. I was once asked to draw attention to a shady spot at the edge of a distant wooded hillside. It could be seen from the house and the property owner suggested I design a folly for this neglected area. A folly is a picturesque feature, an eye-catching decorative element. They were common in 18th century European landscapes and were often built in the form of Roman temples or ruins, placed atop a faraway hill on an estate or set in a wooded hollow.
Following this time-honored tradition, I set four cast stone columns in an arc in a leveled area of my client’s garden. I used four columns and four curved grass steps to define the front of the folly. In many traditions, the number 4 represents the Earth, and so groupings of four elements are considered very stable and grounding. I retained the hill behind with large rocks and planted low growing pachysandra around them. This evergreen ground cover plant forms a dark green backdrop behind the light colored columns, evoking a rustic elegance amidst wooded surroundings. A shady corner power spot, indeed!
Four cast stone columns help to “ground” the scene.
A Garden in Tune with the Four Directions
In this age of GPS navigation, the cardinal directions of North, South, East and West may seem nothing more than useful aspects of highway signs. But in ages past, the “Four Winds,” as the directions were called, were an important consideration when laying out buildings, towns and gardens. For example, the main shopping road of ancient Roman towns was called the cardo, or heart, and always ran in a north/south direction. This tenet of town planning can still be seen in New York’s Fifth Avenue and other prominent avenues of older cities.
Using the Qualities of North, South, East and West
Each of the cardinal directions can be thought of as having its own distinct qualities, based on their solar and geomagnetic characteristics. In fact, many cultures saw them as having particular personalities. North is solid and quiet while South is celebratory and expansive. East is fruitful and promotes growth and West is social. If you know the characteristics of each direction you can knowledgeably locate a bench, house or plant bed.
The Four Directions in Brief
| North. | The direction of wisdom and contemplation. A site on the north side is the best location for an artful viewing garden. |
| East. | The direction of growth and rejuvenation. Vegetable gardens prosper here. Thoughtful reveries are best done facing east. |
| South. | Celebratory and vibrant. The south side of a home is the natural place for an open lawn and flower gardens. |
| West. | The direction of expression and sharing. A west-facing patio shaded by trees is best for gatherings with others. |
North – The Direction of Earthy Contemplation
North is the direction of all things that relate to the earth. It is associated with quiet contemplation and meditative sculpture gardens. The north side of a house is the natural place for large stones, specimen trees and any artful item that is to be admired quietly. We look to the north for “grounding.”
Why is this? In the early 1990s, scientists discovered that our brains contained a biomineral called magnetite. This highly magnetic form of iron oxide is similar to the magnetite naturally found in rocks. Sailors and ancient seafarers called it a lodestone; they would rub magnetite-laden rocks on metal needles to magnetize them. This was the genesis of the directional compass where the needles always point north. The magnetite in our brain is like our personal lodestone and may make us respond to the subtle magnetic pull of north. Perhaps this is why some feng shui practitioners advise us to sleep with our head pointing north!
I placed these granite steles in this garden on the north side of a house. They act as a focal point from a large foyer window.
Knowing that stone of any sort befits the north side of a house, I designed a quiet garden of stone and grasses for a contemporary home with a large, north-facing window. The floor to ceiling window offered a long, narrow view and reminded me of a Japanese alcove, where a flower arrangement or art piece is displayed.
I placed five rough steles, or upright stones, amidst soft, ornamental grasses in a plant bed at the far end of a long view (photo at left). The bed is edged by thin bluestone pavers and sits beyond a field of smooth, tawny colored concrete slabs and gray crushed stone. The contrast of the stone, concrete and feathery grasses provides an interesting textural counterpoint. The stones are particularly stunning at night when underground “well lights” dramatically up-light each one. The diffuse light spills over onto the surrounding grasses, forming an ethereal sight.
Several varieties of grasses are planted here. The feathery dwarf fountain grass (Pennisetum alopecuroides ‘Hameln’) and maiden grass (Miscanthus sinensis gracillimus) are wonderful companions to the short but vibrant ‘Elijah Blue’ fescue (Festuca glauca ‘Elijah Blue’).
The soft blades of ‘Elijah
