A quiet space in the garden can be a refuge from our busy lives.
Your landscape can play a number of roles in your life. It can be a place where your family relaxes, where you entertain friends. Perhaps you have meals together or enjoy sitting around a fire.
We believe a landscape can also be a sanctuary or refuge. You need a quiet space where you can rest alone or with another person.
One of our favorite books, A Pattern Language, describes it this way:
Somewhere in every garden, there must be at least one spot, a quiet garden seat, in which a person—or two people—can reach into themselves and be in touch with nothing else but nature.
In this quiet space, you might sit and enjoy the fragrance of the flowers. You might listen to birdsong or the sound of water from your fountain or stream. You might read a book or have a conversation with someone you enjoy. Perhaps you meditate or even take a nap.
You might enjoy conversation or just hanging out with another person in your quiet space.
Many of us spend our days rushing from work to family commitments to online activities such as social media and television. A quiet space gives us a chance to unplug and unwind.
A Pattern Language continues:
Make a quiet place in the garden–a private enclosure with a comfortable seat, thick planting, sun. Pick the place for the seat carefully; pick the place that will give you the most intense kind of solitude.
Our designers would be happy to work with you to develop a quiet place of refuge in your landscape. Contact us if you would like to talk about ideas and options.
