In this area you will see some images and ideas for the reworking of our church garden. Try not to think too much about the costs at this point, but put some ideas out there to dream. Send any ideas you have to the Board of Managers through Peter Winter or to Doug Kendall.
Some questions to think about.
- What will make the garden more accessible to us and to the community?
- How do we make the garden easier to maintain?
- What would we like to use the garden for?
- Level, accessible quieter space to sit and meditate and reflect?
- A place for worship leaders to stand for outdoor worship?
- Maybe a place to have our pet blessing?
- Level place to have the BBQ and space for food?
- What else cool d it be used for?
- Do we need a structure to provide shade?
- Could we do this work in stages?
The latest Design Ideas
After church last Sunday some people came out to see the garden and offer some ideas. We had laid out the possible raised wall with stakes and string at 18″ high which is the hight of a chair. This would make the wall a good place to sit for small outside services, Yard Sales, BBQs… We had also drawn out the proposed outline of the wall with paint. We have received some input from others who could not come outside last week as well. Noting is decided yet, but here are some ideas so far.
Some consensus:
- Doing the project in stages seems to be a good idea.
- Begin with the levelling and installing the interlocking stone and the raised wall
- Decide later about some sort of gazebo or sun shade.
- Benches should be robust and comfortable
- Anything with fabric would be high maintenance.
- The two anchor trees are a good idea as long as the roots don’t interfere with the church foundation, the garden walls, or the church roof. (Pyramidal Oak or Cedar grow straight up and should not hit the church roof.
- We have planned on river stone around the perimeter to allow for the runoff from the roof.
- We’ve talked about eavestrough which is possible, but with a large steel roof it can be a problem with ice sliding off the roof in the winter.
Some New Ideas:
- What about some sort of pattern in the interlocking stone?
- This got me thinking about a labyrinth.
- “The purpose of a labyrinth is to serve as a tool for walking meditation, contemplation, and spiritual practice by providing a single, winding path to its center. Walking a labyrinth helps quiet the mind, reduce stress, and can lead to self-reflection and insight, acting as a metaphor for a life journey.”
- We would also include a plaque that would explain what a Labyrinth is and how it can be used.
- And it could also just be fun for kids to run around it.
- Notice the centre of the labyrinth we have designed forms a subtle “G”?
- This one that has been designed based on a fourth century BC Greek design.
- This would, not add to the cost of materials, but it is a little more work to install.
- This got me thinking about a labyrinth.
- Raised flower beds are more manageable.
- What about a raised herb garden outside of the kitchen door?
- Other raised beds could be installed in the garden area as well.
- See back wall under the trellises.
More thoughts?
