From the floor of the exhibition hall Dancing Stones doesn't look like much. It has some shrubs, a fountain some great trees and a nice patio.
From above, Dancing Stones looks completely different. The trees and shrubs and hardscaping flow together and guide your eyes as if down a river through the garden. It is a shame most people attending the garden show didn't get to see it this way.
Notched were made in the stone pavers to accommodate the river stones. Another idea I like that I'm thinking of incorporating into the path in my garden. I got a chance to speak to Hans Hirsch of Krugel Cobbles about the garden after the crowds dwindled. I told him how much I liked the view from above and he suggested he should go up there and look at it. I also asked him what I had been wondering for two days; "Why is the garden called Dancing Stones?" He told me that it is because you have to do a little dance as you walk along the pavers and decide if you want to step on the stone pavers or on the river stones. Duh! He also pointed out that little kids seem to "get it" because they walk along the paths the way they envisioned people would, dancing. I tell you kids at the Chicago Flower & Garden Show are really smart.After he mentioned it, I had to try it for myself.
Related posts from the Chicago Flower & Garden Show:
Hope for a Healing Planet
Greening Up
Reflections: An Asian Inspired garden
Rooftop Garden of the Future
Garden Marketplace
Paradise in a Parking Lot
Sorry for all the posts the past couple of days but there has been a lot cover.
Keep 'em coming! I'm enjoying your coverage, and you keep tempting me to go back. I loved it the first time and I know I'd enjoy it even more without our presentation hanging over my head.
ReplyDeleteI'm about to lay a path through the center of my garden, because the existing side walkway always floods. This is such a great idea for these-- lay a river of pavers because the actual walk is always a river. Nice. Thanks for the idea!
ReplyDeleteI'm delighted you have so many posts. The Garden Show and your have given me a lot to think about.
ReplyDeleteThanks for explaining that. I didn't walk into that garden, so I had no clue what "Dancing Stones" meant.
ReplyDeleteYou weren't hanging from any rafters to get that shot from above, were you? Loved your dance video, although I thought you might have done more of a hopscotch thing and bounced up and down. I usually do that when I'm taking a video and don't even have to try very hard. Thanks for the tour!
ReplyDeleteTo me, the very zigzag nature of how the bricks are laid denotes motion and from there I can leap to dance (literally and figuratively), but I have been told I'm childish! ;-)
ReplyDeleteHi everyone thanks for commenting and I hope some of these pics give you some ideas for your own gardens.
ReplyDeleteGG, I'm tempted to go back too on the last day and see if they are throwing out plants. LOL.
MMD, I had to go back and ask because we were wondering what it was all about when we were taking pictures.
W2W & MTGF, The funny thing is that all the videos I didn't want to come out bouncy did. The ONE video where it would have been ok-didn't. Ugh! :0)