Heaven is a Garden: Designing Serene Spaces for Inspiration and Reflection

By Jan Johnsen

Heaven Is a Garden is about creating havens for the senses. Drawing on ancient traditions of “sacred space,” Jan Johnsen identifies the key natural elements of a garden that can give us feelings of renewal and inspiration. She shows us how we can introduce these calming, inspiring elements into our own gardens. The chapters explore “the power of place” and the surprising role that water, trees, shapes, color and sound play in transforming our state of mind. This richly illustrated guide invites us to bring more serenity into our lives.

• Language: English
• Publisher: St. Lynn's Press
• Release date: Jun 20, 2016
• ISBN: 9781943366125

Book preview

Introduction

The glory of the garden lies in more than meets the eye.

– Rudyard Kipling

Have you ever experienced a moment when the wafting fragrance of flower blossoms captured your attention and lifted you away? Or when the birdsong around you was louder than the chatter in your head? This exquisite moment of stillness is what I call stop time, and it can occur anywhere and any time: while basking in the warm morning sun, gardening, or even as you hurry to your car! At these times, you may have paused, breathed in the fragrant air, enjoyed the trilling of the birds and felt a connection, for that instant, to the green world around you.

The boxwood bordering this patio adds a feeling of enclosure. The artful bench in the background acts as a visual focal point.

What if you knew that you could experience moments like this for the asking – that you could create your own outdoor environment to encourage such deep connections, such restorative reveries? In my forty years of transforming ordinary, even nondescript, sites into compelling landscapes, I have seen how light, color and trickling waters can work together to offer respite from a busy world and make our hearts sing. Thomas Moore wrote of this power in The Re-enchantment of Everyday Life: Today we look for healing and renewal in the offices of physicians and therapists, when we could be out looking for holy wells and enchanted groves that fortify the soul with their natural mysteries. We may not all have holy wells at our disposal, but we can come close; we might even discover that when we plant trees with an awareness of their ancient purposes we are inviting an enchanted grove into our midst – a place that strengthens our wellbeing and inspires quiet reflection. A place that takes us outside of time.

The design ideas you will encounter in this book are a blend of modern and traditional practices, some that go back thousands of years. I have found that mixing contemporary taste with historic design approaches makes a garden more relaxing and encourages that magical stop time we all desire. It allows us to enter into an unhurried state of mind, no matter what is going on beyond our garden gate.

My fascination with plants began early in life, even though I grew up in the concrete environment of New York City apartments. In high school I won the Manhattan Science Fair with an experiment on the effect of sound on the growth of plants. My premise, those many years ago, was that high-pitched sounds help plants grow. It seemed slightly absurd then, but now, scientists have determined that the high frequency vibrations of birdsong help to open up the pores on plant leaves so that they absorb more nutrients and grow more rapidly. In effect, the sound of birdsong stimulates plants to grow faster!

As a college student I lived in Kyoto, Japan, and worked at a high-pressure architecture office in Osaka. On weekends, I would visit the famous Japanese gardens and it was there that I found my calling. As I walked the green, mossy pathways and breathed in the cedar-scented air, my mind would clear and I felt stress melt away. This experience opened my eyes to the restorative powers of serene gardens. I saw what sublime peace could be had even in a small garden within an urban environment. I subsequently went to work in a Japanese landscape architecture office and left to study landscape architecture at the University of Hawaii.

This mossy path symbolizes a journey and the forks in the road we all face.

Flower planters on steps add a colorful punch. The soft flowers against the stone are a lovely contrast. The wall light highlights the flowers at night.

My exposure to many cultures began a lifelong study of how our forebears interacted with Nature. I learned that the Celts and Japanese honored certain trees, that the Greeks used the golden ratio in their designs and that water in a garden lifts the spirits. In this book, I share these insights with you, and many more. I hope that it may prompt you to see the outdoors a little differently. For instance, once you know why east is considered auspicious in many traditions, you will never site a gate or a garden bed without this cardinal direction in mind!

Heaven is a Garden is an introduction to the key elements that make a landscape feel balanced and harmonious. Some of the elements are so much a part of our lives – like trees and rocks – that we may not have actually paid attention to them before, or realized what kind of subliminal effects they have on us. So, perhaps this book will serve as a re-introduction to some of the wonders that exist all around us in Nature, just waiting for our eyes to truly see them. To bring you from concept to application, I’ll be offering suggestions of specific practices and plants that I have found work well together to evoke a deep sense of serenity.

In these pages you will find chapters that explore each of these key landscaping elements:

•  The Power of Place considers the ways terrain can be molded and accented to create sanctuary and meaning.

•  Creating Music for the Eye shows how shape, line and proportion can unify a garden.

•  Calling on the Trees addresses the enlivening influence of our arboreal friends by deciphering the language of the trees.

•  The Magic of Water delves into water’s mystery and the many ways it enhances an outdoor environment.

•  A Rock’s Resonance explores the powerfully evocative qualities of stone.

•  Color – Nature’s Catalyst reveals the therapeutic effects of color and light in a garden design.

Many of the photographs in the book were taken in gardens I have designed. I have intentionally kept the text to a minimum to allow the photographs to speak for me as much as possible. I believe, as Shakespeare wrote, that we can …find tongues in trees, books in running brooks, sermons in stones, and good in everything… (As You Like It).

It is my hope that Heaven is a Garden will help you hear those sermons as well. Whether you are an individual intending to create a beautiful backyard garden, a landscape architect or designer wishing to expand your ideas for your clients, or someone who is just thinking about designing a dream garden, this book will give you insights to help you create a glorious outdoor space – perfect for inspiration and reflection.

The timeless appeal of dainty flowers against stone. A planting pocket within the wall is a good way to do this.

ONE

The Power of Place

Consult the genius of the place in all.

– Alexander Pope

A heavenly garden stills the world and holds you in its embrace. As you walk beneath leafy canopies or beside colorful flowers, wellbeing’s cloud envelops you and the stress of modern life slowly drops away. This garden has little to do with its size and everything to do with the emotional connection it makes with you. Your garden paradise can be as simple as a sundappled deck overlooking a small cascade or a homey terrace filled with planters and statuary. It can be an expanse of lawn bordered with exuberant flowers or a rustic scene of native plants and rock outcrops. Whatever your vision of a heavenly garden, it should fulfill your desire for a private space where you can enjoy Nature’s glory – where you can breathe and just be. Nowhere else do we feel as uplifted as when we are in a setting designed for relaxation and contemplation. Another way of describing such a place is an unhurried garden.

I love to create long, sweeping grass steps as these shown here. They are simple, gracious and relatively easy to install.

A heavenly, unhurried garden should be designed with three basic features in mind: simplicity, sanctuary and delight. Let me start with those three lovely words and show you what I mean.

Simplicity. When you have economy of form and line in a garden, the effect is calming and restful. A good example of this is a gently undulating plant bed. Its sweeping lines are relaxing and – though simple – can be as compelling as a rectilinear formal garden. Less is more is the rule here.

Sanctuary. Have you ever noticed that the most desirable place to sit outdoors is with your back to a wall or a tall hedge and looking at a lovely view? The security you feel in such a protected area is what I term sanctuary. It is the draw of a shaded walk, the call of a hidden gazebo or quiet niche. It is the lure of the sheltered corner.

A low, semi-circular retaining wall and a rock garden creates a sheltered feeling of sanctuary.

After I created this intimate corner, the property owner placed what we call a pod here. A perfect place to enjoy the garden!

Delight. Delight is anything that gladdens your heart: a hollowed out tree trunk, an interesting gate or an elegant stone lion. It is the most personal aspect of a heavenly outdoor space and can be found amidst a patio flush with planters or in a woodland garden dotted with foamflowers and ferns. You may thrill to a fire pit or bubbling fountain. Delight prompts you to savor your surroundings.

Delight in a garden can come in many forms. Multi-colored tulips, a deep blue gate flanked by boxwood, a rustic cascade or a line of the exuberant and hardy ‘Disco Belle Pink’ hibiscus (Hibiscus moscheutos ‘Disco Belle Pink’).

These three underlying ideas can be incorporated into any garden, no matter the style or setting. With the mantra of simplicity, sanctuary and delight, you can go ahead and take the first steps in creating a serenely beautiful landscape.

Finding the Power Spot – Drama in a Garden

When I begin a garden design, I always look first for the site’s power spot. This is a place that, for some reason, seems a little more interesting than anywhere else. A high section of lawn, a shaded corner or a half hidden rock can become the anointed power spot in your garden. You can strengthen or dilute a site’s character by highlighting its power spot.

In order to determine where it is, I walk around and consider the dominant features of the land. I

Reviews for Heaven is a Garden

[biunicorn_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Heaven is a GardenDesigning Serene Outdoor Spacesfor Inspiration and Reflectionby Jan JohnsenThis 144 page hard covered wonder was an absolute pleasure to review. I loved the idea of being gentle guided to the elements that could help me make that special outdoor spot of my own. The author in her sweet and open way shares with us each aspect that goes into creating a quiet sanctuary. I learned about color, placement, plants, water how they fit and how each place can be so unique and blessed all at the same time. The beautiful pictures throughout should in elegant detail exactly what she was explaining at the time. This shining nugget has easily made it into my spiritual toolbox and the cool thing for me is since I have the river behind the house I already have my water feature right there. I would recommend this brilliant star to anyone wanting a little help in building that oh so special place. Thanks Jan, you do good work.Love & Light,Riki Frahmann