In this multitasking era, when few places exist without Internet access and we obsessively check our email and thumb Facebook updates on our phones, we need, more than ever, a refuge from the hive mind – a place of retreat, solitude, and reflection. Nature has always offered this; mystics and other seekers have historically retreated from society into the wilderness to contemplate the universe. Today, however, more of us than ever live in cities, and we must create our own contemplative public spaces and private gardens. We may look to those cultures with a rich history of creating meditative gardens, like the Japanese, or branch out in entirely new directions.
This month the members of Garden Designers Roundtable explore the idea of Contemplative Spaces/Zen. Whether it’s a hidden bench tucked away in a corner of the garden, a labyrinth for strolling meditation, a deck for a morning yoga routine, or a garden of remembrance, a contemplative garden is a place set apart from the bustle of everyday life, a place where you feel closer to nature, your inner self, or a higher power.
Follow the links below, and start your contemplative journey!
Lesley Hegarty & Robert Webber : Hegarty Webber Partnership : Bristol, UK
Douglas Owens-Pike : Energyscapes : Minneapolis, MN
Jenny Peterson : J Petersen Garden Design : Austin, TX
Genevieve Schmidt : North Coast Gardening : Arcata, CA
Garden Designers Roundtable 
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