Labyrinth

Very interesting design MsD.Should look great when you get done.Don’t think I would want to cut the grass in between them though.

-- Bon,Hastings,Ont.....zone 5a....Always room for one more

I’ve made it so that a push lawnmower will fit along the path nicely—or that’s the plan at this point.
Gradually I will be transforming the path to non-grass. I’m thinking about the orange-aroma thyme that you can walk on.

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a) http://www.execulink.com/~yohan

Nice touch

Even my good friend ET would love it.

Its what Kings and Queens fought over….................and its in your front yard. Gotta love it.

-- Central northish Ontario

Hmmmmmm, NICE, very nice!!!

-- "A beautiful garden is a work of heart" -- Royal Oak, MI - Zone 5

This is such an awesome project.I can hardly wait to see what you plant along there.

-- Bon,Hastings,Ont.....zone 5a....Always room for one more

as soon as spring returns I’ll be doing the next step :) I have a plan!! :D

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a) http://www.execulink.com/~yohan

I love your labyrinth. I agree with you about the thyme or really any of the “steppable” herbs….....what a lovely aroma that would be!

thanks :)
yes, that’s the plan.. but it will be a SLOW process.

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a) http://www.execulink.com/~yohan

Nice planning!
And the steppable thyme grows quite nicely! That is what I have on the floor of the pergola!
Only one thing, it doesn’t stop the growth of weeds as some other ground covering will do! LOL
But the smell is just amazing!

-- Eklectic, Follow my Bliss, South East Ontario 5a

hmmm might have to mix and match it then :)

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a) http://www.execulink.com/~yohan

It is amazing to realize how much one misses, when one is away. I just got back from a Poconos Mountain resort with my wife and sister. Had a good time. When I logged on tonight, the first thing that jumped into my view was the plans for this magnificent maze. I LOVE it. Good for you.

I think it was Bon who asked, and I am wondering the same thing, what are you going to plant for the walls of the maze. I think the idea of stepable herbs is good for the flooring, but what about the walls? Are you thinking cedar shrubs, or corn, or ???

There was a chap here who built an amazing maze using corn. What are you going to use?

-- jroot

the Poconos!! how exciting. I’m sure you had a lovely time.

the walls will be a combination of iris’, barley and other grains, and some ground level flowers. The original plan was just to use the barley (etc). Because the labyrinth is quite compact I wanted to use very vertical plants and I realized that the iris’ would work wonderfully – well I hope it will. We’ll see.

The path itself will be a long process with the grass replaced with steppable something, bit by bit. I think I’m going to make patches of different kinds of stuff.

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a) http://www.execulink.com/~yohan

I posted a picture (in the project pictures) of yesterday’s work – although it doesn’t look like a day’s work… well half a day’s work. It wore me out, just the same.

Update: (April 10/09) Yesterday I added the last corner bush, lots of iris’, transplanted from the “mess” just to the right of the picture, seating and some sculptures. There is an obelisk on the right side and a metal flower sculpture on the left. I’ll have to take a closeup of the flower because it is a birdhouse stand and I have one of Rick’s birdhouses attached to it now. He had made this birdhouse last year and it has waited for its location. This is the ideal spot as you will see when I post the picture. The two compliment each other perfectly

Oh and I decided to include the garbage truck in the photo as it drove by… why? why not!

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a) http://www.execulink.com/~yohan

I just love what you are doing! It is enough to make me dream!!

-- Eklectic, Follow my Bliss, South East Ontario 5a

that’s cool—it’s working and you didn’t even have to walk the path!!
DREAM ON :D

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a) http://www.execulink.com/~yohan

here is the birdhouse / flower sculpture

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a) http://www.execulink.com/~yohan

here is another perspective of the labyrinth

From the south

From the east

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a) http://www.execulink.com/~yohan

Ah Ha, I see that MsDebbieP liked Mario’s tree stump idea.

Looks good MsDebbieP.

I was thinking last night that it might be cool to use Canna lilies in a maze.

-- jroot

the stumps are seats in case someone wants to sit and … meditate, contemplate, “become one with nature” lol
They are set at the East, South, West, and North points of the path, using the Native Medicine Wheel as the inspiration

Canna Lilies – they would look great!! but they have to be dug up in the fall so that’s out for me. I have tons of energy in the spring but by fall, I’m done with gardening.

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a) http://www.execulink.com/~yohan

Wow, I really love these latest photos … it is really turning out nice!!! What about sunflowers??? Trying to think of tall flowers … although maybe a pretty flowering shrub would work well to define the paths.

-- "A beautiful garden is a work of heart" -- Royal Oak, MI - Zone 5

might just have to do that—sunflowers :)

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a) http://www.execulink.com/~yohan

It’s looking more awesome with every addition MsD.

-- Bon,Hastings,Ont.....zone 5a....Always room for one more

thanks :)

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a) http://www.execulink.com/~yohan

I agree, it looks great. Good thinking re the Native Medicine Wheel as the inspiration. I like it.

-- jroot

thanks :)
My Mom arrived home from Arizona last night and they had to stop here to pick up her car (at about 1 AM.) I guess she saw the labyrinth (in the dark) and said, “what is that? How will she be able to cut the grass?”

Not sure if the rest of my family noticed it IN THE DAYLIGHT… can’t put anything past my Mom!

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a) http://www.execulink.com/~yohan

You know,moms usually see what is “invisible” to others!

-- Eklectic, Follow my Bliss, South East Ontario 5a

yup.. even in the dark!

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a) http://www.execulink.com/~yohan

Excellent project…this looks like it has foundations in classical labyrinth construction…didja use a seed pattern and ropes to plot it out in the traditional way?

-- Living on the square...Metro Detroit

I got the basic pattern from one of the Gardening Magazines this spring. Mine turned out to be more “square” than the original design but I’m sure there is a reason for that.

I measured everything out based on the width of my rototiller and a push lawnmower. I drew it on grid paper and then translated it onto the lawn.

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a) http://www.execulink.com/~yohan

I looked again…yours appears to be left-handed (most images I’ve seen of classical style labyrinths are righties). Perhaps some interesting esoteric connotations, but nonetheless very cool…did you give thought to that specifically, or was it by chance?

I’m still envious of the amount of real estate you have that you can create such a wonder in your own yard!

-- Living on the square...Metro Detroit

according to the magazine article a left-handed labyrinth is “feminine” (intuitive/introspective) and a right-handed one is “masculine” (action)

I chose the feminine / introspective direction as it supports the Gatherings that I host every month.

I have less than an acre of land but it is a treasure that I do not take for granted :)

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a) http://www.execulink.com/~yohan

2 photos added for April, 2010.

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a) http://www.execulink.com/~yohan

Wow what a difference.Lookin good.

-- Bon,Hastings,Ont.....zone 5a....Always room for one more

Looks wonderful.

-- jroot