The Birth of a Meditation Garden

lede for garden blog — Meditation Garden in September 2017. Myrtle Hill Cemetery, Rome, Georgia.

Rome is a beautiful town in northwest Georgia(U.S.). The town is nestled into a group of seven hills (that’s where it got its name). The Etowah and the Oostanaula rivers run together to form the Coosa River which runs over into Alabama and then south toward the Gulf of Mexico. The residents of Rome are proud of their three rivers and seven hills.

I have lived in Rome for over forty years. A number of years ago I had a thought that, when the location was right, I wanted to build a garden with a seven hills and three rivers theme. In fall of 2015 I was asked to design a garden for “the last flat place” in the historic Myrtle Hill Cemetery. (Myrtle Hill is one of the seven hills that I mentioned.) I immediately realized that this was my chance to fulfill my dream design! I decided to use seven berms to represent the hills and a stone pathway for the three rivers. There would be trees, other plants, and large stones to sit on. An antique fence and metal benches were donated and would be incorporated. The bottom corner of the information sign reminds us that “every garden needs a bit of fantasy.”

Shoes and lilies small — The elf man’s shoes. Every garden must contain a bit of fantasy.

I took a lot of pictures and at this point I will quit talking and start showing. Here is a condensed sequence showing the first year of the garden. The first few months were the planning stages.

garden development 1 — We started on a cold winter’s day with seven piles of river bottom soil. The Rome Public Works Department was most helpful. It was a joint effort. 11/7/2015

garden development 3 — Meeting with the city officials. Jody and Stan were my major go to guys. They were a great help with the project

garden development 5 — We had gotten several boulders brought in to use for “sitting stones” in case someone wanted to sit on a rock and think about things. Stan Rogers and I discussed the placement particulars. 3/8/16

garden development 6 — Setting the rocks took some time. They had to be placed just right so that the walkway(river) and the berms (7 hills) could be worked around them. We only had one shot at getting it right. It was the perfect opportunity to use the biggest paintbrush ever.

garden development 7 — Pads for benches were poured and David Lamb built a walkway to serve as a symbolic representation of Rome’s three rivers.5/10/2016

garden development 9 — J. R. Schulz came from Atlanta to check out the progress. He posed on the sitting rock. 6/18/16. I love that chair-shaped rock. Lots of people love it.

garden development 15 — July 22. The berms are shaped, walkway installed, irrigation working, and the sod has been laid. I was working out planting ideas. I would proceed one brush stroke at a time.

garden development 18 — At each entry we poured custom stepping stones with fern imprintings. These are in the curing process. 8/3/2016

garden development 19 — panorama picture looks best if shot on an overcast day. I took this one on August 22, 2016. I was really getting excited about the garden!

garden development 20 — Daniel de Wit with Ennis Art came all the way from Asheville to do the custom staining on the patios and stepping stones. The Japanese maple behind him was flourishing, even in the drought. October 6, 2016. The abstract concrete artist.

garden development 21 — October 14, 2016 was the day of the dedication. The ceremony was well-attended and moving. I was able to get this picture of Margot having a philosophical discussion with her great grandpawpaw.

garden development 22 — Here are some of the people where were involved in the garden project. If I try to name them all I will make a mistake, so I’ll leave the picture as it is.

Blog garden september 2017 — The meditation garden in late September of 2017. This garden has out performed any garden I have ever done. I think there is a lot of love here.

Thank you for visiting Johntheplantman. Why don’t you visit the garden at Myrtle Hill–It’s an interesting place to put your thoughts together. In October I’ll get busy changing the color from summer pretties to winter ones.

And thank you to Sylvia Eidson for your constant weed vigil. Your efforts add to the beauty of the site.

Published by John P.Schulz

I lost my vocal cords a while back due to throat cancer. The laryngectomy sent me on a quest to find and learn to use my new, altered voice. I am able to talk now with a really small and neat new prosthesis. My writing reflects what I have learned in my search for a voice. My site johnschulzauthor.com publishes a daily motivational quote and a personal comment. I write an article a week for my blog, johntheplantman.com which deals with a lot of the things that I do in the garden. I am also the author of Requiem for a Redneck and the new Redemption for a Redneck--novels portraying the lives and doings of folks around the north Georgia hills. I have an English Education degree from the University of Georgia and very happily married to the lovely Dekie Hicks. You may enjoy my daily Quotes and Notes at http://johnschulzauthor.com/ View more posts