Natural Stonescapes
Create naturally beautiful landscapes that stand the test of time with Natural Stonescapes: The Art and Craft of Stone Placement.
Authors
Richard L. Dubé and Frederick Campbell use nature as
their inspiration for the principles of design as well as the
layout of stone compositions, mimicking the formations and relationships
found in nature. They also suggest you derive your natural stone
grouping design ideas from the space-defining qualities of the
site where you'll place your grouping.
The use of stones in the landscape is growing as people see the dramatic improvement it can make in the overall composition of their planting arrangements. However, landscaping with stones is not as easy as plunking down some rocks into the middle of a group of plants. Many design considerations go into creating a pleasing stonescape.
There
are essentially four environments that may govern your design,
(see diagrams at right):
•
A flat plane
• A connective mass within a flat plane
• A sloping plane
• Transition of sloping plane with a flat
plane
Every site you examine is likely to be a variation of one of these environments. In order to understand these spaces better, think of them in more familiar terms. A flat plane could be equated to a pond, a lawn, a patio, a planting bed, or a swimming pool surface. A connective mass within a flat plane is an island form -- think of a real island in water or a planting island in a lawn. A sloping plane can be thought of simply as a hillside; the relative steepness of that slope may vary. Finally, the sloping plane joining the flat plane can be likened to the shoreline of a pond or the ocean. It could also be a spot where a hill joins a flat lawn or planted bed.
In each case, the evolution of your design will be influenced by the characteristics of that space. The motivation of the form that you create has its roots in a study known as geomorphology, which looks at how the earth is shaped and formed through processes such as weathering and erosion. In the case of stone groupings, these processes wear away the parent mass, leaving the sturdier remnants that reveal its internal structure. When you see a natural stone formation, you are seeing the result of eons of active degradation and entropy. In attempting to re-create this natural form, you are also trying to imbue the composition with some of the same qualities inherent in the original. Primary among those attributes is a feeling of great age.
As
you visualize the placement of stones in your
space, you will have to take into account the
limitations and amenities of the site and the
purpose of the completed grouping. The stones
illustrated in this grouping will show you the
dynamic arrangement of each idea - the spacing,
size, and location of the stones. Your final
design must be guided by the stones you have
on-hand to work with.
Design Plan: Vulcan Necklace
Motivation:
The submerged or covered caldera of an ancient
volcano.
Application: This works well as a primary
focal point or as a meditative device.
Description:
The Vulcan Necklace was inspired by Molikini, a volcano off the
island of Hawaii. Although the crater of Molikini is not really
a caldera (it's actually a steam vent), it sure looks like something
big went off in the middle of it. The external lines of force
radiate outward and the internal lines of force upward from a
central point below the grouping. Most groupings that are volcanic
in motivation are very movement oriented. Although this grouping
works with just the first three stones, using at least five will
better communicate the intent. Stones 6 and 7 emphasize the shape,
and stones 8 and 9 extend the leading edge of movement.
