{"id":1113,"date":"2008-11-13T06:24:00","date_gmt":"2008-11-13T11:24:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nybg.org\/wordpress\/?p=1113"},"modified":"2008-11-13T16:38:28","modified_gmt":"2008-11-13T21:38:28","slug":"tranquility-by-design-in-the-rock-garden","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nybg.org\/blogs\/plant-talk\/2008\/11\/gardens-and-collections\/tranquility-by-design-in-the-rock-garden\/","title":{"rendered":"Tranquility by Design in the Rock Garden"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n
\"\"<\/td>\nJan Johnsen is an instructor of landscape design in the Garden’s Continuing Education program<\/a> and a past recipient of the Instructor of the Year award. She is a principal of the firm Johnsen Landscapes & Pools<\/a>.<\/span><\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

\"Fall<\/a>Autumn is my favorite time of year. The nip in the air fosters a more solitary turn of mind, and I look forward to my fall stroll in The New York Botanical Garden. It is here, among the varied collections and gardens, that I breathe in the sweet woodsy scent of autumn and attune myself to the season’s slower pace of life.<\/p>\n

This year I was going to the Garden with a specific goal in mind—I wanted to find a special place where I felt a truly enhanced sense of well being. You could say I was on a mission of discovery to find what encouraged feelings of contentment and serenity in a garden setting. This was a tall order considering that the Botanical Garden is chock-full of wonderful and calming places in which to relax.
\nI found the place I was looking for in the Rock Garden<\/a>. As I walked past the flower-rimmed natural pond, I spied a dark green bench with large round armrests set in front of a large andromeda. It seemed to call out to me. As I sat down, I could feel the stress of the week evaporating.<\/p>\n

The garden bench’s protective perch offered what I call “The Lure of the Sheltered Corner.” With the andromeda behind me and a truly magnificent rock garden to admire, I was as serene as can be. The most alluring spot of all was the waterfall. The sun shone brightly on the splashing water as it tripped down the rocks. Low-growing evergreens and graceful ferns edged the cascade. Here, I felt an exquisite sense of “stop time” that the quiet world of earth, rocks, trees, and plants offers. This sublime feeling of connection is why I treasure The New York Botanical Garden.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Jan Johnsen is an instructor of landscape design in the Garden’s Continuing Education program and a past recipient of the Instructor of the Year award. She is a principal of the firm Johnsen Landscapes & Pools. Autumn is my favorite time of year. The nip in the air fosters a more solitary turn of mind,… <\/p>\n

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