Built or Building a Labyrinth?

Built or Building a Labyrinth? (post #15389)

JulieFlorence on Tue, 08/19/2008 - 15:53

Inspired Design

Good morning,

I need a labyrinth! Any practical advice would be appreciated. I don't need book titles, but if you've seen any good articles/how-to's (NOT the spiritual angle, but practical), or tried doing one yourself, I'd love to hear about it. I'm in the thinking-about-it stage. Have a hilly lot with about 3/4 acre of wetlands behind my house which I'm not supposed to touch. Anything I create will have to be small. I'm in New England so it also has to be durable.

The last posts on this topic here are four years old!

Thanks, Julie

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by roxanna in reply to JulieFlorence [original] on Tue, 08/19/2008 - 22:44

here are two interesting sites with photos or diagrams. the second one is for the Labyrinth Guild of New England and shows locations of several. don't know if this will help!

labyrinthcompany.com

labyrinthguild.org

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by Dagwood in reply to JulieFlorence [original] on Fri, 08/22/2008 - 17:43

Labyrinths can be of many forms! you could do anything from a hedge maze which can be acres large, to patterns of plants in your flowerbeds which can be quite miniature.

In our last house we planted what we called a "Fox and Geese Garden" based on the children's winter game (http://www.escapadedirect.com/foxgeouwiga.html our version used this layout but the opposite rules ~ the fox started in the centre with teh geese on the outside, no 2 geese allowed to occupy any vertex at the same time, no safe zones.) We planted each "pie" section, and left the grass in between. It was difficult to mow. Based on that experience here is my advice for a Labyrinth:

Lay it out on Paper. You have to know th eoutcome before you start, but don't lay it out exactly. Surely a rock or tree roo will show up at the most inoportune spot, and this will prevent perfect geometry.
Gather up every piece of rope, garden hose and extension cord you own. Use these to lay out whatever you have on paper
For long curves, Hammer a satke into the ground, Tie an end of the string to it, and then use a spraycan of sports field marking paint to be the pencil in this compass (Pull the string taught, and spray the arc described by walking along the curve)
Walk away from your layout for a week or so, and be sure you are still happy with it before pulling up sod, planting shrubs, or doing anything.
Try to mow the shape at least twice before committing to it.
If you are still happy with your layout after all this - Just do it! dig , plant, place, whatever you are doing, do it!

Our town installed a labyrinth (cleverly) by removing sod, and laying in pea gravel with sunken cobblestones. They just mow over the whole thing without a worry.

Edited 8/22/2008 1:53 pm ET by Dagwood

If it can die, I can kill it.
Certified Brown Thumb, 4th degree

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by JulieFlorence in reply to Anonymous [original] on Fri, 08/22/2008 - 17:53

Thanks for this most informative response. I've printed it out. Love the practical tips, esep about how to make curves. My plan was to use inexpensive cement pavers that look like stone. The biggest hurdle is creating a big enough flat area. I like to walk & think w/o paying attention to my footing, so it has to be truly flat and level. I can't really relax into the walking unless I don't have to constantly look down. Pea stone would work too, but I like to do it barefoot! Part of the kinetic experience, maybe.

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by Dagwood in reply to Anonymous [original] on Fri, 08/22/2008 - 19:30

I think the most important thing that I left out is to keep it simple. What made ours a problem was constant maintenance, too much area to weed, and not having paths that were wide enough for the lawnmower (it kept silipping down into the edging since I had cut the paths to exactly the width of the wheels.

Lastly - it was a load of fun to layout and plant the garden, but the kids never used it. If I were doing this again, I would likely plant a garden, and then (GASP!) tramp out the paths and lay down cobblestones. That way as long as the garden's outline was right, the paths would be more natural and unassuming than the properly geometric design we had. Certainly the plants would flop over the path and have to be staked or trimmed, but it would be a much easier process than mowing pathways.

If it can die, I can kill it.
Certified Brown Thumb, 4th degree

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by JulieFlorence in reply to Anonymous [original] on Fri, 08/22/2008 - 21:36

Great tip about width -- reminds me of measuring for window shades. Somehow mine are always too narrow and let in the morning light. Probably need to add 1/4" on each side for that, just like mower width.

Walking a labyrinth doesn't do anything for the rest of my family. So I get to do what I want. I do wish I could pay a landscaper to do it. Anytime you bring in a landscaper and his equipment you're talking five figures, though.

A landscape architect friend recently updated a small private cemetary (the owners wanted specific areas for different types of contemplation), and put in a "reflective path" they've dubbed "the river of life." This was done by planting a different type/color of grass (something blue colored) in an undulating swathe within the existing lawns. This could also work for a labyrinth, I suppose, but I like stepping on stones. I've visited the cemetary a few times this summer and have not been able to clearly see this river-path yet, but perhaps it will be more obvious next year. If it does look good then I may just go with that idea.

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by Tish in reply to Anonymous [original] on Fri, 08/22/2008 - 22:39

I don't know if you can find a book about Labyrinths that doesn't include some sort of spiritual/contemplative/wellness aspect. That seems to be the core of the labyrinth movement. Exploring the Labyrinth by Melissa Gayle West has good directions for building both the 7-circuit Crete style Labyrinth and the 12-circuit Chartres style.

She includes directions for making temporary labyrinths using stakes and rope. What if you built one that way and then began mowing the path between the stakes? Shortly you'd have a clearly defined labyrinth with the tall grass separating the circuits and the environmental impact would be minimal.

Do you think you'd get the wellness response to walking a labyrinth if you are pushing a mower while you walk? Personally, I'd get more out of working on it than walking on it, so for me the answer would be yes.

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by LAgardener in reply to JulieFlorence [original] on Sat, 08/30/2008 - 15:37

See the maze on Troy Marden's site (http://www.troybmarden.com/GardenGallery.html). It's a variation on the shrubbery labyrinth---Bermudagrass. Easy upkeep. And I suppose one could use some sort of gravel and walk on the grass!

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by jeana in reply to Anonymous [original] on Thu, 09/04/2008 - 23:59

I don't know about easy upkeep, but hard to kill, for sure!

Jeana Never try to baptize a cat.

Built or Building a Labyrinth?