It has been brought to my attention that I have promised a picture of the labyrinth. The photo below was taken with my camera by the electrical company’s lineman, who happened to be on the property with a cherry picker truck to replace our transformer.
It is pretty shaggy in this picture. It had been a couple of weeks since we mowed the paths. The bright orange spotch in the lower right is an asiatic lily in full bloom. The bench in the center is a slab of sandstone from Arkansas, it is 5 feet wide. That should give you some scale. The evergreens in the center are skyrocket junipers. They are supposed to get 12 to 15 feet high, right now they are about 5 feet tall. They started out as little babies that were 3 inches tall, so I think they have done rather well.
This is a picture of a group of rocks from New England. The states represented here are in the New Hampshire, Maine, and Vermont area.
These are from right north of here. The large flat stone with ripples is from Iowa, the round stone on the left top is from Nebraska, the sort of egg shaped stone on the right is from South Dakota. The three smaller rocks on the flat rock all came from Bear Creek in Alaska. The sort of red-purple piece is from the Johnson Shutins, a place north of here. This is an old picture. There is now a rock from North Dakota in that grouping as well.
I am working on a guide-book: photos and a list of where each rock is from. I have it all in my head, but I may not always be here.
Sometimes I wonder what the archaeologist/geologist of the future might make of this installation. Will it confuse them that there is basalt from Antarctica as well as granite from all over the western part of this continent? Sandstone from Australia and Arizona coexist with shale from Nevada.
the havens 
Wow! That is really impressive. And quite beautiful. I didn’t read the earlier post so am I right in assuming that it’s your own design and execution from the hints within this post?
Dear Unrelaxed: My post on July 27, 2006 talks a little about how we built the labyrinth. In one sense it is our own design, in that the width of the paths and the rock outlines are our idea. But the actual 12 circle labyrinth design has been around for many centuries. It can be found laid into the floor stones of the cathedral in Chartres, France. Follow the link to Labyrinthos in my “Cool places to visit” if you are interested in some amazing photographs of labyrinths world wide.
Thank you. This is awesome. It makes me want to do one in my garden/prairie. I will try to mow pathways selectively when the hay grows this spring. But I am no rock fan (I prefer jazzy labyrinths).
Tee hee. You know, dear mandarine, there are also some wonderful classical labyrinths too.
Here is a link to a site that will help you learn to draw and lay out a 7 circle labyrinth. This is a much easier pattern to construct, and it is also MUCH easier to mow. So check this out: http://www.lessons4living.com/drawing.htm
Oh wow! This is an incredible labyrinth … your magic healing hands at work. The idea of the rocks representing different states is brilliant. I can almost imagine walking through it and sitting awhile to read on the sandstone bench.
The junipers have done very well! I have to send this link to my dad – he’s made a labyrinth at our cottage.
This is a beautiful labrynth! We have several here in Southern Maryland (most have grown up in the last 9 years or so). I think this is one of the nicest I’ve seen and the best in terms of the rocks from all over. I just LOVE that idea (being a rock collector known to carry rocks back in boarding luggage to get them home safe). I, unfortunately have not logged my rocks. I have written on a few. this is wonderful space! (and huge!)
It makes its hugeness quite evident when you begin to mow the paths. Because the rocks are set 3 feet apart and are about 6 to 8 inches wide, the paths between them are around 24 inches. We have a push mower with a 20 inch deck that we use to mow the labyrinth, and it is quite a job to horse it around the switchbacks.
This is why I heartily recommend to people who want to mow a labyrinth into their property that they use the 7 circle classical “Cretan” labyrinth pattern rather than the 12 circle Chartres style. In addition to being a lot more easily laid out, the 7 circle labyrinth is a LOT easier to mow, not having any switchbacks.
[…] Meanwhile, I give you my gardening shoes — and a detail of my lawn labyrinth attempt, inspired by healingmagichands. […]
I have a backyard labyrinth – 5 circuits and about 22 feet in diameter. Even small, it is still quite a bit of work to maintain. I can’t imagine the effort it takes to maintain your 11 circuit Chartres Labyrinth.
Here is a picture of my 5 circuit one – i think for a personal labyrinth that is a good size:
http://www.geocities.com/njlabyrinths/NJHolisticHealthServices.html
Your labyrinth is beautiful, Joachim! Thanks for the pictures.
It is a fairly extensive commitment to maintain any labyrinth that includes plantings. Mostly we mow it about once a week, and twice a summer I get into the center and weed/trim the inner circle of rocks from all over the country.
what I NEED to do and have not in a couple of years is get into it with my flame-thrower and burn all the dead grass off the rocks. This requires delicate timing, as the grass has to be dead and the weather has to have been dampish so the fire does not “get away” from me. Can’t do it too late in the spring or I singe the daffodil foliage. All this timing stuff is why I haven’t gotten it done lately. But I keep saying “This year for sure!”
[…] My sincere thanks to Ellie at Healingmagichands for the aerial photograph above and for all her helpful suggestions. Her father was the pilot! I encourage you to check Ellie’s labyrinth. […]
Oh wow I love it!
Me too.
You are welcome to come walk it any time. I won’t even make you mow it for me. . .
LOL! I would love too if I were a little bit closer…thats walk it not mow it haha. Although I am rather nifty with a riding mower slap a 88 on the side and im off!
Heh, you wouldn’t be mowing this with a riding lawn mower. This labyrinth demands a push mower, the one we use is very small because it can’t be more than 20″ wide or it doesn’t fit between the rocks of the paths. I’m pretty sure a 88 would be more than adequate to deal with any rabbits that attacked you.