Stone in the Winter Garden

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This time of year the bones of my become very exposed. The deciduous leaves of most of my plants have fallen and blown away on the wind to reveal the stone and structures that lay underneath. It’s a good time to evaluate how the stone in the garden fits.

Here is one of my dry creek beds that helps to funnel rainwater away from the foundation. I would like to a rain barrel eventually from this gutter. On the right of the dry creek bed are a couple red twig dogwoods and a catmint. The red twig dogwoods enjoy the rain water while the catmint is supposed to send a minty smell into the air around the gutter when it rains. I’m not sure if this works as I generally don’t stand out there during the rain.

Here is one of the rock borders I added this past summer. I like using natural rock and stone as borders to help define the garden beds. It all has to be imported from other locations since I think I have the only yard in Tennessee without rock! That’s both good and bad.  Good for my back when digging holes for plants – bad for my borders.

I like this picture with the suns rays highlighting my natural stepping stone pathway. The stepping stones help me get around when the grass is wet or frosted over. Walking on frosted grass isn’t good for the grass.

This is a stone garden bench I made from a large (and quite heavy) stone set on top of two other smaller stones. It’s very stable and shimmed up from underneath with thin small stones to be level. I arranged it so that it fit in with the stone garden bed borders

This other large stone is about 4 feet long and serves as another low natural stone bench at the end of my birdbath garden.

And who could forget my hippo rock! Or at least that’s what some people called it this summer. I think it looks like a praying penguin what do you think?

14 thoughts on “Stone in the Winter Garden”

  3. Nice work with the stones, Dave. I can never find enough of them. 🙂 Isn't it great when one just says, "I'd be a great little bench!" I have one of those in a border, too! Have a great day. (Don't you need a little more snow?)

  5. Hi Dave, I love all your stone, but especially those large benches. The last shot looks like a polar bear holding a bowl to me. Or maybe it needs a bowl for some birdseed? We are ready for this warm up the weathermen are talking about! So many things to do that cannot be done with the ground still frozen solid.
    Frances

  9. I see a Hippo, Praying Penguin and also an Eagles Head in your stone! Stone is a wonderful asset in the garden and I too am lucky to not have any rock in my yard. Or am I lucky?

    Love the neighbors cat on the post and your green house is awesome!

  10. Very nice usage of stones in your garden/yard. I love the stone path as well. I believe it looks so much better than a clunky, plain concrete walkway. The interpretations of the last picture are very funny. I like the praying penguin! When I first saw it a tail-less squirrel was the first thing I thought of.

  11. Love your use of the stones Dave. I agree with Skeeter about the ID of the stones.
    You need some of the ones we have around here. They have something in them that look like diamonds when the sun shines on them. We used some of them in the steps going into our old place. Sadly they didn't work like I wanted as they were under roofs of porches.

  13. Dear Dave ..I am such a stone fan too .. I try to squeeze it in as much as possible .. Your natural stone pathway is my goal this year for two leading from the front to the back and around the garden .. you have it exactly the way I want mine : ) PERFECT !!

  14. That photo of the stone pathway in sunlight is spectacular, Dave!!! Love the benches, edgings, and dry creekbed, too. (I envy you those red-twig dogwoods; one of these days I'll get around to buying some… ) I have to say, I thought the "hippo" looked more like a praying sheep ("Please, please don't eat me!"), but then I saw the hippo head with its mouth open. Great post!

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