The circular planting plan, with its concentric rings of evergreen and blooming plants, is intended to be a vertical contrast and complement to the horizontal labyrinth. The entry stones hearken to ancient monoliths, such as Stonehenge, another temple to the sun—and the feeling they evoke is repeated by the stone memorial benches located around the labyrinth. The outer ring of evergreen Arborvitae (tree-of-life), and the rich spreading Taxus (yew) have both long been associated with memorial groves and symbolize eternal life of the spirit, both in the British Isles and here. The seasonal blooms, from the spectacular white blooming red-buds in early spring, to the delicate Liriope in late summer, are transient but vital visual emphases to the enduring and changeless labyrinth. The inner ring of flowering dogwood trees pays homage to the Amerindian natives, who taught the first settlers to admire and to preserve this symbolic under-story tree. The white redbuds and dogwoods will eventually grow into a canopy, arching over the gravel paths, and float beneath the mature canopy tress that shade this contemplative garden, scented by the blooms of the Carolina spice-bush (Calycanthus).
The deliberate placement of trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants in this space creates an opportunity for the visitor to experience a contemplative walk in the midst of an otherwise well traveled section of our Lane Avenue Gardens.