UPUCC Garden Design Program based on survey results and discussions
Transcript
UPUCC Garden
Design Program based on survey results and discussions
Presenter
Presentation Notes
The members of the Garden Task Force – Peg Arcari, Marcia Welsh, Betsy Thigpen, Sandy Ceppo, Chris Ousley, and I – thank those of you who completed the garden survey this past fall. We went over your answers and comments to understand what your priorities are. The following presentation is based on those results and is meant to give you an idea of the possibilities available to us.
Overall Intentions
• Provide an aesthetically pleasing design for the outdoor area on the northern side of the church.
• Should be easily accessible for all who wish to visit.
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We want to be able to enjoy the outdoor spaces even when we are inside the sanctuary. And, of course, it is important to design the spaces in a manner that all who wish to may visit it, regardless of their physical limitations.
Design should reflect the UPUCC Covenant, especially in the following excerpts:
“Seek, in our quest for the truth, the presence of the divine … in all of creation;”
“… through joyous celebration, savor the goodness of life;”
“Claim our inescapable connection with the sacred earth and all of creation;”
“This we know: In our faithful sojourning, we do not walk alone. God is present with us. We have not yet arrived. God continues to beckon. We seek no destination. The sacred journey is our home.” (This could be a wonderful quote to use along the meditative path or at the entrance to the labyrinth.)
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In addition to paying close attention to the answers and comments from the survey, I looked to our covenant for inspiration and guidance in order to keep the design aligned with our values.
• Use environmentally sustainable practices whenever possible. This means that we’ll use only native plants, except for the central lawn area, and leave as much permeable ground surface as possible.
• Should be relatively low-maintenance.
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We want to be gentle on the Earth as we install our new garden spaces. This will mean that we should use native plants whenever possible and remove as few trees in the woods as we create a path and children’s area. Because we don’t have a full-time grounds crew and most members of our community already have commitments on other committees, we’ll want to create a design that needs relatively little maintenance. Of course, no garden is maintenance-free, so we hope that there will be plenty of you who enjoy doing outdoor work and would be happy to help with occasional gardening tasks.
Children’s Natural Exploratory Area• Primary goal is to provide a
space where children can spiritually connect with nature - through worship, study, and exploration of the outdoor environment.
• Located in the wooded area;
• Remove as few trees as possible, (only dead trees and branches, as well as those with < 4” caliper).
• Include different areas for: meeting, playing, and connecting with nature.
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According to the survey results, our community’s highest priority is to create an outdoor area where the children can play, explore, and worship surrounded by nature. An area already exists in the central part of the woods, so we propose to expand upon that.
Climbing, Balancing
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The children’s area could be created relatively inexpensively, using natural materials and volunteer effort from our community. Here you see some examples made from cut logs and large branches.
Art with Natural Materials
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These photos show examples of tables where children can create art using both traditional and natural materials.
Spaces to Perform and to Meet
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The photo on the left is a very simple example of a small outdoor amphitheater. It could be a space where children perform bible stories or other plays, or we have small outdoor services for all ages. On the right, you see an area with simple wooden benches set aside for meeting. This could accommodate any age.
Meandering Path through the Woods
• Handicap accessible (possible wooden boardwalk or cleared and heavily mulched path); minimum 4’ wide.
• Stay as level as possible.
• Secondary paths lead to various “destinations”, such as children’s areas and rock outcropping.
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Another high priority for survey respondents is to have a meandering path through the woods. This path would go around the perimeter of the children’s area, with secondary paths leading to it and any other spaces, such as the amphitheater or a fire pit, that we decided to have. It would be very important to make this path handicap accessible, which means it would need to be at least 4 feet wide, have a relatively smooth service, and stay fairly level, following the contours of the land. We are still looking into how far into the woods the path can go, based on whether or not – and to what extent - our neighbors who share the building are comfortable with us extending our garden onto their land.
• Meditative stopping points with seating, and possibly poetry/quotes, can be placed along the way.
• Aesthetic entry, such as arbor or gate, placed so that it can be seen from other garden area closer to building. This would signify to visitors that they are entering a special place.
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We envision the path being meditative in nature, having places along the way to pause and reflect. It might include seating and inspirational quotes. To enter the path and the woods, it would be important to mark the entrance with a beautiful arbor or gate to let visitors know that they are entering a special place. It would be lined up with the view from inside the sanctuary.
Boardwalks with “Guardrails”
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Here are some examples of paths that go through the woods. By making it a wooden boardwalk, it would be low-maintenance, easy to clean off fallen leaves, handicap accessible, and would allow rainwater to continue to flow unimpeded across the land. The guardrails on these boardwalks give a feeling of safety for anyone feeling less secure in his or her footing.
Simple Boardwalks
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These are simpler versions of boardwalks.
Boardwalk with Seating
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Here’s an example of how seating can be incorporated into a boardwalk. If we chose to do this, it wouldn’t need to be as large as this one.
Entrances to Woodland Path
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These are just a couple of simple examples of entrances into another garden area. It’s so important to provide this in order to give the visitor a sense of welcome and signal that she or he is entering a special place. The entrance could be a more elongated pergola, even with space for seating, in order to give the visitor a chance to pause upon entering or leaving the woods. Another idea is to have a sign at the entrance that could have an inspirational quote.
Contemplative Garden
• Design a quiet space for meditation, prayer, or reflection.
• Can be combined with meandering path, labyrinth, and/or larger gathering space.
• Might include small water feature that could be easily maintained.
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Yet another priority for most people is to have some kind of contemplative space in our garden. This could be a separate space or incorporated into a larger space, such as the path or memorial garden. It might have a small water feature, such as a bubbling fountain from a large pot or a bamboo fountain over a carved out stone, but it would need to be simple enough for easy maintenance. We wouldn’t want to have standing water that would attract mosquitoes.
Swing
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A swing under a pergola could be off of the gathering space, or tucked into the woods near the path.
Labyrinth
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The same is true for the labyrinth. I would suggest that the labyrinth be paved in order to have it be low maintenance. (Grass or ground cover could be planted in the spaces between the paved path.)
Mindful Quotes for Labyrinth
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At the entrance to the labyrinth, or incorporated into the path paving could be an inspirational quote.
Fountain Ideas
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Here are a couple of examples of small, low-maintenance fountains.
Gathering Space for Social Events
• Located in former loading dock area.• Large glass windows in sanctuary become doors to provide
easy access.• Access needed from floor level of sanctuary down to ground
level of garden.• Must be a beautiful, enticing view from sanctuary.• There should be a relatively open area where larger groups
can congregate.• Varied seating needed, some moveable.
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A gathering space for for social events and other large events, such as special services, is also a top priority for us as a congregation. Here are some things to consider. We propose to change the large windows at the back of the sanctuary to doors that lead out to a deck at the same level. The ramp would remain so that the lower area could be handicap accessible. On the lower level, we propose to have a central lawn area, surrounded by native trees, shrubs and grasses. It might be possible to have the labyrinth and the swing off of the lawn area, accessible by small paths.
Memorial Garden
• Area where Twila’s tree and flower bulbs are planted can be expanded somewhat.
• Create a more unified design with seating; possibly a seat wall to define area in an aesthetically pleasing manner.
• Provide signage, possibly with appropriate quote, to indicate significance of area.
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(Read slide)
Stones could be placed in path or patio in memorial garden
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(Read slide)
Butterfly Garden
• Needs to be in sunny area, probably on north side of drive, receiving southern sun.
• Could possibly be incorporated into memorial garden.
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(Read slide)
Memorial Garden Ideas
Seat Wall Butterfly Garden
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Here are some examples of a seat wall and a butterfly garden. Everyone is invited and encouraged to be a part of the creation of our outdoor gardens. We on the UPUCC Garden Task Force welcome your ideas and comments. On display in the hallway are two functional diagrams that are graphic displays of how the various spaces outside might be used. I’ll be out there to explain them and answer your questions. We’ll also have some sheets where you can leave your comments and questions, and where you can indicate your talents and willingness to help with the various tasks that will be necessary for the installation of the gardens and paths. Our next step is to assimilate your ideas into an illustrated master plan, which we will then have available for viewing and comments. Thank you!
