Some other things we have that I might incorporate:

This tree is recent storm casualty; here's a shot of a lot of wood from the fallen tree (and our dog). Perhaps we might use some as a base for a small yoga platform (which would also cover one area that tends to get infiltrated in spring.) Or maybe just recycle that big moss and lichen covered branch as an object d'art.

I've had these lanterns over 20 years. Good thing I like rust. I might use one at the garden entry.

This bell was hanging very high in a tree (PO). The tree came down and now we have this. Not sure if a bell belongs where one meditates. but i like it.

I'm very excited about this little project. Still mulling over the best way to handle the fence.

Looks like a delightful project, Mtn. The bell is beautiful. Does it ring? Looks heavy and like it would have a very deep, satisfying gong to it.

“A recent storm casualty; a lot of wood (and our dog)”

what does that last part mean?

OMG! It means the pic is of a lot of wood, and our dog is in the pic too. She is fine!

I've edited my post to hopefully make that clearer. Yikes.

I love that you are using pieces that have age. Anything shiny and new would just not fit in that space which has an ancient quality to it. I’m sure the wisdom of the ages will seep into your soul as you sit and contemplate life in that spot ( lol). But seriously, nice, really nice.

Thx, Ded. Your point about the ancient quality make me think ... I was planning on painting the bench in a glossy finish to match the ceramic pot/fountain. Yes, no?

Love the items, and you had most of them already. Meant to be. I would not do glossy on the bench. Doesn't seem to flow with the older, patina items. Love love the bell.

I was just looking out my window when a Moss Construction truck drove by. I had to check in to see how your moss construction was coming along.

Just got in from meeting with our gardener going over the whole property, including the moss garden.

Still mulling over what to do to cover the fence; he says ivy will work there but it will grow very slowly since it is so shady. I need to cover about a 6'x20' section, the rest of th fence is camouflaged to my satisfaction. I am worried bamboo fencing will be a big shock of bright yellow that dominates all else. I'm actually going to try reed. It's junky but so darn cheap I can think of it like an annual.

Meantime, my DH had them create an alternate path with logs from te downed tree. Gotta admit it's charming. Will post a photo.

In re paint, I was thinking the bench, which is currently white, would look nice if it matched the fountain/planter, which is a gorgeous green blue and shiny. Would you paint it to match but not shiny?

Ask your gardener if five-leaf akebia, aka chocolate vine, will grow in your zone. It's supposed to grow in zones 4-5. It can handle full shade, is a vigorous grower to 20', and the flowers smell like chocolate. It's also native to Japan, China, and Korea, so it fits in in an Asian garden.

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/vines/chocolate-vine/chocolate-vine-plants.htm

Hi, interesting, Toby. I looked that one up and it says "Full sun, but will tolerate shade." Should I assume that means in full shade it won't die but it might not grow that fast?

It's all coming together so nicely - love that bell, the coloring that is beginning to weave itself in and out..... As for the bench, I would do the glossy finish and then with a sanding sponge work that shine off in strategic places of use like parts of the seat and the arms where you grab to stand up. Are you up for that? It's not a lot of work and would add another item of aged beauty.

Have you ever looked at stump (edited to say log) gardens? You might get some inspiration for your larger log pieces mixing in ferns and maybe even something that climbs, like ivy although ivy would be my last choice as it's so invasive - shade will not stop it at all.

edited to add - Had to track down my pictures. Large logs can be nestled into the ground or mulch to form the basis for a garden. They don't all have to be upright and I think it's more interesting if they're not. You could make part of your path out of them, too.

Here is a path we hiked along recently, we called it the magical moss forest. I thought of your moss garden as we walked along.

That's gorgeous localeater!

Another place for great moss inspiration is the Hoh Rainforest in Olympic National Park.

I remember seeing the wooden walkway when you first did the topic, but today is the first time I saw the large, serene area of moss. Take a picture, make a jigsaw puzzle, stat!

These suggestions are from my perspective if the garden was mine. Absolutely no added sound/noise to the space whatsoever. No water, no bell, nothing. In that setting, silence really is golden. It's the only way to listen to nature and not think or focus on something that makes you think, like a fountain or a bell ringing from the wind, and lets not forget the sound of brids. Can't get more "Zen" than that.

DLM is onto something with the stumps of wood. If you and other family members hike around the acreage there would be seat for everyone, & if you put other objects in the space then your mind will go to "What else could I put here?" It's the decorator in you.

I'm totally into silence when I'm outdoors. Even at night while in bed I open the window behind me in the dead of winter to listen to Owls calling each other to mate. An organic sound that totally stops me from thinking about the world or anythng else. Zen.

The bench is perfect. Any type of rock that is stacked will collect families of spiders, wasps nest that can't be seen, or a snake coiled and ready to BITE you. I screamed that last part. Or you could take a shotgun with you. :)

Most importantly, Zen is to make you not think or focus on anything. Can't do that with a bell or fountain. :) Everybody sing Silence is golden, golden.....

I love what DLM posted. I was thinking somewhat along the same lines, staggered logs, and let ferns and other shade plants like hosta, lungwort, brunnera, astilbe, and others weave on and among the logs.

I wouldn’t plant ivy either. Too invasive. If you try the reeds, maybe they can be stained darker. I don’t know, just thinking of how they could ‘disappear’. I would let the bench be somewhat rustic, but perhaps put a coat of weatherproofing on it so it will withstand the elements. I love the bell, but think it needs its own stand, to act more like a standing piece, not hung somewhere.

Outside, I agree, that log path DLM posted is gorgeous! For our purposes, however, we need logs to raise areas off the ground that may get infiltrated in spring. So we can't recess them like the photo. That may be a good idea to try to stain the reeds. We will wait till they arrive to see how they look. No idea how to incorporate the bell, but I love it and think it's a good spot for it. I don't know the names of them, but we are just incorporating the shade plants we have around or that are in our woods.

Oakley, LOL, now I will have that earworm! I hear you (little joke). But personally i love fountains, as long as they are gentle and quiet. Our pond has fountains and they are raucous! They probably shoot up 12 feet or so and have a lot of force. This fountain is a trickle! As for the bell, I think it used to make a sound when the wind blew. But IDK because when it gets windy we hear bells all over the place. The PO had people install them from a cherry picker!

The moss is even more serene today! They used a leafblower to clean it off and they removed some saplings and stumps. They are also taking moss from other areas of the property to add to the varieties.

Local, that is so pretty Thank you for posting. Moss is a funny thing. Some people see magic, some people think "dark, damp, bad." There are probably more articles on getting rid of moss than there are on planting it.

DLM, gorgeous pics. I went to the paint store with a pot saucer today, and got a very different result than the visualizer. I think we will go with a sort of hunter green on the bench, which is good because that make the bench more usable elsewhere. The bench is shiny white right now. I like it because I think the fretwork back reads Asian.

DLM thank you so much for the stump garden inspiration. I have a few areas where I need to 'embrace the stump' My DH's back especially thanks you!

My DH wanted to change the entry to the moss garden, so that it winds through the woods. I disagreed, as I liked the entrance we had. Meantime he had the gardeners repurpose the stumps here. And plans to make a raised walkway. It's actually kind of cool. You can just see the moss in the center distance.

Don’t paint the bench. Nice stumps.

You mean leave it white? Or did you think it was the color of my awful mock up?

I suggest painting the bench the color of the bell, not the bright planter. And in a matte or distressed finish, not glossy.

Hmm. not a bad idea Nuts. I was fixated on the planter. The bell was just something i came across.

ETA - i hate the small pics on Houzz now. I just clicked on that Hoh rainforest pick DLM, and it is amazing. Otherworldly. The unclicked size doesn't do it justice!

mtn that's the park my son works at - so many beautiful places there. I haven't made it to that end of the park yet but it's on my list.

So explain about the bells..... you have multiple bells up in the trees on your property from the previous owner? Do they sound mysterious and distant in the wind on occasion or do they ring all the time?

Hi DLM,

I will have to visit it next time I'm in your beautiful corner of the country.

The POs were creative types (songwriter and a set designer) and they did some interesting things. One of which was to hang windchimes and bells. Maybe 7 or 8 around the property? We were told they hired a cherry picker to place these very high in the trees. Who would notice such a thing when looking at a home? When we first lived here, it used to drive us a bit crazy on a breezy day. It wasn't LOUD it was just ... extra.

Fast forward 10 years. A few have fallen or blown down. A few have come down when a tree was knocked over in a storm etc. A few were removed when a tree was pruned. The one I show in the pic above I've always liked. It's just been sitting on the patio unil this occurred to me.

Mtn- can’t wait to see the raised log walkway.

Ded- love Hoh! Dh and I backpacked throughout the park several years ago, a return trip is on my list.

Mtn, I was going to suggest a high pitched wind chime a good distance away from the seating area but close enough to barely hear them. High pitched wind chimes at a distance reminds me of fairies. Perfect for the "woods."

Leave the bench white and chippy looking, like it’s been there for ages.

I'm all about the chippy. But because the bench was a glossy white, it doesn't look chippy.

I'm thinking about choosing a color based on the bell. After having spent 30 minutes at the hardware store lugging around a planter, I will have to wear fake-nose-and-glasss when I drag in my bell.

Everytime I see this thread, even though I created it, I see the word "mediation," not "meditation."

Is there such a thing as Rorschach for words? I must need more meditating.

Mtn, your husband's stump walkway made me think of something. Have you ever heard of a stumpery? This is one view of the one at Highgrove. I am going to create one in my lower back yard. It won't be quite like this, though-ha.

There are a number of articles in the NYT on growing moss...

https://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/01/garden/01moss.html?searchResultPosition=3

https://www.nytimes.com/1987/07/05/archives/gardening-a-moss-lawn-doesnt-need-mowing.html?searchResultPosition=1

I especially like the first one where all he did was expose the soil and acidify it and the moss grew by itself.

Those are great articles, with some good local sources too. Thanks Annie!

cyn, I just learned about stumperies from Ashley Hicks's IG. They are beyond. I will try to attach Hicks's tour of a Victorian one just in case Mtn would like some more inspiration. Walking about, virtually, was really interesting.

PS I haven't been able to find the tour Hicks gave with that fabulous garden. His IG tours are quite amazing if anyone is interested in old stately English houses. I will keep looking.

My gardeners must think i'm crazy. My "meditation garden" is their damp and dark egress to the clippings dump. Now I need to explain that their dump is actually a "stumpery!" LOL

PS, we were going to attach a walkway to the stumps. But they are actually positioned pretty well to just walk on as is, which everyone thinks is fun. So they are staying as is for now. We still have the other boardwalk entry to the moss garden, which my kids now refer to as the handicapped ramp. (eye roll)

American Indians had lots of uses for moss. Your site was probably frequented often or had tribes living very near at some point of history. You might want to plant a little maize as an offering. Don’t be concerned if only some in your family can see the ghostly apparitions, they’re tricky that way. It’s not always a bad thing as they offer protection if acknowledged respectfully.

Hehe, there is something mystical about a moss garden.

Speaking of moss and such, if you're looking for an interesting place to hike with beautiful views and interesting rock outcroppings with grottos (fern and moss) check out Bartholemew's Cobble in Sheffield MA

https://thetrustees.org/place/bartholomews-cobble/ 

Having such fun with this little project. We have put up some reeds for now and I think I like them. My landscape designer has suggested climbing hydrangea for the fence but IDK how long that will take.

These are just leaning and we have another section to add, but the dog likes it.

Gardener will move in some ferns and hostas from elsewhere on the property next week.

All the reeds are up but not attached; we might just take them down for winter. Found bench on my property. Looks cool but not too inviting! Finished stump path. Placed lanterns out. Yoga platform just started bldg today, painting bench next week, fountain up and running but need electric and hostas and ferns being transplanted in Monday. Bell is hanging from a tree but you can't see it. Need a buddha.

What an amazing transformation. I would not put anything on the reeds and allow them to weather naturally. Maybe consider leaving them in place over the winter to speed up the aging process. It is just lovely, very zen.

I think the bench is great right where it is..It looks like it grew there. Maybe add a plant, bowl, something to the bench?

The dog!!! She is so pretty. Goldens are The absolute best in my opinion.

Good point about the winter aging the reeds; they are pretty junky tho so I worry it could ruin them, too.

Anyway, meantime, more progress. The yoga platform is built! It is 6'x8' so mats can go either direction. My girls have already used it.

Still to do: Buddha statue on its way, bench being fixed, fountain being installed, and hostas and ferns to be transplanted from elsewhere on the property.

Thanks about the dog. She is such a good girl. I take no credit for raising her right, LOL; Goldens are born good.

Your own secret garden!

Looking wonderful!

I could never meditate in a garden like that here, I would be eaten alive by mosquitoes. I could sit in an enclosed screen area and look at it though. I am working on the front of our house this year, but next year I am going to have to finish the several viewing gardens I have started. One is definitely Japanese influenced, but more Shinto than Buddhist. I could never pull off Zen for myself, although I like to look at Zen gardens. Your use of logs is inspiring, since I have many logs now on our property from cutting down two trees. I find them decorative, but my Dad keeps asking me why I have them sitting there . . . :)

Pinkmountain, for some odd reason our mosquitoes have been unnaturally light this year. None at all until dusk, and even then very few.

I've a feeling I am conflating Shinto Buddhism and Zen into one, like a lumbering colonialist!

I like the term "viewing garden."

What a magical place! It reminds me of some walk/hikes we did in the PNW and Ireland. Makes me think of the Wee Folk! How about an obscure little fairy/wee folk tree door? Would be fun for someone to stumble upon!

I love it, Mtn. We had a mossy area when I was a kid and I used to love to play there with my dolls and such.

Teeda, uber cute! I just may steal that. : )

I've noticed that too about the bugs...seems the hurricane blew them all away and I've seen few since then, even on my woods walks.

Interesting, Annie, I wondered if Id imagined it! It's quite pleasant!