A dry stone arch we recently 'planted' in Oakville Ontario.
I'm always delighted to see how successfully a properly built dry stone arch compliments the other elements of a well planned garden. Like the plants and shrubs surrounding it, an arch can feel like it has grown out of the earth and has found nourishment in the soil, and is thriving in the same sunlight, and drinking the same rain, that makes the whole garden shimmer with life.
An arch evokes the feeling of growth, not just because of the stone's radiating pattern or its magical blossom-like opening or even the 'naturalness' of the material it is made of, but because it is has literally risen from the ground up. It has not been plonked there in the garden like some statue or sculpture. Unlike a giant boulder or huge chunk of armour stone, it has not merely been shoved into place by some heavy machine. No, it has taken time to grown there. The stones, like seeds, have been planted and cultivated and coaxed into something beautiful. The flowing shape of an arch is something that emerges from within the surrounding flora.
