A meditation garden is personal. Aaron designs each one around how you want to feel when you're in it - the sounds, the textures, the shelter from the rest of the world.
Request a ConsultationDrag the slider to explore this meditation garden from two perspectives - the same finished retreat, captured from different vantage points.
Drag to compare
A meditation garden isn't a particular style - it's a particular feeling. Some clients want complete enclosure, a room within the yard where nothing from outside intrudes. Others want openness with a focal point they can settle into. Some want the sound of water. Some want silence and texture. Aaron's first job is figuring out what "restorative" means to you specifically.
From there, he designs the space with that feeling as the organizing principle. Plantings are chosen for sensory qualities: the rustle of grasses in a breeze, the fragrance of lavender or roses, the visual softness of ornamental shrubs in morning light. Hardscape elements like stepping stones or a simple bench are placed where they invite rather than interrupt.
These gardens tend to be smaller and more intentional than a full landscape redesign, and that's part of what makes them special. When you know exactly what a space is for, every element earns its place.
Start a ConversationWe take this work on across Washtenaw County. See what we build in Ann Arbor, or get in touch about your own property.
Common Questions
Enclosure, a single destination, and the removal of visual noise. It usually means a screened boundary so the street disappears, one place to sit that feels like an arrival rather than an afterthought, a restrained plant palette, and often the sound of water to mask traffic. The design goal is that your attention has somewhere to settle.
More private than most people expect, and usually without a taller fence. Layered planting, a strategically placed screen, and a change in grade do more for perceived privacy than height does. You're blocking sight lines from where you sit, not building a wall.
Most are shut down and drained before the first hard freeze, then restarted in spring. We design them so that's straightforward rather than a project. Some recirculating features can run through winter with a heater, but in Ann Arbor it's usually not worth the complexity.
The hardscape and planting typically go in over a few weeks once we start. The garden itself takes two or three seasons to feel settled. That's when the planting knits together and the space starts doing what it was designed to do.
Aaron will walk your property, listen to what you need, and design something that actually delivers it.
Request a Consultation