Labyrinth, Gazebo and Formal Garden

The Labyrinth
Symbols made from interconnected concentric lines have appeared in cultures around the world throughout human history, in times and places as diverse as ancient Peru and medieval France. Within this symbolic family is the labyrinth, which consists of a single mysteriously winding path that leads to a center point and back out again. Unlike its cousin, the maze, which is designed to mislead and confuse, the labyrinth is a meditative tool heralded for its ability to help clear, quiet, and focus the mind, and is an aid for psychological and spiritual growth. Labyrinths were used by ancient peoples as ceremonial places for honoring the sacred directions and the changing of the seasons. In medieval European cathedrals, the labyrinth represented the internal journey of life.

Our labyrinth was installed in 2010 by Marty Kermeen from Labyrinths in Stone. It is 45 x 24 feet and is oval in shape, with Laguna Niguel’s city flower, the bougainvillea, at the center. Eight Italian Cypress flanks the entry from the Citizen of the Year Grove or Cupressus sempervirens with a majestic view of Saddleback Mountains.

Gazebo
Our gazebo’s style is a garden temple or folio to adhere to the Mediterranean design of the labyrinth and the formal garden. The Classical Garden Temple was purchased from Haddonstone in Surrey, England, in 2018. Once the shipment was received, it was installed later the same year.
The gazebo or “Garden Temple” is at the end of an oval decomposed granite approach flanked with purple and white flowering shrubs. The trees surrounding the oval are Engelmann Oaks or Quercus Engelmannii.

Formal Garden
Our small formal garden is based upon the famous Tuscan garden at Villa Gamberaia. Our smaller version has two parterre gardens with purple and white blooms at their centers. The entire space is flanked on three sides with a taller formal hedge of Sweet Bay Laurel or Laurus nobilis, creating a garden room. The hemicycle at the end has three Olive Trees or Olea europaea with a small, curved brick wall and Sweet Bay Laurel behind. A statue titled “Rebecca at the Well” stands in front of the Olive Trees setting the formality of the space.