To allow for places for visitors to linger in the garden, seating areas with moveable chairs as well as a couple of built-in stone benches are placed along the garden path at Hunterdon Regional Cancer Center, located in Flemington, N.J.

Phrases engraved in paving stones encourage a slow, deliberate pace through the garden for the visitor who wants to read and meditate on the messages from patients and others who have walked this garden path before. This can help to create a sense of community among all the people who have shared experiences and benefited from the services of Hunterdon Regional Cancer, located in Flemington, N.J.

Quercus Studio, LLC donated a pro bono garden design to this facility. Bounded on three sides by the walls of several hospital wings, this garden is made of several components, each designed to interrelate and support our goals for an inviting restoring/reflective healing garden.

Design goals were to provide a place of nurture and comfort for people who come to HRCC for treatment, family members, friends and care givers; offer a place of retreat from indoor waiting rooms, treatment rooms, artificial lights, stress and anxiety; create a place of reflection where members of the HRCC community can share and encourage each other; provide a place where those in need can benefit from the life-affirming forces of nature.

Flowering understory trees and shrubs, some deciduous, some evergreen, bring seasonal flowers and foliage to eye level.

To give natural structure against the surrounding architecture, several multi-trunk shade trees soften the surrounding brick walls, lend a subtle green ceiling to this outdoor room, and create the foundation for this distilled woodland garden. In ground level and raised planting beds of flowering shrubs, perennials and foliage plants reminiscent of a woodland floor create a lush dense carpet with four-season interest.

The path itself makes a short loop through the garden and incorporates large paving stones inscribed with meaningful messages to and from patients, friends and healthcare givers. These inscribed stepping stones are the foundation for shared footsteps where walking this path gives visitors a feeling of shared experiences and strength.