Obelisks make a good point. They’re an ancient garden ornament with plenty of modern style. Obelisks give a garden a lift; they’re monumental exclamation points that capture your eye and attention and ...

To make your garden more productive and more interesting, too, consider an obelisk. It's practical and adds drama to a garden. Obelisks, strictly speaking, are four-sided, tapered and made of stone.

The first obelisk to be erected in Europe was a trophy of war. Loyd Grossman considers how these ancient monuments came to be understood and became the mark of every great city. When Napoleon wished ...