Before and After: Rock Wall

Project #3 of 14,234,488 completed!
You know, it's curious how I choose projects out here in Columbia County. As David says: Just point your nose in any direction and there's something major to do. I guess it was the fact that the area at the top of the driveway is so very visible that drove me to pick this particular project.
I figure if I have to look at it every day, it had better be pretty; it wasn't.

So I decided to do something about it.

This is what it looked like before we moved in. I'm talking about the area to the left of the retaining wall. It was simply a pile of rock-hard dirt covered in weeds. On the left at the top of the mound there is a massacred magnolia and to the right of that a stiff sea of sloppy oregano.

This is how it looked last week. A wall of mud and weeds with the addition of broken terracotta. How picturesque. The arrow, by the way, is to guide visitors to the front door as it's not obvious. So I had this idea: It's south-facing. and could be really good drainage if there were a rocky retaining wall. How about an Arctostaphylos up there and other sun-loving, drought-tolerant goodies to give some structure to the area? But where oh where to get the rocks?

Of course!

So off I went digging a trench at the bottom and taking away chunks of mud and weeds and adding about five large basalt rocks at a time as that's all I could push up hill in the wheelbarrow. About 25 loads later . . . bit by bit . . . I stacked rocks and fit them together. The wall is angled so I didn't have to worry about it being stacked with precision.

Oh, lordy, but it was a mudfest!

This was my Valentine's Day, by the way. In the rain. But I really wanted to get the job done.

Starting to come together. The magnolia up top got a haircut. It had been a good-sized tree, but cut down with suckers coming up all around. I cleaned it up to see if it would make a comeback rather than getting rid of it all together. I also planted an Arctostaphylos 'Harmony' on top as well as a Ceanothus 'Blue Sierra' (hard to see, it's behind the Arcto up on the hill), both purchased from Xera Plants last fall. They should each get about 7' tall and since they're evergreen will give some life to this area. I also removed the sea of aggressive oregano.

A more defined top edge, the soil was cut away with my shovel.

Using the shovel marks as a guide I finished the wall. It took two days of several hours each day.

I added compost up top and also in the nooks and crannies of the rocks.

This is after I cleaned up---if you can believe it. It, and I, were muddy messes.

Then, the wall needed some plants so I took a look at the plant prison to see what sun-loving treasures I could find. I found a Lewisia, a Gentian, some sedums and hens and chicks and ice plant. I also stole a bit of gravel left over from the foundation of David's new shed.

I also found a couple great deals at our local Ace Hardware store - two Lewisia cotyledons for $2.99 each. I also found a Clematis tangutica for $3, two Agastaches for .99 cents each and a Podophyllum 'Spotty Dotty' for $7.99. How about that? I think I will be stopping there more often. The Lewisias are perfect for the rock wall, with some extra gravel for drainage, of course.

A wider shot.

The finished product with lots of plants tucked in there (hard to see, sorry about that) and washed off. The soil and gravel and compost will take a while to settle. I will also surely add more sedum cuttings and hens and chicks here and there. At least the green specks seen here are plants, not weeds.

Project #3 down, just a few million more to go. Hey, every step is an improvement so I'll take it! By the way, another perk to this project is recycling. I will think of the former owner's super cool labyrinth every time I see this wall, which is daily.

That's it for this week at Chickadee Gardens. As always thank you for reading and until next time, happy gardening!