Thursday, November 6, 2008

Shade Garden Wall



The locust tree marks the location of our first pile of leaf mold. Loads of well rotted leaves were lifted from a village site and brought here. The locust tree grew from seed. Soon its roots claimed the compost pile. This is the only tree in our lawn. Finally it occurred to us that we could have a shade garden. The stone wall will allow us to fill to the level of the old compost pile. It will also give us a place to sit in the shade.

The tan colored stones in the wall were just removed from the ground. Ed found them while digging the ditch next to the driveway. Rain will wash these stones clean. Then they will match the rest of the wall.



Each wall is actually two walls. The stones are placed so that they are falling toward the center. Its the same principle that allows two drunks to hold each other up. The voids between the two walls are filled with screened fines from the gravel bank and small broken pieces of stone. If these spaces are carefully filled, there is no place for the wall stones to fall. Their only choice is to stay where placed.

6 comments:

Zoƫ said...

That is a beautifully crafted wall. It will make a good home for some plants in the crevices too.

tina said...

I love stone walls. Something I miss living in the south as they are much more common in the north. Yours is a keeper for sure. Good thing considering how much work it takes!

Anonymous said...

Your husband does a very admirable job with those beautiful stone walls! You'd think he was a mason. LOL at the drunks. ;)

Anonymous said...

The stone wall looks great centered around the tree. It will make a very personal garden. It will be fun to see how it develops with plantings.

fru Sandeggen said...

Wow, that wall looks lovely!
I once saw some pictures from a garden in France where they had buildt low stonecircles and planted trees in the middle. It made an amazing effect. And all that work...!

Anonymous said...

that is one of the most beautiful stone walls i have ever seen. Ed is very talented! (and hard-working)