stone wall - phase two

I love the transformation stone brings into the landscape!

Whether as a wall or burying several rocks three-quarters in the ground to make a statement...

...it adds a new dimension to the overall look.

The first step is to dig into the slope, creating a level area to place the stones.

The level place needs to be wider than the stone itself

to give some wiggle room and the different sizes of the stone.

As it's built, the stone needs to be tipped back ever so slightly toward the bank.

 Back fill with the saved dirt, using an up/down chopping motion to settle the dirt. 

I even used a few concrete pieces -

in fact, I've seen some beautiful walls where the whole wall

was built out of recycled, broken concrete.

As the wall is built, stack the stones on top of each other so that it looks like this...

By laying them like this keeps the wall sturdy.

It's almost like fitting pieces of a puzzle,

and if it doesn't seem to fit one way, try it another way.

But it's very important to back fill as you build.

I did several layers of a four foot section at a time,

and pretty much just amish eyed it from a distance to keep it straight.

Part of the charm of a stone wall is its imperfections.

I filled the top with grass edgings.

To put a nice finish to the wall,

use the larger, flatter pieces of stone for the last layer.

I was lucky to have a stone that has a corner to finish the end of the wall.

If the top stone is sloped too much into the ground,

lift it and push dirt underneath it to raise it up.

Finish it off by mulching!

  The walls 'settle' with time and thunder storms (no kidding!)

and more dirt may need to be added at a latter time.

While stone and walls add a lot to landscaping,

it can be overdone.

I've seen yards with w-a-y too much stone -

round, one-layer stone edging every flower bed,

or too small stones that looks like a conglomeration mish-mash of stone.

Kinda like a dress that has too much lace on it! :)

Amazing transformation!

...happy gardening!

ox