Last week you saw the story of our stone egg.
But the story began a week earlier as we put in a new stone wall…not quite as exciting or unique, but it fits perfectly and is just what the space (and we) needed.
Here is the west facing slope:
The stakes with white “flags” are for the gas and electric lines.
Somehow these pictures do not convey the total mess this place was! It faces west i.e. very hot afternoon sun, it slopes down to blacktop road i.e. very hot reflection AND that tree is a River Birch which means it sucks up any available water plus has an extensive, thick root system.
Trying to plant anything at all here was just about impossible. I couldn’t dig down more than about one inch.
This was several years ago before we moved in: kind of a jungle out there…
Here’s the beginning. Clearing the slope by cutting back about a foot.
Adding gravel. We only had to dig down about 2″ as the frost here is minimal.
Layering stones and gravel:
The finished product!
Lucky plants will now have some protection from all that heat and black top.
Our orange umbrella is famous in the neighborhood. We have people stop by and say it just makes them happy to see it up!
This year we opted for a huge one: it’s 11′ in diameter. It’s Sunbrella fabric, it tilts, and it covers
A LOT of territory in the sun.
More on the umbrella later this season!
Succulents are very happy in the bright sun! That’s Delosperma Basuticum (White-Eyed Ice Plant) on the right… and I don’t know what the left image is. Anyone?
While this doesn’t compare to the stone egg in originality and uniqueness, it’s a very handsome, solid stone wall! As one neighbor said, “You’ve added real class to the ‘hood!”.
