BEFORE retaining wall
AFTER
This past week, we have imported seven truck loads of locally-quarried granite from Cloutier Holdings. Daniel Cloutier has been doing some “hand”-picking of stones for building retaining walls in the front yard and the back.
Dave, from M&M Excavating, has planted them where they’ll likely stay forever. He’s an efficient worker, and has a great eye for rock placement. As well as retaining walls, he built 4 sets of stone stairs.
The maximum allowable height of un-engineered retaining walls is four feet. In order to retain a higher level of soil, he stepped back in a couple of places to make two four-foot walls (separated by 4 feet).
To save us a bunch of weeding in the future, I tried to place the big pieces of plastic lumber-wrap (I’ve been saving since the lumber/plywood was delivered) under/behind the stones. Dave often had to tear it when placing rocks, and didn’t remember to replace it sometimes.
Whenever I have some mortar left over at the end of a work day, I paste it into one of our rock wall crevices, to prevent weeds from taking over there (that’s the theory!)
This huge expanse of stone needs softening. I think we have enough stone in this house and yard now. Thirty years ago, when this lot was just a twinkle in our eyes, I collected English ivy from just across the street here to cover the ground of our first home we built in North Vancouver. Karma?
I plan to plant the nooks and crannies with ivy and Virginia Creeper. I would love to cover rocks with moss, too, and have read of a recipe to grow moss: “In a blender, mix a handful of moss with 1 cup of buttermilk or yogurt. Paint it onto the rocks.” Worth a try.
Keeping in mind that we want our home and yard to be light on maintenance and light on the environment, we plan to have a xeriscaped yard (growing indigenous species with low water needs) and no lawn to mow and water. There will be a tiny patch of eco-grass (slow-growing and low water needs) for picnics, and patios and pathways covered with gravel, flagstone, and wood mulch.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Wow, Gail, is this ever taking shape!! Did I send you Lloyd’s recommended list of xeriscape plants? Let me know. There may be some plants that will prosper in your area.
Lloyd is not a big fan of landscape fabric or plastic under rock mulch. He says that seeds can take root on top of this in the leaf and other organic debris. He prefers an inch or so of sand under the rock mulch. Weeds do root but they’re so weak that they’re easy to pull out. That’s certainly true of the maple keys that land in our xeriscaped yard. Ivy can also take over if you don’t keep on top of it–but maybe there are spots where this is desirable. And what an interesting recipe for moss! Thyme works really well in rock paths and smells nice when you walk on it…
Thanks, Janet, for your (and Lloyd’s) expertise. He did send the list of plants about a year ago.
We have such a big yard that if ivy (I know, imported/invasive!) took over in some places, it would be better than Scotch broom and blackberry, in my opinion!
I guess dealing with invasive plants is all part of gardening at the coast because everything grows so well. Broom and blackberry are certainly prolific. At least blackberries are edible! Ivy is probably a lot easier to control and is pretty. I wonder if the homesick Scots realized what havoc would be wrecked when they brought broom to Victoria all those years ago!
Hi all… Please research ivy first before planting it on your site….English Ivy is one of the worst invasive plants that can ever be planted anywhere on the coast…nasty hard to control or kill…
Goodluck
lloyd
{ 1 trackback }