I often see landscapes built like a fortress. A tall and stark stone wall blocks the grounds. The formidable wall tells visitors to stay away and “Don’t tread on me.”
Stone walls keep the eye from moving through the landscape. They say look at me and nothing else. They are a blazing neon sign saying “Closed.”
I make sure the stone walls I design fit into the landscape.
You can plant weeping plants on top of walls to soften them. Especially if the wall is over three feet tall.
In the photo above a blue rug juniper (Juniperus horizontalis ‘Wiltoni’) gently weeps over the wall. Without the junipers it would be a stark, cold and imposing feature.
Before starting construction consider if the wall is really necessary and how you can lower its impact.
By John Holden
Comments
6 responses to “Stone Walls Shouldn’t be Imposing”
I agree, when landscaping using hardscaping techniques, it’s important to make sure that stone walls don’t look imposing. It seems important to make them look like they’re part of the landscaping design. I liked your tip to use plants to make them look softer. I have a stone wall that I would like to have put in my backyard, so it seems like a good idea to plant a few weeping plants to make my wall look not so imposing.
Stone walls done right also add a lot of character to a landscape.
I really like what this article says about the distance at which a plant should be placed form a building. I definitely think that plants look better when they are close enough not to look out of place, but far enough not to look crammed. I also like the practicality of having them planted far enough away to be able to access the sides of the building. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you James. Far enough but not too close sums it up perfectly.
I really appreciate this information on landscape designs. I like the idea you gave and show here of using a stone wall to add dimension. I think it gives a great, finished look while also protecting the rest of your landscape. I will have to ask my landscape designer if something like that would work in our yard!
Stone walls should always add to the landscape and not keep the eye from moving across it. While they are certainly necessary in many situations try not to overdo it.