BEFORE: A dilapidated retaining wall, an overgrown hedge, and a weedy collection of miscellaneous plants cried out for help.BEFORE:The evergreen hedge created a depressing scene and made it impossible to grow anything else.Engineering these walls and stone outcroppings was no picnic, and building them took the best skills of our crew.The skilled masons on this job knew how to deal with a difficult site.Plastering changes the character of the walls. Note the stone slabs mortared into the walls.Placing stones so that they look right and are stable is a fine art.The steps and paths are made of Cherokee flagstone, which is harder and more durable than other flagstones.Here’s how it turned out.New Zealand Flax, Aeonium, fescue, Agave geminiflora and other plants create a garden of living sculptures.Wrought iron handrails make for safe passage. The tree in the background is a strawberry tree.Cracks in the unmortared walls are home to sedums, Dymondia, and other small, sturdy plants.These steps lead from the driveway to the house. Surrounded by aeoniums and other plants.This is a garden of foliage. Colors were carefully coordinated to blend plants with rocks, railings, and surfaces.These stately Beaucarneas were on site. We craned in the boulders and added the smaller plants.
