Planting a Stone Wall Garden
Many homeowners like to have a wall in their yard of some kind, even if it is just a decorative wall that does not serve as a barrier between two properties or the yard and the street. By themselves, these walls can be quite plain but with some added plants, can be made more attractive. There are plants that can grow in the crevices of the wall and if the wall is close to a higher ground where there is a natural patch of soil, vine and crawling plants can be planted there and cover part of the wall for an added decoration. Below are a list of suggested plants for your wall garden:
Hen and chicks. Sometimes called hen and chickens, this is a perennial succulent plant that has one large plant with smaller plants. The main plant has small buds which grow out and form smaller versions of the big one. Back east we had these growing in the stone wall of the backyard. Add some soil between the rock crevice you want to plant these in. The hen and chicks will take root and remain there.
Sedum. This is another succulent that can grow in a stone wall and on the ground but the drawback with this attractive yellow-green plant is that it tends to spread quickly year after year. It can be kept under control, though. Sedum acre is common in the northeast and when this blossoms, small star shaped yellow flowers appear at the top of the stem. There are many other varieties of sedum too which all flower. The pink color of sedum caeruleum is quite pretty when mixed with other green plants on a stone wall.
Dichondra Argentea Silver Falls. This trailing vine plant has silver-gray colored leaves and can be trained to grow over both sides of the wall if desired. In long spells of dry heat, the plant is very tolerant.
English Ivy. This is an excellent climbing ivy if you want to completely cover your stone wall but like sedum, this also spreads quickly each year. Keep under control by removing the undesired section in the springtime. This ivy likes partial to full shade and can get by on one watering a week.
Flowers can also adorn the bottom of the stone wall, right in the soil. For this purpose, wildflowers look the most natural, such as violets, daisies, Queen Anne’s lace, lily of the valley, celestials, or trillium. If you have ivy or other vines growing on the wall, allow enough space for them to reach the bottom so as not to interfere with the growth of other flowers in the ground growing next to the wall. Ivy plants can grow in sections along the side of the wall versus covering the entire wall, leaving parts of the stone wall showing. Enjoy your stone wall garden!
Image Credit: Jongleur100, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
