Garden Wall Idea

Building a garden wall may not be as hard as it looks. Using interlocking concrete pavers has made this a much easier task than it used to be. The only drawback to using these mortarless pavers is that your wall cannot be higher than three feet. There are ways around this, however, as you can slope your area and create tiers of garden walls. It gives the garden a dramatic effect that is both beautiful and elegant. This project requires some digging and heavy lifting and can take several days to finish, depending on the size of your wall.

Preparing the Ground

Before you begin building your garden wall, you may want to sketch out how you want it to look on paper or you can use a landscaping spray paint to make sure you like the placement. Next, dig a trench all along the line from a foot to 18 inches wide and two feet deep. The depth is much more important in a colder climate, where you may have to deal with frost. The trench should be filled with one-half to a foot of gravel that is tamped down. After the gravel, a six-inch layer of sand is placed in the trench to help level the pavers. Rake the sand out and level it by placing wooden stakes every few feet, running a string level between them. Use the string to bring the sand up to level and then raise the string to level the first row of pavers.

Installing the First Row

Lay the first row of interlocking pavers one next to the other, making sure they are level with each other and from front to back. Use a four-foot carpenter's level to check the stones one to another and a rubber mallet to tap them down where needed to level them out. Having a level first row will ensure the rows above will be level and you will not have to worry about your wall leaning or falling over.

Installing the Pavers

The second and subsequent rows are installed much easier. They have a lip on the back that interlocks with the paver under it. The pavers should be stacked so the seams from one level are offset from the seams of the next level. This will give the wall the most strength and the best look. To accomplish this, you may have to cut a stone in half to start every other row. You can do this by scoring the stone with brick chisel all the way around it and then placing the chisel in the score line and hitting it with a hammer. The stone should break in half.

Installing the Top Cap

The top stone is sometimes installed the opposite way of the rest of the wall, or to give to give it a finished look, many choose to use a different color stone. In either case, it is best to use a landscape adhesive that will hold the top capstone in place. The adhesive comes in a tube and can be squeezed onto the bottom of the capstone or the top stone on the wall and then the two are put together. A clean surface between these two stones is a must to get good adhesion.

Finishing the Wall

Once your wall is built, you must backfill the dirt up to the back of the wall. But before you begin, Place a sheet of landscape fabric against the stone to keep dirt and/or weeds from coming through. Then start to fill in the area behind the wall and tamp it down every six inches or so. This will eliminate too much settling and needing to add more dirt after the first good rain. Now you are ready to place your plants in around your new garden wall.

References

• How to Build a Garden Wall
• Build a Garden Wall