How to Landscape With a Poured Concrete Wall
A smooth concrete wall is an eyesore in almost any environment, but doubly so in a garden or landscape environment. The wall sticks out like a sore thumb from the rest of the yard. Fortunately, it is a simple matter to landscape with a smooth concrete wall. All it takes is a few plants to disguise the wall or a wall transformation into a quaint stucco wall. Both of these landscaping methods take time, but in about one year the wall will be transformed into a beautiful piece of landscaping. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Large shrubs
- Climbing ivy or other climbing plants
- Long sticks or stakes
- String
- Compost
- Shovel
- Portland cement
- Masonry sand
- Trowel
- Shallow basin
- Spray bottle
- Nails
- Hammer
Instructions
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Plants
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1
Prepare a 3-foot wide garden bed at the base of the wall. Mix compost or other organic matter into the soil to create a friendly environment for plants. Stir up the top 24 inches of soil.
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2
Plant some climbing ivy or other plants near the base of the wall. Jasmine, honeysuckle, English ivy and Madame Galen are fast growing, beautiful climbing plants. Some varieties of moss may also climb concrete walls. Support the initial climb by tying the tops of the plants to sticks stuck next to the wall with string. This is necessary to counteract the smoothness of the wall. Plants cannot grab onto something that is not there.
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3
Plant some large shrubs near the outside border of the garden bed. Box elder, hydrangea, trewithen blue, American boxwood, Abelia and American cranberry bush all work well as wall covers.
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4
Nail a few large nails along the wall for plants to catch and hold onto as they grow. This will eventually lead to the plants growing up over the wall, completely disguising it.
Stucco
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5
Create a mixture of stucco to cover a smooth concrete wall and make it easier to use with landscaping. Mix 50 percent Portland cement and 50 percent masonry sand together in a shallow container. Add water until the mixture has a soupy consistency.
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6
Spray the wall with a spray bottle to moisten it. Place a 1/2-inch thick layer of the cement mixture over the wall with a trowel. Use a rough pattern to create the stucco look.
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7
Allow the mixture to dry for 24 hours, spraying with water every few hours to prevent cracking. Adding stucco to the wall will also help climbing plants have something to grab onto as they climb the wall.
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References
- Photo Credit simple concrete wall and railings against a blue sky image by Steve Mann from Fotolia.com
