Click to see a larger illustration.

how to build a
retaining wall

If your front yard is built on a slope, leveling it out and adding a garden full of flowers creates a lot of curb appeal. Building a small retaining wall isn’t as complicated as you might think. Here are a few building basics.

Retaining walls under 3 ft. tall can be simple to build. While railroad ties used to be the material of choice, these days it’s landscape blocks. And installation is even easier with the small lip on the back of the blocks, which makes positioning them a no-brainer.

For a stable foundation, place the first row of block just below soil level on a base of crushed limestone as in the illustration. The limestone is small, and tamping it down compacts the stone, which prevents shifting. As you add each row of blocks, fill in behind it with larger 3/4-in. gravel. This helps water drain and prevents damage to the wall caused by freezing and thawing. Tamp each layer as you go to prevent settling. Then, to give your plants’ roots room to grow, top it off with 10 to 12 in. of soil.

For lots of other easy weekend projects, check out Easy Weekend, Volume 3 at right!

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berm basics

Building a berm is a big project. Consider these basics while you’re planning, and you’re on your way to a stunning garden.

SIZE — As with any other large landscape element, make sure your berm is the right size for your needs. A small berm by the front door can add just as much “Wow!” as a bigger one by the street.

GRADE — Asymmetrical is the way to go. Natural-looking berms have the highest point closer to one side. The illustration above shows how gradually one side rises out of the ground, while the other side rounds off quickly. And change the height along the berm, especially if it’s a long one. It’ll be more interesting and more natural this way.

SLOPE — Don’t make it too steep! The 10-ft.-wide berm in the illustration is only 2 ft. tall at its highest point. This shallow slope allows you to mow the berm safely if you decide to grow grass. Plus, it won’t have erosion problems and you’ll find it more comfortable to work on.

SUBSTANCE — It would be expensive to buy enough topsoil to build an entire berm, and you don’t really need to anyway. Instead, use poor-quality soil or sod flipped upside down to build up the shape. Then top it off with a foot or more of good topsoil. Build the berm a little taller than you want the final height, as it will settle a bit. If you compact the sod or poor-quality soil, you’ll cut down on the amount of settling.

PHOTO: Courtesy of Lenore Erickson

whimsical frame planter

Some paintings look so real they seem to burst from the frame. Here’s something that really does! This project looks tough but it isn’t. First you screw 1x4s together to make a box (This one’s pine, but you could also use treated wood). Then you staple 16-gauge wire onto it in a grid pattern and attach an old picture frame. Click on the photo to see how to assemble the pieces.

Once you have the planting box assembled and the wire grid stapled in place, lay the box face down and pack a layer of moistened long-fiber sphagnum moss over the grid. Fill the box with potting mix and nail or screw the plywood back on. Flip it over and attach the frame to the box with L-brackets. Then plant a flat of Wizard™ mix coleus through the grid.

Water with a gentle spray from the hose. Or use drip irrigation by drilling two 1/4-in. holes in the top of the box and inserting an emitter into each one. Display your artwork on a sturdy easel or lean it against a wall for a colorful show all summer.

For step-by-step instructions and more container designs, see our Web extra.

For dozens of beautiful container recipes and in-depth information, check out Garden Gate‘s Containers Made Easy! Volume 3 at right.

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make your own pot feet

Designer pot feet look great but they can get expensive if you have a lot of containers. Now, while the garden is resting, is a good time to get a head start on making your own. Diane Johnson of Minnesota makes her own and saves that extra money for more plants. How? With soap molds from the craft store. You’ll also need mortar mix, vegetable oil or spray, water, a container and a stir-stick for mixing. If you want a specific color, get some concrete dye, too.

To make a set of pot feet like the one in the photo above, add water slowly to the mortar mix until it’s the consistency of a thick cake batter. Now’s the time to stir in the dye if you want colorful pot feet. Spray the mold lightly with vegetable spray and pour in the mix. Then tap it gently to get rid of air bubbles. Let the mold dry for 24 hours. If the mortar is dry to the touch, go ahead and pop the feet out of the mold. Let them cure another day or two to harden. After that, your new pot feet are ready to hold up containers.

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blue bottle lights

Here’s a clever idea for lighting your garden path that uses empty liquor or wine bottles and icicle holiday lights. Collect enough empty colored bottles to line both sides of your path; you can ask a local bar to save bottles for you. Cobalt blue glass gives off a soft blue light, but any color will work.

Dig a trench 6 in. deep and as wide as a single bottle along both sides of the path. Spread about an inch of sand in the bottom of the trench.

Next, take a set of icicle-style holiday lights, slide a single short strand into a bottle and set the bottle upside down into the trench. To stabilize it, pour more sand around it, until you have about 4 in. total. Not only does the sand hold the bottles up, it also helps water drain away from them. Continue in this way down the rest of the path.

After you’ve set all the bottles along your path, pack about 2 in. of soil over the sand and around the bottles. About 5 in. of the lower part of the bottles should be sticking out above the ground. These lights can last for several years or longer depending on how frequently you turn them on.