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Making a Retaining Wall for a Tree

BY Kevin Lee Jacobs | June 22, 2010 10 Comments

Last updated on December 2nd, 2011


HERE AT A GARDEN FOR THE HOUSE, there’s no shortage of landscaping challenges. Take the north end of the Rose Garden, where a glorious old maple tree grows on a steep slope. I couldn’t get grass to grow at the tree’s shallow roots, yet weeds flourished there. The cure? A retaining wall, built half-way round the tree:

The wall, built by a professional, and composed exclusively from stones I found while digging in the Woodland Garden, provides not only architectural interest, but a level bed for planting, too. If you have need for a similar wall, perhaps the following pictures will serve as a tutorial of sorts.

To start this project, I indicated with spray-paint the curve of the wall. Then the contractor proceeded to dig a 5-inch-deep trench along my outline, skipping over any exposed roots.

Into the trench went the largest stones. Layering continued until the top of the wall reached the base of the tree.

Because good drainage is essential to any kind of soil retainment, pea gravel was poured directly behind the wall, to a depth of 6 inches.

Now, you might wonder if covering the roots this way will hurt a tree. It won’t. The layer of gravel and the well-draining compost permit roots to breathe. Furthermore, roots are not injured during construction.

If you have a tree that grows on a hillside, and wish to make a garden beneath its leafy canopy, do consider building a demi-lune wall at the tree’s base. It’s the only way to make “under-planting” a real possibility.

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Comments

  1. 1

    Adele says

    June 23, 2010 at 11:24 am

    Really lovely, Kevin. I can't wait to see pictures after you've planted the wall.

  2. 2

    Eric says

    June 23, 2010 at 1:17 pm

    Great use for those stones you uncovered! And it looks more interesting than other walls I've seen that were made from pre-fab blocks or a generic palette of field stone.

    Almost makes me wish I had a hilly backyard.

  3. 3

    Randy J says

    June 23, 2010 at 1:20 pm

    Kevin,
    I am very envious of the fact that you find nice stone when gardening on your property. Perhaps I could make some bricks out of my clay and make a retaining wall with those! Your wall looks great and I am sure will contain a nice planting very soon!

  4. 4

    Sheila says

    June 23, 2010 at 4:05 pm

    Forgive me for asking, but how do the stones stay in place? No mortar?

  5. 5

    Kevin Lee Jacobs says

    June 23, 2010 at 4:42 pm

    Sheila – Thanks for asking. No mortar was used. Skillfully-built, a dry-laid stone wall will remain intact virtually forever.

  6. 6

    Yolanda says

    June 23, 2010 at 8:41 pm

    What are you going to call this garden (since all of your gardens have names)???

  7. 7

    Kevin Lee Jacobs says

    June 23, 2010 at 10:24 pm

    Yolanda – good to hear from you!

    Concerning the name of the garden, I'm open to suggestions. Right now I'm calling it “The Maple Tree Garden.”

  8. 8

    Yolanda says

    June 24, 2010 at 11:31 pm

    How about the “Buried Treasure Garden?!”

  9. 9

    Kevin Lee Jacobs says

    June 25, 2010 at 8:20 pm

    Yolanda – Great idea! Love it!

  10. 10

    Gib McCurdy says

    June 28, 2010 at 3:11 am

    Beautiful Kevin!!! You're hired!

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