Page 5 - Sonoma County Gardeners Resource Guide 2017.indd

STONE cont’d from page 4
If you love stone, but
don’t have the need of
a retaining wall in your
yard, consider building
a seating wall. Seating
walls are just what they
sound like, and are usually
built in conjunction to a
patio area or walkway at
the comfortable seating
height of 18”-20”. The
use of concrete as well as
stone is necessary when
constructing these walls.
Whenever possible, I try to
place these walls where they can be seen and appreciated frequently by those inside the house, like near an entryway or a window. Luckily, here in Sonoma
County, stone is not difficult to come by! In some cases, depending on your location, you may be able to harvest stone from your site. This
materials yard. There are several listed in this publication of the Sonoma County Gazettes 2017 Gardeners Guide. My favorite kind of stone for building walls is called Napa Syar; I like it because it is more angular than round, and it always has at least one good
side that can be used for the
“face”, or visible portion of
the wall.
is often the case for those who have property in the foothills east of Alexander Valley and Santa Rosa. If you’re not so fortunate as to have stone on site, you’ll need to visit a landscape
If you think your garden could benefit from the addition of stonework,
the chances are good that you’re right! The peaceful and strong atmosphere
that stone provides cannot
be overestimated, and as
an experienced landscape
designer I urge you to follow
your instincts: you know
what looks good to you and
the main purpose of a garden, after all, is to provide you with the particular happiness that only nature can provide.
That said, should you choose to do the work yourself, I urge you to be realistic about your own physical limitations. Stone is fun to work with but very heavy. Always use proper lifting techniques: bend your knees and keep your back straight. Small garden walls can certainly be accomplished in a few weekends by the eager and hardworking do-it-your-
selfer. Larger walls require more planning, expertise, and labor and in those cases you may want to hire a licensed contractor.
For more information on building stone walls, look for the book Building Stone Walls (John Vivian; Garden Way Publishers; 1976). Joe Shriner owns Earthworks Landscaping, Cloverdale. 707-894-4311, earthworkslandscaping.com
3/17 - www.sonomacountynurseries.com - 5