DIY Network

Site Preparation, Retaining Wall Site Preparation, Retaining Wall From "Weekend Gardening" episode WKG-313

Finished Product

This episode of Weekend Gardening addresses a common problem for residents of condominiums and apartment complexes: too little gardening space. Join host Maureen Gilmer as she shares her plan for a small-scale yet multi-dimensional garden that proves you don't need lots of space for lots of visual impact ....

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Tools and Supplies

Standard gardening tools
Blocks for retaining wall
Black pebbles
Bark mulch

Plant Material:

• Aurora ® Dogwood
  Cornus x 'Rutban'

• Golden Variegated Sweet Flag
  Acorus gramineus 'Ogon'

• Majestic Lilyturf
  Liriope muscari 'Majestic'

  Petite Indigo ® Dwarf Butterfly Bush
  

• Buddleja davidii nanhoensis 'Mongo'

• Elijah Blue Fescue
  Festuca cinerea 'Elijah Blue'

  Frosty Curls Sedge
  Carex albula

  Masonic Arborvitae
  Thuja occidentalis 'Masonic'

  Dwarf Heavenly Bamboo
  Nandina domestica 'Compacta'

  Cranesbill
  Geranium incanum

  Pincushion Flower
  Scabiosa caucasica

  Palace Purple Coral Bells
  Heuchera micrantha

  Amber Waves Coral Bells
  Heuchera x 'Amber Waves'

  Before the plants can be installed, the site has to be properly prepared; here, Gilmer focuses her attention on clearing and grading the area. She also adds a retaining wall to the site's lowest corner ....

  Clear out old plants.
  Prepare the planting area by removing any plants not worth keeping or re-planting. Remove weeds and rake out as needed.

  Assess the site.
  Determine how the water flows through the planting area. If it slopes downward, the lowest portion should be elevated to create a more level planting bed.

  Build simple retaining wall at lowest corner.
  Using inexpensive retaining blocks, install a two-tier retaining wall to bolster the lowest corner of the planting area. Be sure to create a level setting bed for each row of blocks.

  Lower the grade.
  Using a rake, bring the entire grade of the planting area down to approximately two inches below the concrete slab surrounding it.
  

  
  

  RESOURCES :
  

  Mexican pebbles
  Valley Building Materials
  Website: www.valleybuildingmaterials.com
  

  Mulch
  Whitney Farms
  Website: www.whitneyfarms.com
  

  Maureen Gilmer, Horticulturalist & Author
  Website: www.moplants.com
  

  Suggested books/design software:
  Gaining Ground by Maureen Gilmer
  The Budget Gardener by Maureen Gilmer
  Maureen Gilmer's Garden Maker Software
  

  ALSO IN THIS EPISODE:
  	Site Preparation, Retaining Wall
  	Privacy Planting, Stream Bed
  	Planting for Visual Effect
  	Final Plants, Bark Mulch, Solar Lighting