Hartnell Gardens
Finished project of dry stone retaining wall with newly turfed area on top. Accessed by steps to left hand side, alongside newly planted bank.

Project

Dry Stone Walling

A garden transformation project that involved dry stone walling to create a more useable space.

Location:
Exeter

The garden for this dry stone walling project was a steeply sloping lawn area that was difficult to mow. Our clients wanted a more manageable, flat lawn area with improved soil quality and more plants.

We produced a design that created a level lawned terrace at the top of the slope. This included dry stone walling to create a focal point and maximise the lawn area. The slope would become a new flower bed, with slabbed steps to one side for easy access to the lawn.

The steepness of the garden and narrow side access were the main challenges with this garden project. As a result, everything we did was without the aid of heavy machinery such as a mini-digger. Therefore, moving equipment and materials, digging wall foundations, laying drainage pipes, and removing the old turf – were all done manually.

We built the dry stone wall from uncropped Purbeck Limestone and used slabs in the same stone to create the steps. We turfed the top of the dry stone wall to soften the edges for an instant natural look.

Our clients were keen to have hot and vibrant colours with an overall Mediterranean theme. So we planted the wall with rockery plants and created a new flower bed on the slope, filling it with sun-loving shrubs and flowers that are drought tolerant.

The results delighted our clients, and we now regularly maintain the garden for them.

A steeply, sloping area of lawn with an old rotary clothesline in the middle. A steeply, sloping lawn with brown patches surrounded by plant borders that lack colour and seasonal interest. The grass is removed from the sloping bank and trenches are dug by hand into the soil to create foundations for the retaining wall, with a large pile of Purbeck stone to be used for its construction. Membrane, gravel and pipework installed to assist drainage, placed behind the first course of stone for the retaining wall. Completed dry stone retaining wall, with flat soil area above covered in rich dark compost that will be turfed. Limestone steps installed up the sloping garden providing access to the flat lawn area above the dry stone retaining wall. A new washing line is installed in the flat lawn. Steep soil bank below dry stone retaining wall ready to be planted. A mixture of small and large plants planted in rich compost in the bank below the retaining wall. Finished project of dry stone retaining wall with newly turfed area on top. Accessed by steps to left hand side, alongside newly planted bank.
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