Saturday, September 6, 2014

A rolling stone....

.... gathers no goodies!

In my first Spring here (2003) I began pulling all the big paver blocks that surrounded the house.

The blocks had become a barrier that kept rainwater from flowing away from the house - and into the basement so they had to go.

But where?  I'd figure that out later.  For the meantime, I just stacked them along the edge of the driveway turnaround.


They are still there today!

It wasn't long before I decided I loved the wall effect, the separation of driveway and lawn. I extended the wall both ways with large pots and festooned the top of the wall with lots of annuals.

In 2008, I decided to add a border bed behind it and for the first year I grew castor bean plants. Over the years I tried different things behind the wall.  A couple of years it was all tomatoes.  For a long time now it's been a zinnia bed.

Meanwhile, the wall itself has matured.  When I initially stacked the blocks, some of them had bits of moss on them. 

Now, a decade later,  the moss is thriving, lending a sense of time and stability.  The wall gives the area a sense of permanence, even gravitas if you will.

And it's not just moss.  In the 2nd pic your can clearly see the blue/green glaze of lichen on the adjoining block face.

The concrete mushrooms and toad have sat in the same place from the get-go and now that weather has changed the pH of the concrete, lichen is spreading over the surface while moss is snuggling up at their base.

Who doesn't love a rock wall?

Just another case where nothing was planned, but the results are just great.

"Temporary" block starage - 2003
How about you?  Any accidental achievements you'd like to cop to?  :-D


6 comments:

  1. Looks terrific, Kris. Cripes, even your unintended projects turn out great.
    I always save everything. I've found that even if it isn't "my taste" (previous owner had a lot of "odd" projects), you never know when it comes in handy....though nothing I've ever done has turned out anywhere near as wonderful as your rock wall---- Love the moss and lichens.
    We store our extra stones in a group of pine trees and it's really neat how mossed over they get. Sometimes I just go up there to look at them. Still don't know what project they'll come in handy for, but at least they are there!

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    1. I take no real credit for a pile of blocks that were meant to be moved before that year's end. I do take credit for not moving it! LOL After that, it's all been window dressing. Now when you figure out what to do with your rocks, let me know. I have the same pile here....

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  2. happy little surprises are the best! :) I love the soft cushiony looking moss on the rocks. That must have been quite a project moving all those pavers and making the wall. It turned out great. I would have declared it 'permanent' immediately...just so I wouldn't have to go through dragging them somewhere else.
    I have a small pile of rocks that I have collected and the only surprise so far is that they have become a little haven for a snake. Now when I go to get a rock, I worry that I am going to crush it, so I haven't moved any this year.

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    1. My pile of rocks attracts chipmunks, although there are far fewer around here since I mastered the pellet rifle. I'd rather have a nice vermin-eating snake.

      I love how many colors of green the moss has. And it changes in the light and turns all tawny/brown when dormant. It's like a little micro garden. A perfect little fairy lawn.

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    2. I have a few patches of moss around the yard....yes, mainly in the grass, :( I had thought about making a fairy garden this year and was going to use a bit of moss as the "lawn". I never got to that project (among others)
      does anyone ever get all their projects/gardens/yard work done?? ...(please say no!) :)

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    3. Thankfully, no. It's the creative process - perpetual motion of the brain. I think it's a blessing and, sometimes, a curse. LOL

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