Hardscape Design Ideas

Good Fences Make Good Neighbors: Picking Materials for Boundaries

Walls, screens and fences don't just identify where your yard stops and someone else's begins. As much space as they occupy, they should also be major design features. We help you choose materials for maxiumum border appeal.

Excerpted from Garden Design
Filed under: Materials and Supplies

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Enhancing Walls

Once you've decided on materials, think about any details you'd like to add, for aesthetic or practical purposes. Color could be added to some or all of the wall, depending on the material. Masonry walls benefit from capping or coping to frame the top of the wall and allow water to run off. Planting in crevices is another possibility, as in these pockets of soil at the top or on the face of a wall. Limited water will be available to them, however, so choose species that can flourish in dry conditions.