Edibles gracefully flow along the banks of this rock river
This project truly evolved. The homeowners had no plan when they started. They had no idea how it was
going to end up, and don't know if it ever will. They knew they wanted to reduce
their water usage and grow something they could eat. It all started from "coveting" their neighbors'
artichoke and then planting one.
Then, they saw rocks advertised on
free-cycle. They have a large area to
cover, so with a lot of sweat (not theirs) the rocks were acquired and
distributed near the house. Having a Japanese style garden in the rear, with a
pond, they thought they'd try a rock river in front. So they brought some of the rocks down to the sidewalk
simulating a river.
What next?
After much staring, they decided a river needs a bank, so they added one to each
side using city provided mulch.
They dug out a lot of dirt they didn't know what to
do with so mounds seemed to be the easiest way out. They covered them with
mexican pebbles and left over tiles from a kitchen remodel. They wanted to plant
a tree in each mound, but couldn't decide what they wanted - and some were not
faring well - so they dug holes for 15 gallon containers and kept experimenting. They decided the Busch garden approach was a good one - keep changing the display. Finally, they extended the whole motif
across the sidewalk to the parkway.
