HOUSE AND GARDEN 
November, 1911 
309 
In the cracks and holes of a rough wall, creeping plants take hold 
and grow vigorously 
ditions of climate and weather. Build the wall thick enough to 
be substantial and look well to the coping which, whether it be 
of stone, concrete, specially moulded brick or other material, 
should be, before all else, water tight so that no moisture may get 
inside the wall and start disintegration. 
A concrete wall should have concrete foundations. Where 
buttresses or pilasters occur between panels staunch foundations 
should be provided at least two feet in depth. Under the rest of 
the wall the foundations need not be as deep, perhaps, because of 
the monolithic character of the material, but it will not be amiss 
to make them of unquestionable stability and proof against in¬ 
roads of frost or burrowing moles. Above ground the surface of 
the concrete should be finished rough-cast for the same reasons 
mentioned in the case of brick walls. If you wish to train fruit 
The concrete wall should be of rough surface and is made attractive 
by vines and shrubs 
trees or shrubs against the walls the espaliers should be made of 
bamboo or some sort of light woodwork and set far enough out 
(two or three inches) to prevent the bark from rubbing against 
the wall surface. Moreover, if the branches press too closely 
against the brick, concrete or stone, insects are very apt to find a 
harboring place there. 
When we come to stone we can choose between walls built with 
mortar and those of dry construction (without mortar) and it 
must be said that frequently the latter seem preferable. The 
general appearance of the masonry in a mortar built wall is a 
matter of taste to be settled by the owner and cannot be dis¬ 
cussed here further than to enter a protest against the rejection 
of stones for irregularity of color often the one feature which 
gives life and warmth to the whole fabric. There ought to be 
enough Portland cement in the mortar 
to prevent any softening or disintegra¬ 
tion from the effects of the weather or 
the pull of vine tentacles. Mortar com¬ 
posed mostly of gravel with very little 
lime, such as is sometimes used in 
walls, is thoroughly unsatisfactory; it 
soon falls out and the wall disintegrates. 
The same general advice about substan¬ 
tial foundations applies here as well as 
elsewhere, and it is easy to obtain this 
without losing character in the wall. 
To the dry stone wall belongs a 
charm denied all others. In the crev¬ 
ices between the stones all manner of 
rock plants will grow and many that 
ordinarily are not considered rock 
plants will grow there too. The whole 
wall surface may be instinct with life 
and completely covered with foliage 
and blooms, and even in winter it need 
not be bare. It can readily be seen how 
appropriate is such a wall for a gar¬ 
den enclosure. 
A dry stone wall filled with rock 
plants is effective not only in gardens 
but for any terrace work. The stones 
should be set far enough apart to ad¬ 
mit of inserting plants and sufficient 
soil must be put in the crevices for them 
to grow in. Retaining walls of dry 
If water may be piped to a basin in the wall, ferns and mosses grow luxuriantly and make a most 
interesting garden feature 
