Living Rock Walls: How to Make Them

Living rock walls offer several benefits to your home and garden. If you are planning to buy pavers in Las Vegas, you may be looking at natural rock pavers. A living wall will complement the natural pavers, improve the air quality and enhance the value of your home.

What Is a Living Rock Wall

A living rock wall is a barrier built out of natural stone. It is usually a rough cut and has many gaps between the stones. These gaps may be naturally occurring or planned while the wall is being built. To bring the wall alive, you or your landscaper can secure seeds or small plants in the gaps of the wall that will take root and grow. Living rock walls can be well planned or resemble a natural hill in the forest. Some people plant herbs on their walls.

How to Make a Living Rock Wall

The most effective way to make a living wall is to plan the crevices while the wall is being built. As the builder adds stone and cement, you or your landscaper can suggest places near the bottom, in the middle and at the top to leave gaps and crevices. You need to fill these crevices with sandy, loam soil that will hold the small plant or seeds. If the soil is too sandy, it will drain away.

To plan the gaps, you should also plan what you want to plant. If you want blooming flowers, you may prefer to put them in the middle. If you want herbs for cooking, they may be better placed towards the ground.

If you already have a stone wall and would like to make it a living wall, you will need to dig out crevices with a metal trowel between the rocks that will hold soil and plants.

Choosing the Plants

It is better not to put plants that have strong roots that could eventually damage the wall. Succulents and alpine plants such as edelweiss are good as are many herbs. Chamomile, primrose, wallflowers and snapdragons are just a few great plants for a living rock wall in Las Vegas.