Gardening At High Altitude

2002, July. Hardscaping is working with rocks. We have a lot of rocks that, if we think creatively, we can use in our gardens. Here I'm building my first set of steps down a steep slope to my vegetable garden. Doesn't look too promising,does it?

2014, September. This is the same set of steps, many years later. On either side of the steps are small rock gardens. A stone path, planted with elfin thyme, leads from the steps to the next level. All done with rocks I found laying around on our property, mostly from when our house was built and our driveway created.

2009, July. I put mini-gardens above each step and mulched with flat rocks. Here is a red maiden dianthus and wild penstremon blooming in a mini-garden.

2009, August. When Jackie's, a member of the HAGS, house was built, a huge pile of decomposed gravel was pushed below a retaining wall. Not a promising place to put a garden. But rather than just letting grasses and weeds grow there, Jackie added rocks to help with drainage and found plants that would grow there.