Retaining Wall Building, Planting Blackberry Bushes

We are combining elements now, beginning with the water that falls over the grape arbor area .. it is set to drain North, into the wadi that we built late last summer, and supply the little strip of 'meadow' from there. The retaining wall is wrapped around the driveway, meeting up with the walkway beside the arbor, and that creates just the kind of environment that blackberry bushes seem to like in the wild - hopefully, these slightly more ornamental ones will enjoy a similar position!

After showing how to keep a rock wall level - don't want it sigogglin - we have to take a break for snow, and enjoy some bird action and a nice fire in the wood stove. Directly after, we are back at it, moving soil from the South drive to the new spur of the retaining wall, and transplanting some day lilies that would wind up getting too much shade to flower in their current position.

The Hall's Beauty blackberry bushes go in without a hitch, 4' apart from each other, and flanked by an artificial creek bed to the South, and a Rock wall to the North, surrounded by Mint and Yarrow for company - Just in time, because it looks like the first of the Spring rains are a'comin!