VOICES

Stones are known as bones of the earth. In steppe gardens, they function to channel water into the ground to reach the deep roots of native plants. The Denver Botanic Gardens recommends ‘amending’ the clay rich soils along the front range by mixing the native soil with equal parts of pea gravel or squeege to augment the action of the vertical stones to allow deeper penetration of water into the ground. Even though the three layers of weedcloth was a pain to remove, we were fortunate that pea gravel was utilized as a ground cover. As we tore up the plastic covering, the pea gravel mixed in with three decades of decomposed leaves which ultimately made for a rich mixture to use as a foundation of well drained soil to fill in the crevices between the thick flagstone we embedded in the soil.

We started as early as the ground unfroze. Thinking of how to invite a slow maneuvering around the space, instead of the direct paths well established by dog noses, we laid the vertical stones along the sidewalk in a stacked-terrace structure. We used the existing shrubs as foundations of the plant islands and established three access points to discover the garden. We think of the path as taking visitors on a journey, discovering the roles plants play in the rich histories of African American Land relationships.

We added a native silver Chamisa bush as we were laying in the stones. When planting, make sure to keep the top of the soil at the root crown & not bury the stems, so they don’t rot. However, rock mulch may be filled in above the stems because water will pass right through the rock layer to the roots.