Robert Frost said it best: "Something there is that doesn't love a wall." Eight simple words strung together to sum up a feeling so many of us have when we encounter one.
Of course walls have a patchy history, symbolizing division and loss of freedom, as in the erection of the Berlin Wall. Yet how joyous was the day it was torn down! Walls can be marvels of man's innovation (the Great Wall of China), garish and grandiose, with gates of filigreed wrought iron, or simple stone pilings, produced to pen in livestock or mark borders. The thing they all have in common is that their very existence is the manifestation of human need.
So why do we feel the need to create walls? High, reinforced walls keep us safe. They tell everyone that this particular piece of the world is ours. Stay away.
I'm more interested in low walls, designed to do the exact opposite. Low walls highlight an area, define a space, and keep tender plantings protected while allowing visitors access to our personal spaces. If they're done right, walls can actually beckon others, drawing them into our lives.
Since I have an obsession with ALL THINGS garden related that borders on dysfunction (yes, I actually moved my daughter into her new apartment and planted her backyard garden the same day. She still has no furniture in her living room), I make a habit of trolling the net for outdoor paraphernalia. Imagine my delight when a posting on Craigslist revealed a man from my own town with a dump truck full of rocks that he was looking to unload. With fingers shaking, I texted him instantly, and by the next morning he deposited a pile of fieldstones in my front yard (pictured above).
Feeling like a kid with a new toy, I grabbed a pair of gloves, and set about the task of building my wall. It took the entire afternoon, and my fingertips were red and raw by day's end, but I'm pleased with the results (pictured below). Now my tender perennials along the driveway are safeguarded from everything but admiring glances.
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