Stonewalled

In a previous post I wrote about Kentucky’s famous stonewalls. At the back of my property I also have an old stonewall, which run for a large part all around our subdivision. My portion, dividing the backyard from a community park, which was in a previous lifetime a farm, hence the stonewall fence, was covered by many creepers and honeysuckle shrubs and a rusted barbed wire fence mangled between the creepers. For several years I have been toying with the idea to remove the foliage and at the end of the past summer and into early autumn I tackled the ‘issue’ head on.

The decision to remove the shrubs was not an easy one because it gives us a lot of privacy in summer and to some extent in the winter too, even without leaves. But I removed just the layer of shrubs inside my property. There is still another 5 – 8 meters of shrubs and trees between the stone wall and the start of the park.

A portion of the wall after it was cleared from shrubs and creepers.

I still have to clear about 40 feet of wall. After I removed about three quarters of the bushes I stopped. Cooler weather was coming on fast and I still had to fix the wall in some places where it caved in from age or where the sandstone has simply been eroded by rain and nature. The clearing of the bushes was a tiresome and slow-going job, especially removing the barbed wire and the old iron posts.

A large portion where the wall eroded or was damaged by humans

 

The damaged portion after repairs. I had to fix several other lesser damage areas too.

 

Leveled and repaired. The photo shows only about 50% of the wall that was cleared and repaired. The other 50% is behind my right shoulder. The dark green at the end of the wall is still to be cleared.

 

This is the portion still to be cleared. I am still in doubt about it. The wall behind it does not look well preserved. Also, it is now one ‘wall’ of a secluded portion of the garden. Removing the foliage may destroy the feeling of being secluded and surrounded by garden.