A picture is worth a thousand words. Therefore I am going to display before and after shots of the same area at the front of my house. The picture to the left indicates the frustrating problem encountered each year with the strip of grass adjacent to my neighbours walk. On the right is the solution devised to beautify the area.

The following graphics illustrate the continuation of the strip of grass beside the garage. This portion of lawn receives minimal light. The picture to the left examines the troublesome space and the picture on the right demonstrates the improvements.

This fifty by four-foot area was a constant battle due to sun exposure, a gentle slope, twenty feet shaded and the overall appearance detracted enormously from my home. The first solution of many was a retaining wall, then a concrete curb, a hedge, a small ornamental fence and the list goes on and on. Each idea had merit but held little enthusiasm for me. Earlier this year I was mulling over the problem and when the snow melted I rushed out with tape measure in hand. While fixating on this area and pacing from one end to the other a fabulous thought came to mind. The answer was so simple, a rock garden. The gentle slope lends itself to the rockery, all day sun enhances the development of plants and the shaded section behind the garage could be covered with coloured crushed stone. You can imagine my excitement. After all these years of trying to figure out some costly resolution a simple, natural idea was devised.