ope landscapin LIFE IN British Columbia can be very precarious; especially if you’re trying to do a little gardening on a mountainside. Here, on Vancouver's North Shore, the majority of our homes are perched on steep slopes. The scenario: Buffy and Chuck (remember them) just bought a lovely home out on Snoot Point Road. It comes complete with all the latest features including a mil- lion dollar view that can’t be en- joyed for fear of toppling over the brink. All around the house, loose fill and rubble slope away into obli- vion. Any attempt to put plants in this excuse for topsoil will result in their speedy demise. They may as well get placed in concrete. A new layer of good quality topsoil must be applied if the new plantings are to survive. The pro- blem here is the topsoil will im- mediately head south at the first whisper of rainfall — the slope be- ing too steep to hold it. The obvious solution would have been to consider these pro- blems carefully before excavating the site let alone beginning con- struction. That being the case, Buffy and Chuck will need to think about retaining walls. The first impulse is to call in Guido’s Rock-A-Rama Stone Mason and Landscape Service. He will promptly promise to sonore iW ‘ve Been Framed... over the garden gate Geoff Tobiasson At solve all of their problems and proceed to construct the Great Wall of West Van. If thev are lucky, it will stand up long enough to grow a garden on the resulting terraces. But too often, it does not. Some of the main reasons behind the collapse of major re- taining walls are: 1) The absence of proper drainage facilities behind the wall. vet at the Re Choose from a large selection of discontinued lines and special buys including AN INTRODUCTORY OFFER OF EUROPEAN HIGH GLOSS LACQUERS in a wide array of designer colours: ALL AT 50% OFF! QUR ENTIRE RANGE OF QUALITY NIELSEN METAL FRAMES (the largest selection in B.C.): ALL AT 30% OFF! fs : ; an e woe BF og . a a ae ee ; ga gs 7 * 4 ee &F oo f iaccm” § a ™ ‘ Downtown 1168 Robson snare, emesis Yum armainoy eRe RE TONE West Vancouver 1432 Marine Drive 922-3513 North Vancouver 1425 Marine Drive 984-8469 All stores open 7 days a week — late opening Fridays ‘Richmond 5311 No. 3 Road Da ig AREA IOUS SI La SPOS GW PTBIS ENED ed ELAR SAARC DP RAE EPANE LS DORE CR PEE Kitsilano 2857 W. Broadway Kerrisdale 37th & West Blvd. is If adequate drainage is not sup- plied, water can build up behind the wall until the accumulated weight force. it over. 2) Unstable soil conditions at the base of the wall. If the ground at the base of the wall is loose and prone to settling, extra time should be taken to provide a solid footing. 3) Attempting to build too high a wall. Most municipalities are adopting building codes that restrict the heights of retaining walls to four feet with a four-foot set back to the next wall. 4) In the case of wooden walls such as railway ties or pressure- treated lumber, tie backs and ‘dead men’ have not been included (see the illustrations). Walls in excess of two feet should include one such anchor for every 16 square fect of the wall’s face, These are some of the primary areas of concern relative to the structure of retaining walls; but do not forget aesthetics. There are many ways in which you can diminish the fortress effect of massive retaining walls in view- sensitive areas. if you have the room and the revenue, try building some interest into the wall itself. Introduce changes in contour, height and texture. Even a dirty old railway tie wall can develop charm when it i Ei Festival, ag { Fali LAT, hea, * Offer applies to frames only Glass & mats al que tegular ow prices BI SAS Lougheed 107-4501 North Rd. # 11 - Friday, Septensber 30, 1988 - North Shore News clean giavel, drain pipe is stepped back at different points, creating plantable pockets. You can break up the monotony of a straight, featureless wall with the proper choice of plant materia! at a later date. The use of clinging vines such as Boston Ivy (parthenocissus tricuspidata) and cascading groundcovers like cotoneaster, will go a long way towards softening the impact of your wall. Tnere are a myriad of enod sete garden-construction-know-how books in your local library. Make use of them and plan well before you begin construction. Oh, by the way, Chuck tripped over an empty bottle of Perrier and disappeared over the edge. Buffy sold the house to a Hong Kong banker for a tidy profit and is now consoling herself with the tennis pro at a Club Med in the tropics. RELI wee LILLIA LOMA EME MELD Ten se ooh NA eS EES = UT IOw ONY