Construction of a Dry Garden

To prepare a dry garden bed, we recommend planting on top of the existing soil level. We use recycled construction material (broken bricks, tiles, and concrete) to raise the planting foundation as high as possible (see illustration below). On top of this, we prefer to add bull rock (2"-4" in diameter) or pea gravel works almost as well.

When planted high and dry, most desert plants can thrive in areas of high rainfall and low temperatures-even as far north as Boston. We plant in a soil mixture that consists of two parts ground pine bark, one part coarse concrete sand, and one part pea gravel.

To this we add three parts 'Yucca Doo-Doo' 6-2-4, one part bat guano, 1/2 part kelp, and a handful of dolomite lime for each 20 gallons of soil. Top-dressing the surface around each plant with pea gravel or crushed granite helps to prevent weeds, shades the roots in summer, and collects heat during winter.

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