[secondnature]

greetings again! No, I still have not figured our how to post a photo, so my description will just have to do!

I have a rip-rap boulder wall that spans the entire length of the back wall in the backyard. This wall of large boulders retains an embankment, and the neighbor's house looms above. The neighbors have a cedar fence on their property line above. So from my client's ground level, you can see a 5 foot boulder wall and then a 6 foot cedar fence above it.

I need to plant something on top of this boulder wall that will add some interest btwn it and the cedar fence. The space is only about 3 feet. I have not thrown a shovel up there to see just how much soil have yet, but I can guess not much.

Is there a technique used to allow me to build up that bed up there in height so that I can plant? Like if there were a long narrow "bag" in a bolster shape either filled with gravel or soil that could be placed on the outer top edge of this ledge that would effectively hold soil back?

Is there such a thing? Has anyone done something creative as such?

I would attempt to plant evergreen material up there so that it would be mostly covered anyway.

But...., does anyone have any great ideas to utilize for this? Like using black weed cloth...or...or....?

Thanks guys (and gals)

[TrickyDick]

This may not be really answering your question but...

First step in my opinion would to throw the shovel up there. No point looking for creative solutions if you can work with what's there. If there is enough soil to stick fence posts in there is probably enough to plant in and plenty of plants that can thrive there.

If you did want to build it up what about using some smaller stone to build up the front edge of the wall?

[familyguy]

I have seen red cedars grow out of cracks in a rock face. They can grow in almost no soil.