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Hey, DIY Warriors! Welcome to another Vag-tastic installment on Manatee Pants. Got an ugly retaining wall? Here are some retaining wall ideas. From your couch to the Beyond…
And away we go! Here is our 5′ tall concrete retaining wall which we have lovingly bedazzled with prostrate rosemary, aka, Rosmarinus officinalis ‘Prostratus’.
As always, let’s knock the pants off this manatee and get on to our next oh-so-fabulous DIY project to inspire you to live in the world you want.
We wondered what are some good retaining wall ideas? Prostrate rosemary! Dick & I love the blueish-purple flowers and the glossy deep-green leaves. It softens the hard grey concrete wall into a lovely living wall with delightful visual interest to enjoy year-round, especially from the hot tub with a tasty adult beverage. Oh, the joys!
Feeding & Watering Prostrate Rosemary
In our climate we can rock our world with year-round blooming. Gotta do it with regular feeding and watering, so I use the super-duper easy, time-released granular food Miracle Gro every 3-4 months.
As to watering, during your dry season water 1-2x/week. We suggest doing so in your fluffy robe with one of Dick’s Bloody Mary’s but we hear pj’s and a mimosa are also a nifty-doodle option. Of course you could just install drip irrigation and not traumatize the neighbors. Options abound!
And during your wet season? Just sit back and relax. As our ever-so-wise Uncle Jeff once told me, “Rain. That’s liquid gold, girl, let it do its thang”. And who could complain about that, right?!
Growth Patterns & Pruning Tips
A few notes on your choices for the growth pattern. As always think about the look you wish to achieve over time. Prostrate rosemary is quite delightfully prune-able thus you can tweak it to your desires. If you are wanting it to trail down the wall in an arching manner then prune the dead growth from underneath every 2-3 months.
A little pinch here and there but if you wanna get all fancy-pantsy then order yourself a pair of Swiss-made Felcos. I swear by my #2 Felcos for all-purpose pruning in the garden year-round.
If you want the trailing to spill down the wall in a flatter manner then just let it be. Simple-dimple, Warriors.
Nature Abounds in Prostrate Rosemary
Prostrate rosemary is an excellent attractor of nature and brings even more delights to your outdoor living space. Small space gardening is epic fun.
Honey bees and other insect pollinators adore collecting the pollen and lapping nectar as the hummingbirds equally do. I mean who doesn’t like a good sugar buzzzzzz?
A Safe Haven — Peaceful & Calming
Many different small birds, both migrating and local residents, gorge on the fine seeds and find safety in its woody undergrowth. I may unabashedly covet my neighbors cat but no eating the cute birdies, Sylvester!
Aging Gracefully
Speaking again of growth patterns, here are my lovelies at 10 yr growth and 5yr growth. All of them began beautifying our living wall from a typical 1 gallon size plant ‘cuz I’m cheap that way. Regardless of what Dick says…
Natural Health & Beauty with Rosemary
Not only is our living wall beautiful and provides for the critters passing through, it also provides us humans with all kinds of DIY natural products for our everyday lives. We can just pinch a little or a lot and then bring on the cooking, cleaning and natural DIY health & beauty products like Homemade Natural Men’s Deodorant from our very own Jax.
So grab your yoga mat and breathe. Visualize. This is your shared world. Make it what you want it to be and how you want to share it.
Happy DIY-ing, Warriors!
