tachnique

Landscape designer Bruce Zaretsky has a passion for stone walls, especially those of the stacked variety made without the aid of mortar. Observation of the handiwork of others and his own experience have shown him that there’s a fine line with these walls between those that are beautiful and enduring and those that are little more than expensive heaps of rock. Here, he shares a number of practical tips aimed at results of the beautiful, enduring kind.

Walls of Stone

As a landscape designer and installer, I have an abiding fascination with stone. I love the feel of it and its myriad colors, veins, streaks, shapes and textures, and I particularly admire its strength and flexibility. We pave with it, sculpt it and run water over, under and through it. It doesn't need painting or much care, looks great with plant material and has, as those who work with stone will point out, a timeless quality that cannot be reproduced with artificial materials. The best thing about stone is that when you use even one piece in an aesthetically meaningful way, you've