I have the same problem. My front porch concrete slab is about 2 inches higher than the front concrete walk. There is a strip of about 2 feet of soil between the porch and the walk. For many years it had some junipers growing there, so the low soil level was not a problem. Finally took out the old junipers (they had gotten old and ugly), and the resulting soil bed washes out onto the walk. I have been looking for something that would edge the walk, build up the height, and yet not take up too much of the 2 feet of planting area. It has to be attractive, as this is my front door. I was in the local big box home improvemnt store (you know the one I mean)last week. They were getting in shipments of stone items for the spring. One really caught my eye. It is a man made flat stone with all edges smooth except for one edge that is rough. The shape is rectangular, and the stone is only about 1.5 inches thick. This stone is designed for stacking to make a retaining wall. I am going to make a narrow trench along the concret walk, level sand into the trench. Then I will place these stones with the rough edge up at a height that will make it level with the opposite concrete porch slab. I plan to then use metel edging along the inside of the stones to help keep them in place. The edging will be low enough to be barely seen, or at the soil level. I think the edging is going to be important to keep things from moving around in the future. This will give me a smooth edge of stone exposed from the walk. This is good for sweeping and snow removal. The top has a rough look that I like. The stones are thin enough that I am not giving up much planting area. Go to the home improvement store and look at the options. Look at all items, as you may find something that is designed for another use that will work for you. They also have precast edgers that are okay. I will not do my project until next month, but will let you know how it comes out. D

about 8-10 feet long maybe 4 -5 feet deep. I will make it into a curved edge so it would look soft. It would be set against a ugly backfence. She's been trying to hide that fence at minimal cost. that fence in my opinion needs to be replaced. Barring that all i can do is to make the fence disappear. View would be from windows in the dining room, kitchen, a glass door from the living room. I'm not so sure as to which way the yard faces, I suspect south as it's good and sunny enough - although shady in the extremities... Sunny spots being in the middle. There's a large tree near a corner area to the right. This is going to be a shady spot. I planted it hostas and lady's mantels last year. To start off, I'm thinking of foxgloves (pinks and white) and phlox (davidii).. These would be the tall filler ones. No delphiniums, roses or hollyhocks. thes would be too much trouble for them. I need to make it look closer to a classic English Garden - even French garden than to a cottage garden. The thing is what my idea of a nice looking border isn't exactly what she wants - and she can't seems to say what that is. All that I can do is present an illustration with ideas of combinations. Do you know of any website that I can use to create this picture?

Hi Jill: This is an interesting 'garden preservation' question, I think. My small 14' x 70' backyard borders the yards of no less than 4 neighbors, so I have had occasion to think about this type of situation often. My experience in installing a new fence and perimeter boundary several years ago would provide good fodder for a TV sitcom; perhaps someday I shall recount the stories here. Here are a couple of thoughts: You are of course right to be concerned about what the new neighbors will do. But why not wait to talk to them before going too far down the road with re-design ideas? Having the current owner mention your role in maintaining the hedge was a good idea; otherwise, however, my advise would be to go slowly. Don't try to get them to take a position on the hedge one way or another until they've had a chance to settle in and give it some thought. When you've had a chance to meet them, you might casually mention something like "____ told me she mentioned the work I've done in the past to maintain the hedge between our houses. I'm sure you have a lot of other things on your mind right now, but sometime after you've had a chance to settle in, I'd love to talk to you about it for a bit . . . ." Who knows, the may _love_ the dense hedge and the privacy it provides. Especially if it is clear you are willing to continue maintaining it. Just think of the numerous posts on the Landscape Design forum each day saying "help, I want a tall privacy hedge FAST!" From my own experience as a new homeowner, though, I did learn to be wary of neighbors who descended on me with their various agendas before I had even had a chance to unpack my boxes. Another way to approach this dilemna would be to think about how much the hedge as it exists is worth to you. Instead of investing $$ in new plants and hardscape, you might think about offering your new neighbors some remuneration in return for an easement on their property allowing you to keep and maintain the hedge. An easement would be recorded on their deed, so would provide you with protection even if they in turn were to sell the house. I can't offer legal advice, and you'd have to check with a qualified real estate lawyer in your state, but generally speaking I think that such an easement could either "run with the land" (i.e. be a permanent easement for the benefit of whomever lives on your property) or it could run for a defined period of time--e.g., as long as you and your family occupy your lot. The latter would be a less costly investment for you and possibly more attractive to the property owners, since a permanent easement might be perceived as having a greater (negative) impact on resale value. Alternatively, I wonder if it would be possible to enter into a long-term "lease" of the stip on which the hedge sits for a modest annual sum? Again, you'd need to check with a lawyer as to whether such a lease is feasible. What I am suggesting is essentially the flip-side of your proposal. Instead of moving your hedge/fence within the bounds of land that you control, consider whether there may be a legal (and neighborly) means of extending your control outside the bounds of your lands. Your hedge sounds like such an integral and irreplaceable part of your garden, it seems like a shame just to give up all of time and work it has taken to get to its current state. Perhaps your neighbors will feel similarly (and perhaps they could also use some extra cash for new home improvements). Good luck, keep us posted. Kate

I wouldn't screw the inside corner together. If it looks to you like it may not hold, then use nails through the stakes into the form, leaving part of the head exposed for easy removal after pouring. Nails are priable, screws aren't. You can use a nail to hold the outside corner pieces together. If you put a level on the existing border, is it level on its own or does it have the same slope as the driveway? If I were starting from scratch, I'd probably make it parallel/level with the driveway, just for ease of the outside form. But if the existing border is level on its own (not parallel with the driveway), then you're stuck with that on the extension. Not a big deal on the inside form, but it makes the outside form tricky. I suppose if you just use a full 2x4 on the outside, which would stick up above where you want the new border, you could trowel the concrete level with the inside form. I've never done it that way, but it seems like it would work. Since your outside form isn't secured to anything like stakes, consider putting some block on top of them, to hold them down, as well as in. I've never oiled form boards. To remove them, stick a wonderbar in between the concrete and wood and gently pry them apart. The concrete won't be fully cured, so subject to chipping if you just beat on it. On the inside forms, if you take out the long board first, that will make the short board not be wedged in, as it'll have the 1.5" that the long board took up. You could pry against the fence to shift it that way and loosen it. And you could dig out the dirt to make it easier to pry off.