goylesgirl, Check out the link I included. With some plywood forms and creativity, it is doable. I would pick up a good source (book) on pond construction and look up as much as you can find on pond building into a slope. One caution though: Plan / draw into your pond some sort of drainage at the bottom. I can see a possibility of too much water at the bottom when it rains in your neighborhood (drinking coffee in shin deep water). Here's my pond. LP Here is a link that might be useful: Making Rock features with cement.

Erik - Your mention of using foliage to cover the wall brings up the idea of using Ivy. This is a mock-up of your wall with ordinary Ivy on it. Ivy doesn't like sun, so if this face of the wall gets much sun, ordinary Ivy wouldn't be a good idea - and I don't even know whether it's suitable for Arizona. However I believe Boston Ivy grows pretty well everywhere & unlike ordinary Ivy, it turns colour with the seasons. If the idea interests you, I suggest you ask locally how it does in your locality. Click to see

...and finally, a few terse paragraphs about the design and the thinking behind it. (I hadda write it up because an acquaintance insisted that I enter it in a garden contest, even though we're only half finished with the garden.) ===== Before the design process began we examined many types of traditional designs, including French box gardens, English cottage gardens and Renaissance gardens from around the world. We have incorporated many aspects of these traditional ideas into our edible landscape. In our opinion we have successfully captured the feel of meditation gardens, as well. When fully mature, the plantings in our landscape will be 'bio-intensive', as is often seen in traditional European and English cottage gardens. Our primary goal is to transform every square inch of the front yard into an edible landscape. In time, the sod will be replaced with edible ground covers. Other than concerns for soil compatibility and allowances for available sunlight, we are planting annual herbs and vegetables in concert with all of the edible perennials. The nutrients provided by each edible plant have been taken into consideration in the planning of this project. As a result of the design and installation, the result will be as maintenance free as is possible while remaining within our budgetary constraints. The overall design includes a labyrinth, which is more complex than it might seem at first glance. We have also incorporated a simplified rectangular mandala. A Celtic Cross, or Solar Cross, can be also be seen in the layout of the pathway. Some have asked why we chose persimmons as the centerpiece instead of the more traditional water feature. Persimmons are known as the 'food of the gods'. This concept fits with the imagery of the solar and Celtic cross(es) and reflects the overall themes and histories of labyrinths and mandalas. The longest part of the pathway lines up almost directly east/west, and conjoins with the autumnal equinox. That was a matter of happenstance, rather than planning, but it is incorporated into the design. These concepts were part of the original design and remained a part of every consideration during the process. Philosophically? (Offered as questions, of course.) Why do the green-ways in the garden narrow around the tree beds? Why did we bother with all of the straight lines, when the garden will be so 'bio-intensive' at maturity? Many of the mature plants will -eventually- constrain the walk through the garden, making it necessary to dodge branches and step around plantings as you 'dance the labyrinth' of this project. Why did we design it that way? How will the rise and fall (remember the grade and level mentioned above) of your path through the garden also reveal your path through life? In the design of this landscape, the ground is neither flat nor level. The four outer edges of the garden do allow enough grade to maintain the original drainage on the property. Each of the four 'rooms' of the garden tilts towards the center. This aspect of the design will hold and retain water and prevent excessive run-off during the region's normal rain showers. The plans include eight raised beds which provide five hundred square feet of space for 'square foot' vegetable gardening. The boxes around the raised beds will be leveled and plumbed. The shorter raised beds (fourteen feet in length) are each on the same level. The four beds that are twenty-two feet in length will sit approximately three inches lower than the shorter beds. In this fashion, by using straight lines and manipulating the grade and level, the space has become a three dimensional geometric sculpture. We kept the traditional circular tree beds in order to provide relief from (and contrast with) the straight lines. The major plantings will add contrast and beauty to that geometric sculpture with their naturally occurring 'fractal' growth habits. Although the fruit trees will be pruned and shaped, they, too, will form a component of this fractal contrast and beauty. We are pruning our young fruit trees using a combination of vase shape and espalier techniques. The exception will be the persimmon trees which will be maintained in a semi-open shape. We have double planted our fruit trees in order to provide a greater variety of fruits, vitamins and minerals in our diet. Double planting ensures cross pollination and offers more and better fruit than might otherwise be found in such a small space. The competition for resources will help to further reduce the size of the trees when they reach maturity. Budget and other considerations: This particular design is not a project for a novice gardener. We recommend that a novice utilize the services of a professional gardener and/or a landscape designer to achieve an edible landscape of this complexity. Thus far, we've invested $2,300 over two years. With our current budget and schedule, we plan to spend an additional $1,500 to $2,000 over the next two years. Costs include soil amendments, compost, peat moss, edging, stakes, sand, mulch, plants and seeds. In keeping with the idea of not breaking too many shoestrings, we provided our own labor and we used nothing but hand tools to implement this project. Most of the one thousand flower bulbs installed in the beds around the property lines were gifts. We saved money on the gravel for the walkways by re-grading and leveling the driveway, which was considerably above grade when we bought this property. We've used two tons of homemade compost in our beds, saving even more on our installation. ROI? Last year we filled two freezers with fresh fruits and vegetables and had dozens of meals of fresh produce from our garden. In short, over the last year and a half, the garden has returned our current investment. In addition, in a few short years, this garden will be valued at several tens of thousands of dollars. Increasing the equity in our homes seemed like a good idea when we began to plan and install our Formally, Informal English Garden. In view of the quick return on our investment, it seems like an even better idea, today. ===== Oh, yeah...pics... I call this series "fractals vs geometry."

This is a fun thread - I really enjoy reading what others do to celebrate. In our family Christmas Eve is the night. Oooh, which brings me to this - xmas - was anyone else taught not to wright that as it is "x"ing out the name of Christ? Just curious? I am not overly religious or anything but my catholic girl upbringing has that ingrained in my head!!!! So Christmas eve we go to midnight mass candlelight service and nosh all night on all sorts of things (kielbasa and sauerkraut are traditional - hmmm methinks that is weird but I still do it). On Christmas day we revel in staying in our new Christmas pajamas and just hanging out. Paulines - heeee My sister is married to a nice jewish boy (ira) and my fairly religious in-laws (catholic) are visiting this year from Florida. So, I do Christmas Eve and my sister does Christmas. She just told me she will be making brisket and chicken noodle soup. Ahhh the look on my in-laws faces. Not your traditional christmas dinner! My BIL and I have alot of good laughs together. One year my sister made Ham during passover. Heeee!!!!!