Gabions are basket walls filled with all kinds of stones. They are a popular garden design object because they are easy to set up. If the structure of these elements seems too dreary, you can loosen it up with plants.
Succulents are an interesting option for gabions
What to look out for
Moisture quickly accumulates within a planted structure, accelerating the corrosion of wire baskets. Rust can develop here within ten years. Without vegetation, rust progresses about three times slower. To prevent such weathering processes, baskets made of stainless steel are recommended.
Green fronts
The garden design with gabions allows a lot of creativity. Climbing plants such as Virginia creeper, climbing roses, clematis or ivy are ideal if you want to hide the baskets behind a green curtain. The plants use the grid as a climbing aid and loosen up the linear structure of the objects in the garden.
How to plant gabion fences on the side:
- Line wire mesh baskets with coconut or fleece mats
- Fill cavities with potting soil
- Cut holes in the mats
- Embed rock garden plants and evergreens from the outside
plant crown
Fill the fences two-thirds full with rocks, leaving room for soil or planters. If you fill in a substrate, you must line the wire baskets with a water-permeable fleece. There are special double-walled models that have recesses for filling in potting soil.
Planting with ornamental plants
On such an object, hardy cushion perennials such as blue cushion, rock garden plants or ornamental grasses find a perfect habitat. The prerequisite is that the species are warmth-loving, undemanding and drought-tolerant. The soil loses nutrients over the years. Therefore, plant heavy-duty plants such as lamp-pennisetum or asters first. From the third year, candytuft or lavender feel comfortable on the substrate, which belong to the middle consumers. They are replaced by weakly consuming azaleas and primroses.
tips
Low gabion fences provide an ideal raised bed, which you can plant with hanging strawberries, fruit bushes, herbs and vegetables without straining your back.
Green dice
If you line the lattice baskets with sod and fill the cavities with soil, a natural look is created. Here, too, the top can be designed as desired. Greening with applied turf looks particularly simple.