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Gents I need idea. I have 6 raised beds (3 in shade, 3 in sun (TX)). The shaded area I hardly use these days. I'd like to retrofit it into a wild flower/bush/herb around for more permanent plants that are aesthetic mainly but something like rosemary is also welcome.
I went raised bed because I have heavy clay. I have planted flowers directly in ground and they don't do well, they stay small.
So my question: I was originally going to turn the three beds into one big garden space that is rocked in. From end to end it is roughly 30ft, there is also a slope that makes it a 17in drop corner to corner. I have in ground sprinklers so digging down needs to be limited. I would rather follow the contour of the land, just like how they are now. Can I dry stack rock? I have many neighbors that seem to have done this. Are there any other more affordable options? I'm guessing this would be near $500 worth of stone unless if I use cobble stone (~32ft long with ~4ft going back towards the fence each side = 38ft x 1ft tall)? I'm starting to wonder if it is better to use garden edging and try to till in the good soil I have... Sprinklers should be at least 4" down but that isn't going to yield a healthy root system.
Depending on how it goes, I will do the other 3 beds the same way. This time they are on a raised part of a retaining wall. All of the wood is rotting after 5 years (untreated).
Pic for reference