That's right, I'm getting crazy with it! Sometimes cooky ideas pop into my head and this might just be one of them. Over the last few years I've acquired several Dwarf Schefflera (Schefflera arboricola). Turns out that the spot I was going to use them in has septic leach lines running below and the aggressive and extensive root systems on these shrubs could potentially be a problem in the future if I installed them as originally planned. So they've sat in their pots, some of them strongly rooting into the rock below. Mulch and soil started to pile up against the upslope side of the pots and they started to form a living retaining wall, holding back the soil above.

So here's my idea: Plant these in a row to create a dense hedge and backfill on the upslope side with soil creating a level walkway above them. They would be a living retaining wall.

The problem is that the soil in this area ranges from 12" at deepest to rock shelf right on the surface. So digging a 15 gallon size hole is out of the question. But digging a shallow trench to lay the plant on it's side and pile dirt over the top of it just might work. It's crazy, but it just might work! Once the plants are established and a thick hedge, I'll backfill so that the path becomes level and easy to walk on.

Check the visuals home griddle!

Far out brussel sprout

good lucky, Matt.... don't like that laying on their side idea....

These things will root right into the dirt so this might just work. I cut a small branch off a variegated one I have and put it straight into a pot in the greenhouse. It rooted with no other assistance.

That's great news Len! After seeing all of the air layered hedges of these in Ken Johnson's farming neighborhood I figured as much. I took many of the chopped branches and stuck them in the spaces between the root balls, mixing the standard and variegated varieties. Also, I piled dirt and mulch over many of the branches laying over, essentially ground layering them. So, theroretically I'll have a solid row of stems rooted into the ground that I can start to shove dirt against and eventually I'll have a level walkway above them. Once they get going I'll get in there and do some corrective pruning on all of the unwanted horizontal branches to make Ari feel better and shape the hedge how I want it to look.

IT'S WORKING!!!!!!

All of the original sideways, layed over branches have been pruned off and new upright shoots have taken over. It's a slow process, but hopefully eventually I'll have a dense hedge that I can let dirt slough off onto and make a level walkway. I'll be doing a dry rock retaining wall on the upslope side of the planter, under the jacaranda, and the gutter drain will be burried.

Those Schefflera arboricola's are such tough vigorous plants, most similar plants that can grow both epiphytically and in the ground such as this one, are usually quite capable of such abuse. I'd expect that your hedge should do just fine. Does this plant ever bloom in s. California? It never seems to bloom up here in n. California, but I remember seeing it bloom and fruit readily in Marbella, Spain, leading me to believe warmer average temperatures may be the missing ingredient here.

How's this Schefflera arboricola 'Gold Capela' for ya? I took the photo in a customer's back yard last week.

Jody

UPDATE!

Finished product

that looks great. where is it, again?

Doesn't even look like the same place -- fantastic transformation! Well done!

Very nice!

But

Be prepared to fight off the advances of the Hedge from Hell. I have a ficus hedge that's getting problematic . . .

Awesome Matty! Your use of a variety of materials for hardscaping looks very nice!!!

Matt, I wish I had a quarter of your skill when it comes to making your land look AWESOME!!!

Thanks, but ain't no skill, just a lot of hard work. Lift, drop, repeat.

Nicely done Matty. In Florida, we don't get to deal with too many hills.

Looks awesome! Great job Matt.

Get down James Brown!

That looks fantastic Matty! What a killer transformation!

U go Boyeee! that turned out even better than you envisioned...lol

What an awesome idea, plan - and beautifully done!