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Press Releases
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Something different
Learn how to build a dry stone wall as a landscaping tool
republished from April 8, 2005 issue of the
Brainerd Daily Dispatch
By JENNIFER STOCKINGER, Staff Writer
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Are you looking for a different way to landscape to set you apart from your neighbors?
One option may be to add a dry stone wall or bench to your yard. Dry stone is the oldest form of construction material and Daniel Dix, owner of WoodSpirit Gardens of Backus, would like to see more of it in the Brainerd lakes area.
Neil Rippingale of Scotland, who has created dry stone structures all over the world for the past 25 years, will speak April 16 at the Northland Arboretum on dry stone structures. The event is sponsored by WoodSpirit Gardens, the arboretum and Northland Brick and Fireplace Supply Inc.
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| During a Minnesota seminar last fall on building dry stone walls, Daniel Dix worked on a fence and added a bench for a different touch. |
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Dix has taken classes from Rippingale on how to build a dry stone structure and he has seen many different types of dry stone structures in Europe.
Dix, who creates water gardens and different types of landscaping in the Brainerd lakes area where both humans and animals can live, said most of the landscaping popular today is much the same.
"It is so boring and it is harmful to the environment," said Dix. "I would like to see people do more (landscaping) that reflects the Brainerd area with the woods and something that reflects their personality.
"There are so many things people can do, but people are afraid of what others will say." | |
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Dix said dry stone structures are environmentally safe because they do not use any mortar and the walls rely on the forces of gravity and frictional resistance. Water can run through the stones naturally and the structures are maintenance-free.
People can design dry stone structures in many ways, such as adding a bench to a wall or a spot for a flower pot to sit, said Dix.
"These structures are not something you can throw right up," said Dix. "It takes time. Art takes time, just like the Great Temple or the old buildings. Those took time to build." | |
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| Dry stone master craftsman Neil Rippingale (right) helped Phillip Dix, the son of Daniel Dix, owner of WoodSpirit Gardens of Backus, with a dry stone wall at a seminar last fall in Minnesota |
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Rippingale, who will present "The World of Dry Stone Walling" at the arboretum, is a master craftsman with the Dry Stone Walling Association in Great Britain and the Dry Stone Conservancy in Kentucky. Dix is a member of the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum in Chanhassen.
Rippingale started dry stone work as a hobby and it later grew into a full-time job. He has done projects all over the world, including Scotland, England, Switzerland, Nova Scotia, Canada and the United States.
"In the last 15 years I have trained 3,000 trainees all over the world," Rippingale said in a telephone interview.
Rippingale uses the same basic techniques that were used in Scotland years ago when building dry stone structures. He said stones come in so many different colors, shapes, sizes and textures to create many different designs. | |
Rippingale will be dressed in the traditional Scottish garb at the two-hour presentation. He will present a video and slide show about the dry stone structures and share tips on how people can incorporate the structures in their own yards.
"I hope this class will broaden people's horizons and give them ideas," said Dix.
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Dry stone history
Since colonial times, the United States has built upon a rich dry stone heritage. Agriculture, industry and roadways developed over more than 200 years using native stone on a vast scale. On farms, there were dry stone dwelling houses, barns, slave quarters, spring houses, smoke houses and ice houses. Towns contained stone court houses, clerk's offices, banks, shops, inns and churches.
Structures for transportation and early industry include dry stone mills, dams, bridges, stream and pond borders, iron furnaces, lime kilns and distilleries.
Many unnoticed dry stone structures still support daily use, including retaining walls at stream banks and road cuts, railway piers and embankments, and bridge piers and abutments.
Today, the most widely recognized historic dry stone structures are the stone walls and rock fences that border fields, pastures and roadways in regions of the country where building stone was readily available.
Source: Dry Stone Conservancy in Kentucky
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