I'm a little confused. Are these before/after pics of roughly the same area, and if so which one(s) are the before and after ?

There is no before or after. The pics represent the wall currently.

The idea of a fountain is in that corner is being contemplated.
Any other ideas?

Thks

I am not sure if natural stone is contemporary looking . Maybe landscape bricks of some sort?

I like free stone walls (no mortar binding them together), but some of the rock can be hidden by plants as in the following article http://www.finegardening.com/planted-pockets-give-life-stone-walls In our particular case i put in ivy because it creeps along the top of our rock wall and the lady at our local nursery recommended it bc there is no direct sunlight there

I find the rock wall really lovely. You could Use some ornamental grasses of contrasting shapes and sizes to give more architectural structure, also include some repetition.

Hi elizfranpaul,

It's precisely what I struggle with: natural stones and contemporary. Somehow these two don't marry well in my mind. I'm trying to find elements to make them live in harmony!

Hi Curt D'Onofrio,

Thanks for the article... It helped open my mind.

Hi alexandria56

What you are suggesting sounds great. Can you give me examples of plants that do just that? Thx

Some inspiration:

Grasses seem to be more a more contemporary plant to use. Too much work to move those natural stones after they are already in place.

Hi ispoildogs,

Thank you for the pics... The idea of stones in a cage looks great. Do you think I can build one with what I have or would I need to rebuild the wall?

Some grass suggestions: Calamagrostis acutiflora 'Karl Foerster' for tall, straight columns of grass. Miscanthus Sinensis gracillimus is very tall and graceful. Groupings of the the low, graceful, yellow/green hakone grass hugging the stones would provide a soft contrast to the hard stone. At the moment I see a row of round plants/shrubs between rows of round rocks, so varying the shapes would make it all more visually interesting. Check out a local supplier of ornamental grasses suitable for your climate. You could also consider some large leafed hosta – they work well with grasses. Have fun with it and post the results!

alexandria56! Great information! I am going to explore them all! Thanks!

If you want modern, better look at poured concrete walls.

Gosh, the stone work is organic and lovely. Why can't a contemporary home harmonize with a natural setting?

"Stones in a cage", also known as gabion, can be a DIY project- but it's hard work!

You would need gabion cages (can be purchased online) and you would probably only be able to utilize the smaller stones.

Natural has to be used with precision and a high degree of skill to work with a modern landscape. So, get creative or get a good mason :-)

Ornamental grasses, planted in masses scream modern/contemporary. Long, continuous lines and layering of the feather reed grass alexendria56 mentioned, with sedums, and dwarf grasses like Pennisetum alopecuroides 'Hameln', or Festuca glauca 'Elijah Blue', work perfectly. Annnnnnnd, if you really want to think out of the box, whether its a full wall revamp, or simple sculptural elements, these plantings mix AMAZINGLY with Coreten steel, and really offer a sleek, contemporary look. This material weathers over time creating a beautiful rust patina.

[houzz=]

Hello Lynch Landscape & Tree Service, Inc... Thanks for your comment!We love to think outside of the box!
The idea of Coreten steel also resonates a lot with me!
I found a place where I can order the material in sheets. However, I was wondering if it was easy to work with it or if I would need a specialist?
Do you think I can build on what I have or would I need to rebuild the wall?

Hi Anagrabriel,

We thought you might like the corten look! Here's our advice as to making it work for your project. First, we'll start by saying that these ideas and solutions will all vary in terms of scope and cost, so it really depends on what your looking to invest here. Check out this article for some more background on the material: http://www.gardendesign.com/hardscape/using-corten-steel

The way we see it, there are 3 ways to look at this in terms of your potential project:
1) Re-Building the walls completely out of Coreten Steel. This would most likely be your most expensive, and time consuming route, but if you are really looking for those contemporary, clean lines, this is your best bet. While yes, the material is relatively easy to work with, weight bearing projects like this should definitely be planned out, supervised, and constructed by professionals. (metal/steel workers, welders, landscape contractors)
[houzz=]

2) Working with what you already have. Again, this is thinking a little outside the box, but can certainly provide you with a brilliant, unique, and custom look to achieve your contemporary theme. Leave some key stones/boulders, or even most of the existing stone wall, and custom fabricate coreten steel sections that seamlessly fit to the boulders and continue the wall. (See links below) Determining whether this will be more or less than all coreten will depend on the extent of custom cutting and fabricating.
[houzz=]
[houzz=]

3) Using the Coreten Steel more as a garden sculpture, or screen for material contrasts. This should be the most inexpensive route given that it will not be load bearing, but can definitely still provide that look you are seeking as you have seen in the first picture we posted.

Hope this helps, and we'd love to see the finished work, no matter which route you go...good luck, and have fun!

Lynch Landscape and Tree Service, Inc.! Outstanding! This is my style! The second option looks beautiful!
All the info I am getting through houzz is opening my mind!

Thank you all!!!

Anagabriel - I wrote a blog post on CorTen earlier this year when researching it for a client. As it turns out, if you plan to backfill with soil it isn't worth the massive increase in cost, as CorTen reacts just like regular mild steel if it doesn't have the alternating cycles of wet and dry (the soil would expose it to pretty much constant moisture). You can read more here if interested: https://thecreativeflux.wordpress.com/2015/02/11/what-exactly-is-cor-ten-and-is-it-worth-it/