In the photo above the stone wall is less ambitious; mainly, it provides the structure for a fine decorative border. Here the plants take center stage. But I've seen some very creative stone walls in my time. In my region, rocky New England, stone walls are practically a way of life.
In the next landscape design picture, and the picture that follows it, we'll look at examples of ornamental grasses. Ornamental grasses can be effective at filling in that odd area on the landscape that you're not sure what to do with.