corner planting bed along rock wall...also, preventing weeds/wall
grullablue
12 years ago
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WowMyLandscape.com
12 years agokarinl
12 years agoRelated Discussions
72-hour rock garden(a story w/ pics)
Comments (16)Security is an issue for me but I'm much less concerned then most people, and I think at least(knock on wood) for now, I have good reason. First, I avoid putting any plant down by the street that would just KILL me if it was stolen. About the only plant down there that has much emotional attachment is a 2-3 year graft of Picea abies 'Dandylion', a golden-seedling gift from Bob Fincham. That said, I'm sure Bob has a dozen more grafts in the works so it's hardly irreplacable. I try and keep my 'really coveted' plants closer to the house where you'd have to drive up my driveway, park, dig up the plants and then leave before my neighbor called the cops. This leads me to the second point. My neighbor is a retired police officer and he's also a neighborhood bulldog. He constantly walks his dog(3-5 times a day, every day), mows the yard and generally watches things with a California-cautious eye. It's good to have neighbors like this who can monitor things when I'm gone. While he and his wife do take small trips, it's certainly refreshing to know that it wouldn't be easy to dig up a half dozen plants without him noticing. Especially now since there is no parking on the street, you'd really be out of place parking next to this new bed. Finally, we're in a dead-end cul de sac in a VERY quiet, low-crime area of Washington. People frequently leave their garage doors open, etc. without too much worry. I guess ultimately if someone wanted to rob me they could and in this day and age, if someone really wants to rob me for my plants then I guess they need the plants(or money) more then I do. Hopefully it never comes to that. If they asked, I'd just give them a few for free and show them my plants. -Will...See MoreRaised bed question - building on rock?
Comments (8)You have to build a retaining wall out of stone to get higher than 10-12". Small beds of one foot height or less can use the standard garden centers' Retaining Wall Blocks. Pick your style and color. ...I suggest a small bed, very small, like 2'x4' x 1' high as an initial project. It is not hard but is labor intensive. You will need to get an inch or two into the subsurface... 4"x6" lumber will work for that size too; even 4x4's. However, you will want to stack heavy stones on them so 4x6 is best(with the 6" side on the ground). You can use cedar or redwood if pressure treated cannot be used. ( BTW, That is expensive lumber. ) For taller structures you need some larger blocks such as those from Anchor Wall Systems. They are called gravity walls because gravity is the equalizing force to sub' for those stakes. You can build 18", 24" and for some of the blocks even 36" gravity walls. Anchor Projects AWS Products Now if you have big, heavy(50+lbs) stones in the area, you could use those rather than purchase cut ones. Gathering them should be fun -take your shotgun. ... You can make a frame of 2x12xY' lumber and stack stones on and around it too. The frame by itself will not work without support in the long term. (short term w/b okay) I rec' that you look for landscaper in the area and tell them what you want. So many beds is a big project and take my word for it, those retaining wall blocks used for 2'+ high walls are very heavy(70 lbs ea.) when moving and stacking a hundred or more of them. And you will need a lot more than 100 ... Now, here's a novel idea for you if you want to be earthy and practical. Use bales of hay. Entire homes have been built that way. I have no experience building structures with them so you have to Google... Just so you know, pressure treated lumber is not harmful to people, plants or the environment when used properly. Five years or so ago, it might have been ( and was dangerous to some really stupid people ) but that kind of PT lumber is not made anymore or sold anywhere in the USA. It would be, relatively, simple to construct a 8'x8'x1' bed with landscape timber; I've done it here and am about to do it again for a base wall for a garden house. It is like making toothpick houses but instead of glue at the corners one uses 5" spikes ... there are plans on the net. E.g.: Raised Bed Project Again, however, without stakes in the ground you will have to add weight to the top. The taller it is, the more that is needed. Sides will need support too if the structure is very long... Good Luck!...See MoreHow To Get Rid of Weeds Around Plants/Flowers?
Comments (60)I think cardboard and or newspaper, then peastraw, then bark mulch like pine it naturally suppresses weeds, also this mainly suppresses the old weeds, some will naturally pop up in the mulch as it breaks down from any seeds or new running weeds from lawns or fence lines etc. I'm creating a brand new cutting flower bed in our orchard, trying to spray the woody weeds (different ones here in our country) and then a general spray possibly a few times a few weeks apart, then layering cardboard on the stubborn areas, thick newspaper on the others, then using some cut up branches from tree pruning, then peastraw, then compost, then rinsed off fresh kelp seaweed from our local beach, then bark mulch, leave it to break down over our mostly wet winter here. Then come spring after the last frost I'll begin planting out seedling started in trays. I'll have to maintain the weeding as we get a lot of wind, may try spot treatment dab on weed killers but see how we go. Because of our compacted clay soil the lasagne gardening style seems to work well. One think I found was running weeds tried to creep into the mulch so wil try to cut out large gutters and weed spray these. Then mostly I just dig blood and bone into the planting holes. Using leaf mulch around plant bases can work too. Lots of different methods I think it can depend on what you need. I found the weed suppressant mat wasn't permeable enough for water, in a heavy rain the mulch washed off areas since the water wasn't absorbed fast enough into the soil, and then weeds actually grew on top of it anyway from seed so a waste of money in my opinion. Try libraries for newspaper, and maybe a big white ware or electronics store for cardboard....See MoreHow to use cardboard as a weed barrier in existing flower beds?
Comments (18)floral_uk z8/9 SW UK - What an ID to type out! :) Thank you. My husband had already planted a few things - raspberry bush, blueberry busy, Gladiolas and another flowering plant (don't recall the name), and there were three small Hostas that reappeared as well. I could of course wait till when the Glaiolas stop blooming to dig them up and put away the bulbs for winter, then do as you suggested. I do agree with your method but not sure how easy it would be to do it with all these plants in there already. The flower bed kind of starts from the lawn and is surrounded by a stone wall/border as it curves and then meets the grass again at the other end. I will try to post a photo shortly. kimmq - Thank you for your input! I noticed the plastic runners on the edges of a few vertical (ish) flower beds on hillsides, or curbs and wondered why they had been used. Now I know I guess :)...See MoreWowMyLandscape.com
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