Awkward “sidewalk” issue
lindentree27
4 years ago
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apple_pie_order
4 years agomad_gallica (z5 Eastern NY)
4 years agoRelated Discussions
Suggestions for retaining slight slope in yard by sidewalk
Comments (9)@karinl When I say "properly dig" I mean what I did in my back yard with pavers. I used Allan Blocks (12" w x 8" h and like 80 lbs) and dug a trench 12" deep, filled with 4" of packed gravel, and laid one row of pavers below grade. I dug out another foot behind the pavers to backfill with packed gravel. (see link I posted below) I live in Massachusetts. You can see the sidewalk in the photo, which is about 3' wide. The maple is on the other side of that sidewalk, out of the photo. So if I dug a 1' deep x 2' wide trench along the front yard for a permanent wall I'd be only 3' from this maple and there would be a lot of root damage, and these street trees can be a bit unstable anyway (one down the street came down in a storm last year). @tanokicki The cinderblocks didn't so much hold it back as much as there was also a chain link fence there. With the fence gone, the cinderblocks are kind of just propped against the slope and fall over a lot. I think what I might do is partially bury some square stones to form a sort of garden border. Then above that it will slope down some which I can mulch. This should help erosion and since it's more of a border than a wall, it won't be a big deal if one stone falls over from a frost heave. If I actually built a wall where there was more than 1 row of stones, it might start to look ugly and be a hassle if I had to keep repairing the wall. Here is a link that might be useful: Retaining wall in backyard I built last year...See MorePlanting fruit trees next to sidewalks
Comments (7)Hmmmm, I see people planting peaches, plums, persimmons, etc. near sidewalks all over my neighborhood. It doesn't seem to be an issue, these are semidwarf varieties and rarely get larger than 20 feet. That probably has something to do with it. I myself have a 5 year old semidwarf peach planted 2 feet from a house walkway--no root problems as of yet. however, figs and mulberries are reported to have very invasive root systems, so I wouldn't try that with them...See Morepeegee hydrangea tree close to sidewalk
Comments (7)Sorry to hear that, Amy. The hydrangea roots should not be "too deep". Many will be surface roots located in the top 4-6" and others may go down 1 foot or so (it just depends how old the shrub is). Sounds like the plant was stuck for a long time in the pot at the nursery. I have had the same trouble but not with a hydrangea; it was some other type of bush. When I extracted it from the ground, it looked bad all right. I have lots of clay here but when I dig the hole, I mix in 1/2 or more of compost (or manure), some expanded shale, bone meal and whatever is appropriate/suggested for soils in your area. The shrubs are then planted no higher than 1" above the surrounding soil. Next time you plant another hydrangea, I suggested amending a lot with compost because of all the things out there, compost is near the top in terms of absorbing water and slowly releasing it. What I would evaluate is (a) how come you found areas where the soil was wet? what caused that? can it be prevented/corrected? (b) make a habit of cutting the roots of all newly planted shrubs to break the circling tendency that they develop in pots. I cut vertical lines about every 2". Do not let this get you down. Evaluate what went wrong, learn what works for you and try again. You do not even have to try with a hydrangea next. Mums are out for sale so check them out! Ha! Good luck! Luis...See MoreSidewalk drainage between buildings
Comments (10)Or MAYBE install shallow swales on each side of main sidewalk. 1) Use a string level to make sure you have a positive grade from one end of main walk to the other, and can outlet water at low end with no problems. 2) Grade ground to slope sides gently to bottom of swale, especially making sure side next to main sidewalk slopes gently away from sidewalk for two to three feet. 3) For the short walks coming from the units perpendicular to the main walk, you'll need to bore under them and install 3 small diameter PVC pipes in series under each. These pipes should be about 10' long. 4) Slope ground away from perpendicular walks about 3 to 4 on each side to inlet and outlets of the pipes you just installed (to keep folks from stepping into a drop off if they happened to step off the walk. Also looks better). 5) Add gravel to discharge end of pipes to prevent erosion. Could also add larger rock to inlet ends to help prevent clogging. 6) Grass the swales, or create rain gardens with appropriate plants for function, beauty and to treat runoff. This should stop ponding in low areas unless there's an area of the walk itself that's depressed. If so, that section should be removed and relaid. NOTE: in large storms swales may fill and top walkways temporarily, depending on number and diameter of pipes under perpendicular walk, width and depth of longitudinal swales, etc....See MoreVirginia Fair Studios
4 years agoDiana Bier Interiors, LLC
4 years agolindentree27
4 years agojmm1837
4 years agolindentree27
4 years agoYardvaark
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agolindentree27
4 years agolindentree27
4 years agokitasei
4 years agoci_lantro
4 years ago
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