Problems I am having in my front yard

9 years ago

As I am coming towards the end of a very long expensive and back breaking landscape project in which I took out all the grass and planted drought tolerant plants as well as using dg and crushed decorative rocks for the topping, I am finding it a daily task to try to keep the neighbors leaves,grass clippings,tiny tree and shrub droppings off my yard. Its very frustrating because as you know dg and small crushed stone looks beautiful when freshly put down but it is easy for accumulations of wind swept miscellaneous to get entangled within these toppings. So what do you suggest? The dg and crushed rock is not very solid as in having a hard crust,and I only hardened it with water.Even when I use a hose I notice the dirt under the dg seems to come to the surface and show through. Perhaps I need a thicker layer or I can now only water by drip which I have not fulling set up yet.I tried a blower but it was way to powerful and blew everything around. I am pretty meticulous but bending down every day to pick up all the debris is painful when you have a bad back. What suggestions can you give me to remedy these issues? Thank you,Debbie

Lawn Alternative · More Info

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (3)

PRO
Gregory Davis & Associates
9 years ago
Hi Debbie,

Sound like you have a Do it Yourself project. Our crew would have put down landscape fabric before spreading the gravel and used 2inches of "stabilized" DG graded with slope, rolled and watered in. This suppresses weeds growth and prevents the dirt and DG/gravel from mixing. Herbicide spray is a good option to rid get of "volunteer" plants and weeds. Good old lawns and mowing used to suck up this debris you mentioned so there is more maintenance required for your landscape. The bright side: much less water usage!

Best Regards, Greg
designideas4me thanked Gregory Davis & Associates
designideas4me
Original Author
9 years ago
I can still put down landscape fabric as I havent put down most of the dg and gravel yet. I am sure its ok to lay it over a 1/2 an inch of dg that I did put down and then just put more on top. I have about 70 plants over 1000 square feet so I was only planning to use it in the sections with less plants but it sounds like you are suggesting using it all over and just cut around the plants,is that correct? The stabilizer must be added at the rock yard? When you spread it on must it be tamped down or what do you mean specifically by rolled? As far as watering does it matter if I water it down all at once on top of the 2 inches or water as I put it down,because I recall reading that this might effect the final hardness. What do you mean by "graded with slope"? Yes I have done the project myself and its been a long steep learning curve but I am glad I did it,however I am still trying to figure out how much water to give the plants since many of the small succulents seem happiest when dry and not watered but when I do water them even after a week or more and the soil is very dry,then they almost immediately start to get soft and of burn brown.Any suggestions as to what amount of water to give,as I have set up a drip system with 8 tube manifold heads and had the regulators installed so if I run the tubes to each plant,would you suggest a particular drip ending and for how long and how often do you water? I appreciate any advice you can offer.
PRO
Gregory Davis & Associates
9 years ago
For best value I recommend you consult a gardener in your immediate neighborhood for a consultation and quote.