Problem:
Compacted soil laden with gravel and rocks. Grass won't grow, on a budget. What can I do?
Supplies on hand:
1. river rock
2. broken chunks of concrete from neighbor's old sidewalk
3. old newspaper and cardboard
4. bark dust
Supplies to purchase:
1. tulip and daffodil bulbs (100-150 were used here)
2. potting soil, several bags
3. optional: Casoron (pre-emergent weed control)
Process:
1. Since you cannot grow much in that area, disguise the problem. In this case, I enlarged the bed with the evergreen tree and made a very generous bed.
2. Lay down weedblocker (my favorite is old newspaper or cardboard) over entire area. If you chose to use Casoron, do not place it in a planting area. Stay about 1 ft away from where you want plants to grow.
3. Using large rocks, outline the heart. (about 4ft across) With a shovel, loosen the soil inside the heart, a few inches if at all possible.
4. Fill inside of heart with potting soil mix.
5. Plant bulbs as directed on pkg.
6. Cover heart bed with 1-2" barkdust.
7. Complete heart design placing the broken pieces of concrete around the edges. In my example, it looks almost like lace.
7. Surround the concrete with more rocks to fill in the area and balance the design.
8. Spread 2" of bark dust on entire bed. Water into place and fill in all cracks.
9. Next spring you will be rewarded for your efforts!
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| What's that color spot way back there? |
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| Daffodils bloom first. |
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| Tulips are second |
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| Wow, would you guess it's all rock beneath? |
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