† Requires Javascript
Copyright © 1997-2009 Demand Media. All rights reserved.
|
| Member | Message |
|---|---|
 |
Posted: May/21/2006 9:55 PM PST
[FONT="Comic Sans MS"][B][COLOR="DarkOrchid"]Hi everyone! I've got a problem...a slope with a vengence. Our front lawn is a slope you could ski down. Actually, its not that tall, but it is quite steep. Its grassy and a bear to mow. This is our first summer in our new house and I hate to see hubby struggle cutting it every week. Even in the dryest weather, he slips all over the place. I desparately need some inexpensive ideas to implement in place of grass. I'd love to hire a landscaper and have it tiered, or a wall built up, but alas, earwax, its just not in the books this year. Hubby had an idea of putting down river-size rocks and planing around those. I priced them at a local garden center and we might as well just call the landscaper. My mum gave me the idea of visiting a construction site on a Sunday, as her neighbor did to gather rocks for their flowerbeds. What I don't know is exactly how to go about creating this rock garden...if you can call it that. The local garden center has a lovely selection of groundcover and rock garden plants. I have an idea in my head and know how to get the rocks here, but do I need to till before placing the rocks and plants? I think that's probably an obvious question to answer. But is there anything else that should be done before putting the rock and plants into action? Also, does anyone have any other inexpensive, but attractive ideas for a steep slope? I really like the rock garden idea, but I'm open to other ideas as well. Thanks so much and I look forward to hearing from ya'll soon! Yours till the Kitchen Sinks, Lori :broccoli: [/COLOR][/B][/FONT] |
 |
Posted: May/22/2006 11:05 AM PST
teddy how long and wide is your slope ? First you have to get rid of the grass. If you don't want to wait for it to die off by covering it with either a black plastic or the newspaper and mulch you can rent a sod slicer . Which ever way you chose you have to get rid of all the grass and then rooter till the slope . Heres a formula for planting on a slope Slope ratio is defined as simply the amount of drop per horizontal foot. The maximum ratio to grow plants on a slop is 2 to 1 for a lawn it is 3 to 1 So if you measure out 4 ft horizontally then you should have no more then a 2 ft drop , if the drop is more then that you should build up the area with a retaining type wall that you can make out of the construction rock that you are going to pick up and fill it with soil to come to the right level . This formula has to do with water run off , if the slope is steeper then the ratio you wont be able to get water down deep enough to the roots of plants . Start with a small area and get a feel of how you want to do it . You could also plant a ground cover on the slope that doesn't need mowing like a ivy or if it is in shade a pachysandra Good luck to you swindyi |
 |
Posted: May/22/2006 8:42 PM PST
We have a slope on the other side of our driveway. It's not easy to mow. DH has it down pack now. But I couldn't do it. I have thought about what to do.. (???) I decided it would be too much to dig the whole thing up and , then fight with weeds.. so we have done nothing.. NH state flower should be weeds ") Good luck with your slope.. Keep us posted. |
|
|
Posted: May/23/2006 12:11 PM PST
[FONT="Comic Sans MS"][SIZE="3"][COLOR="DarkOrchid"][B]Thanks for the luck, Linda, but I have to disagree with you on one thing...weeds should be the PA state flower!  :broccoli: [/B][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]
|
|
|
Posted: May/23/2006 1:40 PM PST
LOL.....  If I was to dig up and do some planting on R slope. It would be low growing evergreens. My thought that they would be a bit less work than a flower garden. I have enough to keep up with. I let some go because of working & horses & dogs. I didn't have time to just garden. I have flower gardens just around the house , except for the back side. haven't done anything there yet. Maybe once the deck goes up. I will do something. Maybe just a walkway.. But good luck. |
† Requires Javascript
Copyright © 1997-2009 Demand Media. All rights reserved.
