This picture is a fair representation of what most of the yard looked like when I moved in—at least the part that is close enough to the house to warrant landscaping in the foreseeable future. I am dealing with this problem by choosing to build up. My flower and vegetable beds are raised, my patio will be raised, and I’ve used about a zillion rocks to line my garden beds. This has two advantages—free landscaping materials, and getting the rocks out of the way. When I’m ready to put in grass I plan to bring in about six inches of top soil, because strangely, grass roots don’t penetrate rock.
I actually had someone ask me where I got all the rocks to line my flower beds. She seemed surprised when I said I pulled them out of my yard, but most of the neighbors didn’t have the ‘gift’ of rocks that I received when I bought my place. My husband doesn’t share any part of my belief that they are a blessing, but we have to find silver linings wherever they are, right?
Part the reason you need to understand the type of ground you are dealing with, is to know what kind of amendments you need to add. You can have a soil test done by your local extension service if you live in the
The solution for either heavy clay or seriously sandy soil is generally to add compost. It breaks up the clay and makes it drain better, and helps the sand retain moisture better. Do not add sand to clay ground as it only makes a nice concrete-like material that is even harder to deal with than the clay was in the first place.
I mentioned before that my soil is really alkali. Knowing this helps me decide what kind of plants to grow since some thrive in this kind of soil, and others do best in acidic ground. Now, when I go to my local nursery, they are most likely going to stock plants that thrive in the local conditions, with a few exceptions. A few weeks back I went to a nursery in St. George that had some funky cacti for sale. It was clearly marked with a sign that said it wouldn’t stand the freezes they get in the area and would need careful protection in the winter. If you have a question, ask someone who works there. If they don’t have the answer, they will usually find someone who does.
I’m not referring to your local big box garden center, however. The employees there may or may not know the first things bout keeping a plant alive. For example, I spoke with someone who overheard an employee at one of these places telling a customer that it was the perfect time to plant tomatoes (in late March—so not true). Employess are there to tidy up shelves, stock shelves, and run the register and sometimes you get someone who really knows their stuff. But do your own research if you plan to shop there, because while you may occasionally get incredible deals on plants, and a different variety than at some of the small nurseries, you have to rely on plant tags and your own know how.
Do you live in a flood zone? Is your house in a depression in the ground, or is it above the rest of the yard? Are you going to be watering right next to the house? If you have a basement or cellar, you need to consider your drainage issues to make sure you won’t be adding water to your basement. Think about water flow around your house and be sure not to increase the likelihood of problems down the road. If you are planning a major overhaul of your landscaping near the house, now would be the best time to fix any flooding problems you have been experiencing.
And before you finalize your plans—don’t forget to call Blue Stakes (the people who notify utility companies to come mark their locations, for those of you who don’t live in the
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Labels: gardening and landscaping, LDS Department Store, yourldsneighborhood