Disaster or Nightmare, Whatever.

[tiwen000]

I would like to take some good suggestions/advices here because I guess the garden people are all here.

I am not a garden person myself, I hate lawn care. I did some crazy things, and probably ruined my backyard, (which is about 33'x33') -- took away all the grass, lay down filters, and pave the yard with 4" G.A., and on top of the compacted G.A., I put 2" pebbles. I still leave 3 8'x10'-sqared bare-earth areas, now I am planting some trees and peony on them. And my house is very close to my neighbors, even the smallest truck can not pass to the backyard, I did all the above stuffs with a small cart. If I had known the drawbacks, I would not have ever done so.

I did these last year, thought it could stop the weeds, but I started seeing the weeds soon. Now it is the second year, and now more weeds are poping up the pebbles. Currently I spray salt on the weeds, in order to kill them.

What would be an easy way to prevent the weeds on the pebbles?

Also if I do not have to remove all the pebble and GA, what can I do to improve the yard? I wish I could have some simple solution, say how about put concrete on the yard? I know this is some kind of madness. But any good ideas?

Thanks a millions.

[Charlie]

Amen on the lawn care hatred.....that isn't gardening.

I hate lawn care too, waste of fuel, bad juju for the environment, etc.

What is G.A.?

salt definitely kills weeds,,,,,what about a wider application. This may sound smarty, it's not, but just keep pulling and salting them. It is a meditational thing, does help one relax and ease stress.

Concrete is expensive.......really expensive if you can't get a truck close. Plus it is really ugly....I know. It has all the beauty and warmth of ........ahhh, never mind,,,,,it's ugly.

Think zen garden.

And ignore the chemical-heads, they want to poison all of us.

"They paved paradise, and put up a parking lot"

Charlie

[Charles]

And let me disagree. Salt is a poison, just not a very effective one. Garden shops sell stuff like soil sterilants, with chlorates and borates. A problem with these, and salt as well, is that they don't stay where we put them, they go off to poison the water table.

I'd look into some of the soap based products, Safer is a good brand, in my opinion.

[Lilah Morgan]

That was the only line from that song I actually liked. Even if it didn't seem to make sense with the rest of the song. I've seen beautiful land turned into a strip mall before, and I found it disgusting. Fred Meyer's sucks anyways.

[Charlie]

Hmmmmm....let's see...I assumed the area had a high saline content .....like Bonneville...yeah that's it! (somebody help me out here!)

Fine.

Must of been that delicious bacon that the Lovely just fixed.....I

*know* that's pretty effectively killin' me. Addled my brain.

Thanks Charles Charles, er, Charlie

[Charlie]

You're one of the good ones, Lilah.

sweet dreams, my dear.

I'm off to bed for my Sleeping Beauty awaits me.

Care Charlie

[Cheryl Isaak]

What's a Fred Meyer's?

C

[tiwen000]

G.A. is the crushed stones, they call it gravels, if I spell it correctly.

I know people here are laughing at what I have done so far. Please if someone can give some good advice. I am desperately looking for some good hints.

Do I have to remove all the pebble and G.A. out of the yard? And put back soil and sod? That could be an impossible task so far. -- Is there any other solutions?

What is a "zen" garden in your mind? Is that going to be good? I will have to need some ideas.

[Charlie]

Right

"zen rock garden".

In my opinion, it is very good.

[William Wagner]

In my opinion too.

Look for"A Japanese touch for your garden".

ISBN 0-87011-391-7

If you got money or know how to make things and perhaps like simple things like driftwood.

Look for " A Japanese touch for your home".

ISBD 4-7700-1015-X

Then there is "The art of Setting Stones".

ISBD 1-880656-70-1

"Essays for the philosophical gardener (Or the gardening philosopher ) that revel the beauty and meaning of traditional Japanese gardens." From the back cover but I'd rather weed now and propagate. Still in winter the garden thru books calls even with snow and deciduous hollies in glory. Heart stuff nags me.

And then there is my first hook into "Japanese Gardens" From the Time Life Encylopedia of Gardening

ISBD 0-8094-2631-5

Bill

[Billy Rose]

I think what bro' Charlie be having in mind is sort of something like this

You don't have to take the philosophy behind it but, I couldn't hurt. Poetry is one of the deepest ways to learn. Especially in a toxic world.

- Billy Coloribus gustibus non disputatum (mostly)

[beecrofter]

Perhaps the most sane thing would be a torch attached to a grill sized bottle of to flame the weed seedlings periodically. Seeds will come in on the wind and in the birds and soil sterrilants are less than eco friendly. You could get yourself a nice sized scrap of black rubber roofing/ pond liner and move it over areas you want dead during the heat of the day.

Forget a Japanese garden as they require meticulous care and maintainance to not look foolish and that doesn't sound like it fits your lifestyle .

[Jay]

I suggest using vinegar on your weeds. You can read about ti here:

hardware stores sell concentrated vinegar in contrast to the diluted found at the food market.

Good luck, Jay

[Lilah Morgan]

It's a department(chain) that likes to pave over beautiful fertile land and put up one of its ugly stores.

[Cheryl Isaak]

Oh - like Walmart

[Lilah Morgan]

Yeah, 'cept Fred Meyer's is more expensive.

[MajorOz]

Or a school, or a hospital, or............

oz

[Pennyaline]

??

They took all the trees and put 'em in a tree museum, and charge the people a dollar and a half just to see 'em.

Farmer, farmer, put away your DDT. Don't mind spots on my apples, leave me the birds and the bees. Please!

Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone.