Part of moving into a new place is undoing what the previous owners did.
Take the foundation plantings for instance.
If you like stone mulch, they did it right. Layers and layers (and layers) of gravel on top of landscaping cloth. The beds were pretty much overgrown when we moved in but some lavender and colepsis were hanging in there and I uncovered a clematis drowning in trumpet vine.
However, I don’t like stone mulch. It adds nothing to the soil, always spills out into the lawn, and makes new plantings difficult.
New plantings like the herbs I want around the house.
Have you ever tried to clear up tons of gravel in 90+ degree heat? We’re working on it a small section at a time, not quite half done. Mint, sage, chives, oregano, horehound, and lemon balm that we brought with us have been transplanted and are doing well.
Straw may not be as neat as gravel, but it holds moisture well and breaks down to add lots of organic matter to the soil.
Being dedicated recyclers, we have found a use for all of that gravel--the driveway is looking pretty spiffy.
Love this. We had gravel "mulch" at our last house that the previous owners put in and I hated it. Glad I'm not the only one.
ReplyDeleteComes under the catagory, when considering your new home, of "why in earth did they ever do THAT?"
ReplyDeleteThe same as when you're digging out an exotic, ugly and poisonous plant from your future dog-allowed garden, and then hits something hard. You dig some more around it and finds out the owner cemented the lid of an old well and buried it, planted this thing on top, and the plant's roots are now all deeply mixed with concrete, going several feet deep into the hole (going after the water I suppose).
ReplyDeleteTalita-YIKES!
ReplyDelete