xeriscape advice part 2

[macario]

Hello everyone. ok I bought some bolders for 20 bucks and decided to put them on the ground so I can plan for my xeriscape. I put them in a circle for now just to see how it would look. Here are pics I would appreciate any advice how I should put these together. Maybe I should use bigger boulders, or arrange the boulders different? or maybe use something for the edge besides boulders? We do have rail road ties, you know those big tar soaked logs that hold rail road tracks together. Also you guys had many suggestions for soil. I went to my local place and they have some interesting stuff. They have small yellow lava stone and I saw somewhere that they grow agave in yellow lava rock for taquila, they have this smashed type of red granite soil its the same size as crushed limestone looked interesting it hold just some water but drains very fast, they have pea gravel which is bigger than the granite, they also have very coarse sand which is smaller then the granite.

[Alchris]

The yard seems to be on a corner and seems to have almost no slope. I'm guessing that the side walk in front of the house is the city's. I hope that the railway ties are well used and the creosote(tar) has leeched out. I'm guessing that the front yard is about 12' x 18'.

How about making an abandoned railroad bed that runs diagonally from the lower left of the picture towards the pole at the corner. Have it gradually rise out of the "desert" to about a foot or a foot and one half higher in the centre and sloping off to curb height at the pole. Use the rocks at the upper left edge of the yard to create a barrier to keep people from walking over the corner of the yard. The yuccas etc. would be planted in the upper left section of the yard. Use railroad ties as edging to keep the lower centre and right side of the yard 1 to 1 1/2' above the sidewalk. Your deeper root plants would go between the 'railroad bed' and the lower edge of the yard.

The only concern about soil that I would have is whether the yellow lava rock has a high concentration of sulphur which would turn the soil acidic over time.

Your soil doesn't look that bad. I would work it up down to the gravel base that is underneath the concrete sidewalks and curb. That should only be about 5 or 6 ". Add about 50% crushed gravel(3" or about 2 yards if my measurements are close) and about 1 yard of compost. If the crushed gravel is less than 50% sand add additional coarse sand. Mix all of this thoroughly and shape the yard the way that you want it before laying commercial landscape fabric( when you shape the soil remember to allow for 3 or 4" of decorative rock 'finish' that you will put over top of the landscape fabric). Then put in a 3" layer of decorative rock and /or sand of your choice on top of the fabric.

I hope that this helps a little.

Allen

[PALMETTOMAN]

Edmonton,

Nice tips!

Good adv. on the lava rock stuff...

The way I see it the stones and gravel should help keep the ground "heated" like a desert garden bed...


Palmettoman z6-Ajax, On

[Barrie]

I think Alchris (Allen) is on to something here. The abandoned railway theme is great. The biggest trick of course is to make it look natural. That's going to require machinery, at least a bobcat or back hoe. To get the natural look that's what is needed, and also raising that planting area well beyond what you have initially planned for. Large rockscape is stunning and always draws the eye. The roots of these plants are far reaching and need a big raised area.
I have to admit, I had a chuckle when you said you paid $20 for those rocks (sorry). I live on a rock and rocks like those are a gardening nuisance. I guess when you have something in abundance, you take it for granted.
Here's a few pics of how we "landscape" in my neighborhood.

Cheers, Barrie (Vancouver Island)

[macario]

We dont have rocks anywhere. We some of the most fertile soil. A few hundred years ago where I live used to be where the forest met the lake but the lake was back filled. If you dig down about 8 inches you can see the layers of wet clay like it was silt and sediment from the bottom of a lake. Different colors as well black, grey, yellow. Have to go north to get granite from the beaches in wisconsin. Further inland from me about 80 miles you will find sandstone and locally you can find huge lime stone quarries.

And do you have any pics of this railroad type theme? yourtalking about. How I should slop it and where the peak should be

[Alchris]

Barrie has the luxury of living in the most beautiful area in North America.

You and I get to live in a different environment. You can do this with 2 or 3 strong backs, an electric chain saw, a heavy half ton truck, a heavy duty drill, a sledge hammer and rebar. It will just take a little longer.

I hope that the sketches that I sent make sense.

Allen

[macario]

Yeah I can read sketches or print what ever just I have no minds eye and have a hard time imaginating stuff. Also when you said use gravel to mix in the soil, will decomposed granite gravel work? or should I use coarse sand? I have a buddy who can lend a hand , I can handle a 6ft tie myself lol. I been hitting the gym for a few years now. You shoulda saw when I was walking ( barely ) with a 26 inch pot with a 8ft robey in it. I was bear hugging the pot with rope around my neck and shoulders. I need to be able to do this stuff myself cause everyone runs when I ask for help.

[Alchris]

Decomposed granite or any other 'rock' will work. The important thing is to get various sizes from coarse sand to 1/2 inch or 3/4 inch pieces. I am stuck on gravel because it is relatively cheap here at $45/yard. Sand is about $55 and the prices go up with slate, shale, limestone etc. costing up to $150 per yard.

I know what you mean. My neighbors start walking the other way when they see me coming dressed in work clothes.

You are a lot tougher than I am now. I have had some medical problems but am walking again and starting to rebuild my strength.

Allen

[macario]

Glad to hear you getting back on the healthy track. Limestone and coarse sand are Both about $35 dollars a ton. The decomposed granite is $65 a ton. Up top when im done should I use pea gravel or sand? or something else?

[Alchris]

The top layer is decorative and helps to hold the heat. You can choose whatever you think looks the best. If you get heavy rains, go with larger size stones(1" +). If you can get it reasonable, red lava rock for the desert area and a limestone for the railroad bed would be my choice. In my desert I used 2" washed river rock because it was way cheaper than anything else.

Allen

[Wes North Van]

Looks like the North Shore. I happen to live on a river bed so all I have for soil is sand and lots of river rock but just north of me is solid rock.

[DesertZone]

Sometimes in bigger cities rocks are hard to find with out traveling far, but you may be able to find broken up side walk pieces. These make very interesting landscape rocks and can be died to look like desert stone. Slope them at mixed angles so they drain. Alot of times a contractor may even dump a whole truck load off for free. These truck loads may also have alot of gravel mixed with the broken peices. But be carful what you wish for, becuase a truck load can be a lot to deal with