Unwanted Lawn

alxmorgan

Hey folks,

I have a small patch of lawn out the front of the house that I want to do something with.
I was thinking (like some others in estate have done) of putting down decorative stones.
My question is how do I go about it ?

Do I have to put stuff down to kill the grass first ?
Then put down some kind of lining ?
Then stones ?

I've seen before where someone would have a tree in the middle then all stones....how could I do this ?

Any help greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

whassupp2

You'd probably have to dig uo the top of the lawn, put down lining to stop weeds growing up through stones. Then your stones.

alxmorgan

Dig up the top of the lawn ?

Ok tried doing a bit of that at the weekend and didn't go too well.
Firstly my back is not great (not just being lazy....go to physio on regular basis)
Secondly what is the best tool to do this ? Is it back breaking work regardless

And finally...putting down something to kill the grass not enough ?

Thanks

bakerbhoy

Spray grass with roundup.wait two weeks.
Put weed block lining down.
You can form a border with sleepers or the like.
If you want a flower bed / tree etc box it in to whatever shape you want .
Fill the rest of the area with your stone.
fill your boxed area with topsoil/peat mix. b&q woodies etc.
Get a new back:D
I did this with my front lawn , could only grow moss and daisys

alxmorgan

ok so I was having a look around at DIY sites and one said somethinng similar.
Kill everything..wait a while.
Put down landscaping fabric (which i assume is same as weed block lining.)

My questions is could I put stones in and a section in the middle put in compost and grow some simple flowers just to break it up a bit.
Maybe I have go with flowers that don't have deep roots.

Sorry if I'm talking gibberish but I'm a complete novice at this !!

Macker

alxmorgan wrote:

My questions is could I put stones in and a section in the middle put in compost and grow some simple flowers just to break it up a bit.
Maybe I have go with flowers that don't have deep roots.QUOTE]

Cut slits in the membrane and plant through it into the soil before you put the stones down

alxmorgan

Macker wrote:

Cut slits in the membrane and plant through it into the soil before you put the stones down

Will the stuff still grow even after putting down round up two weeks earlier ?

Thanks again.

bmaxi

Roundup is neutralised on contact with soil, it only acts on green material.

If you have open plan gardens, i.e. no retaining walls, these pebble gardens can be a pain in the a*se. Kids love nothing more than to go in and kick the stuff all over the place. Where I live I see lads out every night with brushes and shovels, and, of course, it is a handy source of catapult ammunition.

John Mason

Hi, i have done this in my front garden, i didnt bother digging the lawn, life is far too short. i put down a protective membrane and then just shovelled the stones on top. that was two years ago and its perfect. I have a square flower bed type thing in the middle with a huge very old rose tree growing. i just cut a hole in the membrane for the rose to fit through - really simple and easy. its the only way to go with a small garden.