RE: Progress on the garden wall/pea gravel

A small jackhammer with a point-tip (not the spade shaped ones).  I never
would have gotten anywhere with that sloping walk otherwise.  I was able to
pop all of the flagstones out of the top layer- so i'll recycle those.  Then
I broke up a second layer of concrete.  I still have to break up the bottom
layer (with rebar and wire grip running through it)- but first I need to get
a dumpster to throw everything in.  The former owner of the house was a
brick mason- great for the brick facade he put on the house- bad for trying
to remove any cement he installed- as he did it "right".

Theresa

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-gardenchat@hort.net [o*@hort.net]On
Behalf Of Bonnie Holmes
Sent: Friday, January 09, 2004 9:03 AM
To: gardenchat@hort.net
Subject: RE: [CHAT] Progress on the garden wall/pea gravel


I must break up a hated, ugly concrete sidewalk...too close to the house,
starting to heave in places and just ugly.  What are you using to break it
up.

Bonnie Zone 6+ ETN




> [Original Message]
> From: Theresa <tchessie@comcast.net>
> To: <gardenchat@hort.net>
> Date: 01/07/2004 8:47:16 PM
> Subject: RE: [CHAT] Progress on the garden wall/pea gravel
>
> Ok! Today I started breaking up the sloping sidewalk at the edge of my
> frontyard.  I took out the flagstones that were mortared into place (will
> reuse them), and broke up the next layer (about 2 inches thick) of cement.
> However, there is a 3rd layer, with wire mesh running through it.  Well it
> was starting to rain, and my back was killing me, so that will wait until
> this weekend.  I've got to get a small dumpster to throw away all the
> cement.  I have to toss layer number 2, so that I can get down to the
bottom
> layer and break it up witht he jack hammer and finish cutting the wire
grid
> where needed.  Thank god for my neighbor across the street, who is carting
> the jackhammer back and forth from work for me.  It was actually way
easier
> to use than I expected- and much smaller (he brought me the smallest one).
>
> Maybe I'll reserve a section toward the top and try a little gravel
garden,
> since I now know whay might grow there!
>
> Theresa
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-gardenchat@hort.net [o*@hort.net]On
> Behalf Of Marge Talt
> Sent: Wednesday, January 07, 2004 2:49 PM
> To: gardenchat@hort.net
> Subject: Re: [CHAT] Progress on the garden wall/pea gravel
>
>
> > From: Theresa <tchessie@comcast.net>
> > I personally hate pea gravel- or for that matter pretty much any
> gravel. I
> > recall having to weed the gravel driveway whe I was a kid.  Was
> entirely
> > senseless, because new weeds/grass sprouted up the next day.
> ----------
>
> Aw, Theresa, that just goes to show that plants like gravel:-)  I get
> really tired of weeding our gravel drive; it is a continuous chore,
> but I have found some treasures seeded into it that will not seed
> into the beds where the parent plants are growing.
>
> Gravel, like boggy spots, can turn into a major plus instead of being
> a major pain if you put the right plants in there.
>
> One of my favorite garden authors, Pamela Harper, covered a lawn area
> with gravel and grows all sorts of very neat plants in it - it's her
> gravel garden; of course in full sun, which I do not possess.
>
> My garden guru, Beth Chatto, has part of her garden on naturally
> occurring gravel many feet deep and has created an incredible garden
> of drought resistant plants:
>
> http://www.bethchatto.co.uk/gravel.html
>
> Her book "The Dry Garden" tells all about it and the plants she grows
> there...she's an excellent author as well as being a fantastic
> plantswoman.
>
> Your layers of landscape fabric would be a bit of a problem - or
> could be - because many good drainage lovers are tap rooted so they
> can take advantage of any moisture going.
>
> Gravel does get hot on the top, but it is cool underneath, which is
> what plants like.
>
> If you decide to dig up the gravel where it is, don't get rid of it;
> use it to amend clay soil to improve drainage and pick a little sunny
> spot to try a bit of gravel gardening...bet you'll get hooked:-)
>
> Marge Talt, zone 7 Maryland
> mtalt@hort.net
> Editor:  Gardening in Shade
> -----------------------------------------------
> Current Article: Spring Peepers
> http://www.suite101.com/welcome.cfm/shade_gardening
> ------------------------------------------------
> Complete Index of Articles by Category and Date
> http://mtalt.hort.net/article-index.html
> ------------------------------------------------
> All Suite101.com garden topics :
> http://www.suite101.com/topics.cfm/635
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
> Support hort.net -- join the hort.net fund drive!
> http://www.hort.net/funds/
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
> Support hort.net -- join the hort.net fund drive!
> http://www.hort.net/funds/

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Support hort.net -- join the hort.net fund drive!
http://www.hort.net/funds/

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Support hort.net -- join the hort.net fund drive!
http://www.hort.net/funds/
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index