New Beds in zone 8
- To: perennials@mallorn.com
- Subject: New Beds in zone 8
- From: T* <T*@aol.com>
- Date: Sun, 18 Jan 1998 13:55:05 EST
We have had thre warm (60) days in a row. I am getting spring fever!
My back yard has been a "wasteland" for years. It has overgrown for such a
long time. The yard slopes down from the house for about 20 feet, then there
is a storm fence and another 1/4 acre with terrible drainage and oak trees on
one side and a cottonwood tree on the other. The soil is clay close to the
house and a sandy mix further back. Everything is covered in weeds (ragweed,
briars, goldenrod and rye grass (it used to be part of a pasture). We have
terribly hot summers here and sometimes drought conditions.
This is my question......How do I get rid of the grass and weeds. If I till
it all up--won't it just make the weeds "seed" and come up later. What can I
do to eliminate this? What do I need to amend the soil with? I tried in the
front yard adding top soil, peat moss and sand to break up the clay...then
planting perrenials and bulbs . They did ok for 2 seasons, then the gophers
wiped me out.
This new bed will be an irregular shaped island with a split rail fence down
the middle, it is in full sun most of the day with a partial shade in the
morning from the oaks on the east side. There is an existing wegiela, which I
want to use to anchor the bed on the west end. The bed faces north, with no
wind break. Should I consider terraces?
OK--put on your thinking caps and give me your best suggestions.
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