Any landscaper/gardener experts?
- Thread starter bofa
- Start date
bofa
New member
They built the wall today but luckily I saw it before they finished filling it. It looks like they did backfill with drainage rock. Am I screwed for planting stuff there? Or do I just need to dig out the rock, down to the dirt, when planting the roots?
Limbwalker
New member
Can you post a pic at some point? I hate to tell you to be messing with your wall warrantee but Im sure something can be done
bofa
New member
Yeah I snagged some on my phone and can get more this weekend. This is the side where I'd want some privacy shrubs.
Limbwalker
New member
You can plant them in the dirt section if the root balls are small enough... they wont be quite centered, but you dont want the plant directly beside that gravel or it wont hold any moisture
Limbwalker
New member
you can dig out some of that rock and replace it with soil also. I would have liked to have seen them separate the rock and dirt with fabric and backfill only the 12" behind the wall with rock, but... its all good. Just try not to put any pressure against the back of the wall.
btw, most plants have some form of a tap-root that goes down, but all plants root out to the sides for absorption and stability . The water absorbing roots are almost always within the upper 10" of soil
btw, most plants have some form of a tap-root that goes down, but all plants root out to the sides for absorption and stability . The water absorbing roots are almost always within the upper 10" of soil
bofa
New member
I think the rock area is what I had in mind. I don't want them too close to the structure but there's not much room between the edge of the wall and the fence line. The whole area will eventually be covered with 2.5" decorative rock on top as well.
I don't think any part of it is really load-bearing, with the exception of the fill itself. When we first looked at the lot they weren't even sure if they were going to do the wall or not, it was more to alleviate the large drop from the patio. I don't think we'll put much pressure on it aside from these shrubs and maybe a small fire pit at the corner.
Limbwalker
New member
No, I know it isnt load bearing. But unless they glued down every layer (doubtful) its possible to move blocks around without even noticing. If you remove the rock and replace it with soil just be careful, and DO NOT use any compaction equipment of any kind. Trust me, the lower layers of that wall can move much easier than you might think. If you decide to replace the rock, do it in small sections not all at once. Dig out a little, replace with soil, and then move on to the next little bit. The rock is the walls stability.
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bofa
New member
Ah, I kind of assumed they had those lips on them to help maintain integrity, like the ones you buy at the box stores. I'll see if they have some extras lying around today to confirm.
I was also planning to dig in a bit to run gutter downspouts under the rock and have them spit out of the other side of the wall. I hate these long spouts that sit on the ground. I just know I'm going to eat rock one day.
Limbwalker
New member
Ah, I kind of assumed they had those lips on them to help maintain integrity, like the ones you buy at the box stores. I'll see if they have some extras lying around today to confirm.
I was also planning to dig in a bit to run gutter downspouts under the rock and have them spit out of the other side of the wall. I hate these long spouts that sit on the ground. I just know I'm going to eat rock one day.
Yes, the probably have lips on them. And yes, you can still mess it up if youre not careful
bofa
New member
Thanks for all the tips!
bofa
New member
I'm finally getting a better idea of what I'll be working with and am now trying to learn about drip irrigation. The privacy shrubs and a tree on the same side but toward the front of the house will not be covered by the irrigation zones so this seems like a good way to get these watered for the first year and as needed from there.
Is a drip irrigation system what I need?
There is a hose bib on that side and the system would need to cover 4x Emerald Green Thuja and 1x Spruce, so I'm estimating around 15G per day total for the first few weeks and can taper off slowly.
Is a drip irrigation system what I need?
There is a hose bib on that side and the system would need to cover 4x Emerald Green Thuja and 1x Spruce, so I'm estimating around 15G per day total for the first few weeks and can taper off slowly.
bofa
New member
I was checking the wall out again today. It look like they had hollowed compartments inside that were filled. The top layer was definitely glued but I can't confirm the other layers.
Limbwalker
New member
sounds right. Typically the top layer is glued down (large walls=top 2 or 3)
Try not to disrupt that bottom layer for any reason or the lack of compaction will cause things to settle
Limbwalker
New member
As you put the dirt back in behind it, get one of those hand-tampers (basically a 4' handle with a flat peice of steel at the bottom)from home depot... put a 6-8" layer of soil in at a time, and add a little moisture with your garden hose and then tamp it in a bit. Stay a good 6-10" away from the blocks though for good measure
oljedi11950
New member
Just saw this , have you seen or heard of texas ranger ? 3 color flowers very hardy , can be banzaied , 3 separate leaf colors with each flower , or nandina ? Very drought resistant also ? Better than juniper too , as juniper gets older they are subject to spider mites & can get pretty gross IMO of course
bofa
New member
I think that would work but I'm in the wrong zone. It requires zone 8-11 and I'm in 5b. I need to look into the spider mites. yuck
oljedi11950
New member
Honestly we have some cold weather here not like Colo. but I have many & they are tough & think their def hi desert but only time will tell . I just stop watering them n Nov. & all they get is what little rain we get here .IMO they'd fit the bill , there are many of these types of bushes that cross the zones .
bofa
New member
Our lows in this area were down to -18 F, so I'm hesitant. I think they would do well in the summer here and in these soil conditions but I'm afraid the lows and extended cold days would kill them off. There are some other sage options for zone 5, so I'll check them out.
How do these look in the winter? The reason I'm leaning toward evergreen is for year-around privacy.
One other consideration is width. I'd like to keep these things to 3-4 feet in order to maintain room to walk around either side easily. It sounds like sage can be pruned pretty easily.
Final though it attracting bees and wasps. These shrubs will eventually be about 6 feet from the patio and 8 feet from the back door. We made the mistake of planting flowering shrubs near the entrance and garage in our last place and it was a constant battle.
oljedi11950
New member
I hear ya , pretty sure in the sage family . Once established their hardy , if you stop watering before your 1st cold spell you better than me the sap pulls back to roots , their like oleander in that you gotta blow em up to get rid of them . We have em on our course to & not real big bee attractor ! Ask your local plant guy if they'd do ok ?
