Landscaping?

Question

I would like to put white pebbles on my garden so it looks tidier than the old stringy bark mulch, does anyone know what I have to do first as the soil looks very lacklustre. Wld the pebbles do further harm? Will pull out a lot of the old plants and just retain palms and bromilaids to save water... etc

Answer 1

White pebbles will work fine as a mulch if you layer then deep enough to shut out the light from the soil. Organic mulch such as leaves and the bark you mentioned will make a better mulch in the long run because they will break down and add organic matter to your soil. You seem to be more concerned with the appearance, and that's OK, so go with the white pebbles.Pulling out your old plants probably won't be necessary to conserve water. The mulch will do that so keep all the plants you want to achieve the look you are after.

Answer 2

White rock will eventually collect green moss and look very unsightly. You can paint the stones white again, collect them all and wash them in bleach water to restore the white. Would suggest putting down 7 to 9 layers of newspaper underneath them to prevent weed growth. Weeding rock mulched beds is a huge pain. Also, buy twice as much rock as you think you will need. They don't spread very far. Bark mulch is much less work. good luck

Answer 3

We put down fog rock which is white and gray. The only thing we did first was lay down a layer of thick black plastic, which you can get at any garden or hardware store. Try to level the dirt a bit so during the winter any excess water will run off. You only need about an inch and a half of rock. The only time you can see the plastic through the rock is when a deer happens to get into the yard and runs through it.