Flowers in gravel?

Question

Main question: Are there any flowers or flower seeds that you can plant in gravel?

In my grandma's backyard next to the garage there is a big mound of gravel pebbles mixed with dirt all along the side of the garage. My mom says it's been there since she can remember. It's in the shape of a big rectangle and it comes out about 3 1/2 feet and is the length of the entire side of the garage. It would be such a beautiful spot to put flowers. Any suggestions of how I can work with this spot?

Preserving the look of the gravel is not important to us at all, it looks really messy and ugly. It's a slope against the garage and then it goes downwards and levels with the grass. Yesterday I took a hand rake and loosened up the gravel and flattened it more, I also dug into it and I got about a foot deep and it was all gravel. It's really strange. My grandma has lived in this house for almost 40 years and she says it's just always been there. We moved in with her a few years back and pretty much whatever I want to do with the yard it's up to me... and I just think that spot is so ugly.

I was thinking of just putting bricks all around it about 10 inches high and filling it and making a raised garden bed like I've seen on TV, but I am a total beginner to gardening and I don't know what steps to take. Am I supposed to cement the bricks together so mud doesn't seep through them when I water? What kind of dirt do I fill i with? Heeeeelp!

Answer 1

The gravel may have been placed there originally because water pooled next to a building. Do you have a clay soil type? If water collects under the rock in the winter you may end up drowning your plants in a rock filled bathtub. Weeds a frequently annuals so their presence every year would not be indicative. Does any type of perennial ever grow there?

You might wish to spend time doing a spot percolation test. Water the area first.
# First, get a large, empty coffee can and cut off the bottom.
# Second, beginning about 3" up from the bottom, mark the inside of the can every 1" with a permanent marker.
# Drive the can about 3" into the ground until the first mark is level with the ground (placing a board on the top of the can and pounding the board with a hammer will help drive the can into the ground. Irrigate the area first, since this will get an accurate measurement of the infiltration rate in the rainy season.)
# Fill the can with water clear to the top and begin timing the rate of infiltration. Measure the amount of water that has drained into the soil at the end of each minute for the first ten minutes. Determine the rate of infiltration in inches per minute by dividing the total number of inches of water that drained away in the can by 10 minutes. Knowing the actual water infiltration rate for your yard is critical if you want to plant drought tolerant plants in the gravel.
If water stands there build the wall and plant water loving plants. Look up bog garden ideas and plants.

Assuming there is no clay or hardpan to pool water under this spot your idea of piling soil on top of gravel still has a problem.
Consider what will happen to soil piled on top of gravel after a long rainy season. It will wash down and fill in the gaps between the rocks leaving the plants root balls in little exposed humps. If you do it, mix the soil in as much as you can and be prepared to top dress, mulch as the soil sinks in the first few seasons. This would be like amending sandy soils that require additional mulch every year. As the organics break down water leaches them away leaving a very acid soil. More compost rebalances the pH, adds nutrients, and retains water in the root zone.

Retaining wall construction depends on the pressure that will be applied. If the wall has to hold back water heavy soil morter will be required as well as a slope into the bed. Walls are never vertical. They slope into the bed. There are concrete blocks designed to stack in the correct slope and many even are in sets of shapes & colors so the wall has a more natural look.

Making gravel gardens
http://www.bestgardening.com/bgc/design/projgravelgarden01.htm
Read this site for a good list of plants to grow http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profiles0803/gravel_garden.asp

It is possible to plant a garden in a gravel bed. The most famous garden is Beth Chatto's. http://www.bethchatto.co.uk/
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dry-Garden-Beth-Chatto/dp/075281642X/ref=pd_bowtega_2/202-5502397-5880654?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1179943880&sr=1-2
Derek Jarman' garden on beach sand http://www.tate.org.uk/britain/exhibitions/artofthegarden/artistsgardens_jarman.htm
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0500016569/ref=nosim/125?dev-t=D2WMCOIPS9D14E
Chatto's gravel garden uses drought tolerant evergeens and evergreys such as Lavender, Ballota and Cistus sp. Bergenias are for a bright fall color and in spring use tulip species bulbs. For a border try sedums, sempervivums, or even echevarria if you are in a warm zone.
http://pittsburgh.about.com/od/pictures/ig/phipps_spring/pink_tulips.htm
Xeric plants
Agastache
http://www.highcountrygardens.com/catalog/search/products/?query=agastache&x=19&y=10
Ballota pseudodictamnus -fragrant in white
http://www.desert-tropicals.com/Plants/Lamiaceae/Ballota_pseudodictamnus.html
Artemisia arborescens -delicate silver fronds
http://www.mountainvalleygrowers.com/artarboresscensx.htm
Cistus sp -rock roses-
Sageleaf rockrose (Cistus salviifolius) with white flowers spreads out to 5-6 feet while remaining only about 2 feet tall.
http://www.paghat.com/rockroseprostrate.html
oenothera macrocarpa (missouriensis) fragrant evening primrose
Perovskia atriplicifolia Russian Sage fern-like silver foliage and lovely lavender flowers - annually prune like lavender

Answer 2

depending on how deep the gravel is and if your mother would rather have the gravel showing is probably the two most important factors.

1. if you are planting you will need dirt for the plants to get nutrients to grow. That means your gravel can only be deep enough to be moved and a deep rooting plant can be planted in the ground under the stones, then your stones can be rearranged under your plant. I can give you a site on explaining how to do that below.

2. if your mom does not really care or the look of the stones is not ornamental, then you can put a couple inches of topsoil on top of the stones and plant some small flowers (ones with very small and short roots. The can grow in the topsoil over the stones. However you may have to water more often here because the layer will not be thick enough to hold the moisture and the rocks under will let the water seep down further and the roots will need more moisture.

I layered about 3 inches of topsoil over an area of stones in my front yard and planted grass seed. The grass grew wonderfully and you would not know there is stones just a few inches under it, even walking on the grass is no tale to the past.

So I believe any flower or plant that has the same root length will more than likely survive, with some plants the roots will grow down deep until they find soil if it is close enough or the grow out along under the soil line.

the smaller the plant is above ground, the size of the root it will bear.

you should ask a few garden pros in your neighborhood regarding what flowers to plant but I believe it can be done.

Answer 3

First you should try to figure out what type of soil is beneath the gravel. Many types of wildflowers will grow almost anywhere and come in lots of colors. You can buy big packs of mixed wildflower seeds at any garden center or at lots of mass retailers as well. Just dig in, sprinkle some seeds and make sure they get water, either from rain or you will need to water them once every week or two. Check the packet to see what will grow best in your "growing zone" (different parts of the country).

Answer 4

Try something from the sedum family such as stonecrop, or hens and chickens. This plants can grow very well in terrible rocky areas.

Answer 5

put plants in pots or find ones that like bad soil.
nasturtiums and morning glories grow flowers and vines about anywhere

www.burpee.com

lots of ideas and to order
Burpee...
Burpee's Famous Tomatoes · Perennial Plants for Sun · Perennial Plants for ...

Answer 6

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Answer 7

I agree with Sara.. Sedums.. there are many different varieties available..interesting plants.. semi-succulent and neat shapes and colors..

Answer 8

Potted flowers and planter boxes can decorate that spot well.