What steals your time in the garden?

There are too many grades of weed barrier fabric from cheap to expensive. We put down the cheap one (when that was the only one to be found) in the vegetable garden in '92. One hot summer day we were both out there with the rotten black fabric covering our heads as we tried to remove the giant weeds happily growing underneath the fabric until I got disgusted and ripped it out completely.

I know I have the name of the place I ordered the good fabric from but I couldn't find it last night to lend a helping hand. I'll look again, McGlory. Always check the cost of shipping - it varies greatly.

Pagancat - love the Dorothy Parker quotes.

"That woman speaks eighteen languages, and can't say No in any of them."

Here's one from Lee Valley. Never used it though. Seems pretty expensive.

http://www.leevalley.com/garden/page.aspx?c=2&p=10350&cat=2,2300,33272

Loved D.Parker.

My son builds bridges and they use some really heavy duty weed block. He has brought me home a few "scraps" Their idea of a "scrap" is pretty big. I don't use it much but I put some down around certain features like my blue ball and along the walk where the big Spruce was making it a pain to mow. I think this scrap was about 3ft wide and 20+ft long. Here is an older shot where you can see the small grassy strip next to the walk. You have to use a hand mower run in under the Spruce to get the grass and there are always a few weeds growing up under those branches especially small seedlings planted by the squirrels. It always seemed to just look a bit messy.

It certainly doesn't look messy now.

I'll continue looking for that fabric. It is 6' wide and 100' long, as I recall. The shipping was around $30.00 and the fabric was $90.

Ahem...hate to be the wet blanket, but let's keep the innuendo a little more toned down, please? (I have been known to quote Ms. Parker a few times myself...but I'm pretty choosy about which of her lines I will utter - and in what company...probably not something I'd publish for 7,000 or more potential readers.)

To the original question: weeding and watering take up most of my time. Our water pressure is low and the Bermudagrass goes as deep as the soil. (Which isn't deep - we garden on limestone bedrock around here. That also makes for very hard water and rather alkaline soil.

We had a sprinkler system installed in the front this fall - that ought to cut down on some of the watering chores (and make the water bill go up) But my beds and borders are mainly in the back.

Yes, I will take some cheese to go with that whine ;o)

Ha!

Just curious, Terry, did someone complain about the Dorothy Parker quotes?

Nope...I saw the thread, and started reading, since I was curious what steals everyone else's time ;o)

busted

Thanks, Terry.

At least I finally found Gempler's, a supply house our local nursery guy uses and highly recommends, and they DO have the fabric!

http://www.gemplers.com/product/RDWP4/DeWitt-Weed-Barrier-3-x-50-Roll

I have miles of the fabric that I'm pulling up - I won't get on my soapbox about the stuff, but I will say remember that weeds grow on *top* of it quite well.

And bermuda grass grows through it. Grrrrrrr.........

I think I've ordered from Gempler's before. Or maybe just gotten their catalog. I'd love to put down landscape fabric, but the bed that gives me the most grief is where I tend to stuff all my annuals for cut flowers. Landscape fabric would look like a piece of swiss cheese in there.

As to being busted..well, to be honest, we rely on our members to know - and voluntarily follow - the site rules laid out in the Acceptable Use Policy without us hovering over your shoulders. We'd prefer to never rap anyone's knuckles and so I'm just asking everyone to look over your post and see if maybe a little judicious self-editing is in order ;o)

Bad Boys,
Here is an updated pic you can see that it is much neater now and you can also see some of my very thick vinca toward the front. It will creep in and make a nice natural line around the front.

Same view before. Remember we had to trim mow this area and now we won't have to do that.

Very true Pagan. I have to weed this whole area a couple of times a year. The vinca sure was happy to move right in on that mulched landscape fabric and it hid some weedy neighbors for quite a while while they got settled in. I have wild strawberry growing in there and several other viney nasties. Not to mention the very good sized black snake that likes to make it's self at home under the evergreens. LOL
I know that someone said it earlier but it deserves repeating. "If you have too many weeds then you don't have enough flowers".

The fabric shouldn't be used within gardens, according to some I've talked to, but for paths.

Wouldn't the fire torch work for that Bermuda grass?

Good Grief I'll have to get an ID

How about a backhoe?

If you break up the roots, they simply generate new plants.

I'm telling you, this stuff is the scourge of the earth. Kudzu is bad - definitely bad - but at least people don't deliberately plant it.

Bermudagrass is proudly offered as turfgrass seed and sod in fine garden centers everywhere.

I guess a foot of cement wouldn't help.

I've pulled up Bermudagrass roots that were well in excess of a foot long...

If all you want is tough, durable turfgrass (think golf course, football field, etc.) it's an EXCELLENT choice - holds up to southern summer heat, lots of walking on it, etc.

But if you choose it as a lawngrass, you shouldn't try to landscape in any area adjoining it. A 4-foot wide sidewalk is a fairly decent barrier between lawn and foundation plantings, but if you (or your neighbors) don't keep it mowed faithfully, the seeds will quickly mature and blow wherever the wind takes them.

Deep shade is the one thing it can't withstand. But if the plant can stretch enough to reach some sunlight, it will still send runners into shady spots.

Sigh...

Did somebody say Bermuda? Grrrrrrr! That stuff is the curse of gardeners! I have seen the runners 7-8 FEET down when people are digging out ponds or pools. It is pretty much indestructible. Terry is right that it will stretch for any little bit of light and bam! It's back again.

That has to be my biggest time stealer... Battling Bermuda...

Story told to me by a Master Gardener friend is that during the Civil War, a large part of what is now metropolitan Phoenix was planted with Bermuda as pastureland for the Calvary. They needed a grass that would live through our summer heat, thrive on sun and almost no water and grow right back when the horses ate it. And today we pay the price for their great idea - lol.

Kelly

Thanks for the link, pirl. Am almost ready to focus on paths, so I'll bookmark the site. I'd be certain there are quality differences. I've not known anyone who tried anything but the common grade stuff until this thread.

As for bermuda grass, perhaps we should start some kind of competition for whomever has found the longest roots. I'm sure I've had some more that went into the next county. Winner gets..... a book of Dorothy Parker quotes? (Giggle)

LOL!

he he

Trumpet vine can be a big time stealer also, between the runners and the seed it pops up all over. When someone wants some, we give fair warning. Ric

Trumpet vine - Campsis radicans? Or another one?

I made the mistake of planting trumpet vine over a pergola at our first home. Beautiful, but incredibly messy when it dropped the flowers and seed pods. Plus, they'd grow down through the lattice over the top. Every few days I'd shear it all back, but then it would re-grow immediately and create a very jungle-esque feeling. I tried to kill it, but by then it was too well established.

Haven't managed to kill mine in 15 years. Doubt it will ever happen.

I love the Trumpet Vine and consider it well worth the time it takes to keep it in check. But Ric is right it does take time. I wouldn't say that I'm winning the battle but don't think that after 25 or so years it has gone too far. HOLLY
Pagan, Not sure what Trumpet Vine I have it is very old and orange.

Holly, if mine had been situated like yours, I would have enjoyed it a lot more. I don't know what I was thinking when I planted it - I wanted it to cover the top of the pergola and provide shade, but I guess I wasn't considering just how it would do that, or how much work it would take to groom it ;o)

Terry, Mine is a pretty easy keeper in comparison to some others I have seen. I do think it is because of the way I trained it. It tends to want to send runners into the evergreen group next to it and I have to crawl in there a couple of times a year and try to remove them. I cut off the interesting seed pods before they break open but I can only reach so many of them with out getting out a ladder. Here is a different view of my TV this was taken at Christmas you can see the structure. I like that it gives me some nice winter interest as well as the beautiful display in the summer.

That is glorious. It looks ideal for a Christmas card.

I agree

Very very pretty!

Wow...that is a Currier & Ives scene!

Now, if you could just get Ric to pose on top of it.....

LOL Pagan, Thanks everyone for the kind comments. Holly

Holly also has a beautiful photo of it lit at night with little white lights. It is equally as beautiful then.