I recently bought a house that has huge flowerbeds wrapping around the front, but to be honest, I really dislike gardening. Right now, the flowerbeds are cluttered with soil, mulch, weeds, and a few poorly cared-for plants. Since I'm planning to sell the house in about five years, I want to make these beds look better than just a mess of weeds and mulch. I've heard that I could tear out all the mulch and replace it with rocks. Would that work? Would a few random plants along with the rocks look good? Also, can I just spray a ton of poison to kill the weeds that will grow in the rocks?
1 Answer
Honestly, I strongly advise against using rocks. If gardening isn’t your thing, here’s a quick and easy way to deal with those flowerbeds.
1. First off, completely cut down any grass or weeds to soil level.
2. Get some high-quality landscape fabric like DeWitt thick black material. It's crucial to invest in a good one—don’t settle for the cheap stuff. Use a lighter to cut the sections, which helps stop unraveling. Lay this fabric over the flowerbeds and secure it with yard staples. This will effectively cook any weeds beneath it.
3. Seriously, skip the rocks and mulch. Seeds and dirt will still find a way to thrive in rocks or mulch over time. Just keeping the beds covered with this durable fabric will make it easy to maintain. You can just use a leaf blower to clean up anything that falls on it.
4. When it’s time to sell, simply remove the fabric and throw down some fresh mulch to make it look appealing for buyers. Trust me, no chemicals or headaches for you, and the new owners won’t be stuck dealing with a rock-laden garden. Good luck, my dude!
But what about just hiring a landscaping company to put down the DeWitt stuff and then cover it with rocks? My wife is not keen on having fabric over our house for five years, lol. Plus, I really dislike replacing mulch every single year.