Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
houstworks

Hillside Gardening - Fence to prevent weeds - PICS

houstworks
17 years ago

I have taken some extra fencing we had laying around and made a fence with it. This is to prevent the weeds from growing where I then have to mow at dangerous angles.

I have been filling up the area with grass clippings, leaves, mulch.

I want to plant put some mulch on top

and eventually plant a ground cover there.

It is a very hot sunny place in the summer.

This is just a start.

Any ideas ?

I am sending 3 links:

Link 1: Hillside Gardening - Fence 1

http://photos.gardenweb.com/garden/galleries/2006/09/hillside_gardening_fence_1.html

This is where I put the fencing around the 3 trees.

It is really a 6 foot fence, but I cut it to hold up the leaves & mulching.

The garbage can will go - it has some unfinished pine mulch in it that I haven't dumped on top of the leaves and grass mowings, yet.

Link 2: Hillside Gardening - Fence 2 (closeup)

http://photos.gardenweb.com/garden/galleries/2006/09/hillside_gardening_fence_2.html

This is a closeup of the fence - it is not vertical yet.

I plan to fix that.

Link 3: Hillside Gardening - Before Fence

http://photos.gardenweb.com/garden/galleries/2006/09/hillside_gardening_before_fenc.html

This is a photo of before I put the fence in.

I should have shown a photo when the weeds were 2-3 feet tall. I tried to show the angle - to show how hard the mowing is on an angle.

You can see my collie dog in the photo too.

CDO and Doug

Comments (5)

  • houstworks
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    I hope this is an easier way to my link

    Here is a link that might be useful: Link 1: Hillside Gardening - Fence 1

  • bob64
    17 years ago

    It looks like you are using the fence pieces to make mini retaining walls/terraces. This appears to be working for you as a temporary measure but I don't think this will work as a permanent measure. Some sort of deeply rooting plant might be able to hold your soil in place if established before the fence pieces give out or rot. Or you could try something a little heavier and less likely to decompose and less likely to fail under the pressure of the soil and moisture behind your wall (stone, treated landscape timbers, etc.). One of the trickier aspects to this is to have a system that retains soil but lets water escape so that you don't have too large a build up of water which can blow out a wall. Another poster mentioned he might try gabions for a project. I have not used gabions yet but they seem like they could be a viable option for your project and gabions can themselves be planted.

  • houstworks
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    Thanks Bob,
    I looked up gabions and I have seen them used around lakes.
    I didn't realize letting the water out makes a big difference, but it makes sense now that you say it.
    I thought about putting plastic on the fence - vertically -
    to slow down the fence rotting.
    After what you said this could hold too much water unless there were holes in the plastic.
    I also thought about putting tar on the wood fence or some kind of Thomas's Water Sealant but I don't know if the soil would like that.

    I also need to know what to plant on top of it when I get it filled to where I want it.

  • bob64
    17 years ago

    A lot of builders put landscape fabric behind their retaining walls to hold in the soil but let the water through. The walls themselves also need to have "weep holes" or spaces to let the water through. If you look up retaining walls you will see that they are often built with a drainage system. Interlocking block walls that are not mortared allow water to escape through the seams between the blocks.

  • bob64
    17 years ago

    My best guess for planting is to use native grasses, forbes and flowers (especially those that root deepest). You are a little bit north of me so I am not entirely sure about reccommendations. You can try the New England Wildflower Society, Prairie Moon Nursery, Ernst Conservation Seeds, Wildlife Nursery Inc., and anyone else you can find that might have the right plants and seeds.

Sponsored
Unparalleled Design & Dedicated to Quality in Loudoun County