More Work for the Gardener

I've decided to edge all my trees with plastic edging, beginning in the Redbud forest area. I've studied articles on the internet, the good, the bad, and the ugly, about using plastic edging. Mostly, comments have to do with "beauty" or lack thereof. However, I'm not as concerned about beauty in my yard as I am utility, mostly keeeping the desert weed population down. To this end, I will first edge all the tree basins, then cover the rest of the side yard in an inch or two of pea gravel, hoping the lack of sun will keep the weeds from sprouting, and for those that don't have the good sense to stay underground, I'll spritz with ROUND-UP till they get the message . . . . "you're not wanted in this wildfire-safe yard.

This is how the Redbud forest looks today . . . just before I start my edging project: I will not to edge each Redbud tree individually in my forest of 6 well-developed trees. Instead, I plan to create a design of sorts in groupings. Since 1 tree stands apart from the other 5, I will edge that one separately; then edge the other 5 in one large basin (or maybe if it looksbetter, I'll edge 2 in one grouping and 3 in another. I then plan to cover the edged areas around the tree trunks with a commercial mulch, so when I water (especially in the hottest part of summer) the soil around the trees will stay moist longer.

Following this, I plan to cover all the dirt around my tree basins with the pea gravel....not a small task in itself, but I've got all Fall and Winter to get the job done (before those pesky weeds realize it's spring and they try to push their ugly mugs up above ground).

Finally, I plan to run some 1/2-inch plastic drip hoses over top of the pea gravel, putting out 1/4-inch hoses to each tree. Instead of attaching the 1/2-inch hose to a water source, I'll hook the end up to a garden hose each time I want to water the trees. Not as convenient as a timer, but it's way less costly than having a landscape put in the timer and everything else involved at the outside water source. I did that once, and our extreme weather conditions caused too many malfunctions for it to be convenient. Besides, having only a "partially automatic" system, like hooking up to my garden hose, gives me the opportunity to get outside and talk to my trees. They like the sound of my voice, and are quick to respond with new growth.