Kia ora e te Lemmy whānau!
We’ve just moved into a new build, which hasn’t been landscaped, and I’m at a loss for what to do immediately next to the external walls.
I’ve seen a few options around town, but I haven’t found a good resource for actual recommendations. I’ve seen:
- river stones/gravel surrounding the foundation for ~30 cm
- plants against the walls (e.g. griselinia, lancewood
- driveway (concrete/asphalt)
I know I need to direct drainage away from the foundation, but can I plant grass (or similar plants) right next to the walls? Is there a standard rulebook I can refer to?
Any help would be appreciated!
I’d recommend NOT planting too close to walls. Plants will grow and spread, and could potentially cling to walls causing an ongoing maintenance issue. Roots could also be an issue as they grow. Small plants look nice initially, but can be a menace in the end. Here’s looking at you Buddliah!!! I wouldn’t plant grass that close to the house walls, difficult to keep tidy.
I like the stone/gravel surround idea. Where we are there are suppliers who have a big range of different coloured/shape/size stones.
Buddliah, ahaha, I know the pain! Thanks for the input, seems like stones are a good option.
My one concern is weeds… I’m hesitant to use weed mat but maybe it’s worth it for this kind of long-term landscaping.
Have used weed mat at ours. Weeds will still grow in it, but they are easy to pull out as the roots can’t establish a firm grip. Depending where you are and the climate, you may need to spray to keep weeds down. Not ideal I know, but the recent warmer, and very wet winters, have made the drive and paths at our place a nightmare to control.
There are lots of simple methods for weed control with little environmental impact. Boiling water works well for small areas, as does salt if you really don’t want anything growing, and weed wands (a flame thing) are also pretty effective.
We moved into a new build 7 years ago without landscaping. I did gravel and grass around the house. However all the grass close to the house failed to grow properly due to lack of water / sun, so I dug it out a couple of years later and replaced with pebbles and pavers. For the rest I’ve built a deck, and got a lawn and woodchipped area.
Also good to check the quality of the soil and if there’s any debris. I found out they had left the old tennis court in small chunks just below the surface.
Drainage is important too indeed. I’ve put in some perforated pipes. Worked well for the first couple of years, seem to be blocked more now, so in winter it’s very wet.
Fruit trees are cool too.
Hope this helps.
Very helpful, thank you! Sounds like you settled on the best solution; I’ll take your learnings on board.
One thing to add, for our wood chipped and pebbled areas, I should have put cardboard underneath to kill off the weeds/grass. Lots of weed coming up now.
Good luck!
I very strongly recommend bark rather than stones.
The gaps between the stones quickly fill with dust and dirt and weeds grow like crazy. It looks great for the first season but becomes an undiggable weed fest afterwards.
With bark, you just buy another few bags of it and tip them out over the old bark.
Plus the bark mulches and feeds your plants.
As for planting, there are a lot of native compact grasses and low shrubs that prefer shaded areas, they will do well and look great.
TL;DR: avoid stones lest you never usage a spade in that garden again.