Any suggestions for landscaping

If you’d like to re-landscape, your best bet is to remove the old. Covering everything in landscape cloth doesn’t make it go away and you won’t be able to plant where the rocks are. Save yourself the headaches and take out the old first.

Hi Dayna, you'l be far ahead to rake away and remove the rocks (possibly resuse them), have your soil tested and rotoill and add any soil amendments needed to grow healthy plantings. Use landscape fabric for areas where you want to use rocks to keep weeds at bay. A good place to check about your soil is your County Extension Agent's office. They can also advise you about the plants that will thrive best in your particular area. Good luck with your new plan.

Hi Dayna. I recommend doing a section at a time. Remove rocks, branches, and other debris and then till. Next comes soil. For my beds I use a soil made up of one-third manure, one-third sand, and one-third soil. The sand helps with water retention. Lay the landscape fabric and then plant your plants. If you have empty space, you can fill in with mulch, rocks and other garden decor. Then repeat in another section. Good luck Dayna. Hoping all is well with you.

It will depend on what you want to do with the new area. If you are going to do potted plants, then a thin layer of soil, mulch, or pea gravel will suffice.

If you want to do larger plants, then I would turn the area and add soil to make sure it's plenty of area for roots.

Depending on how much landscaping you want to do the suggestions about removing the rock and amending and rototilling the soil is the best solution. It is actually the easiest if you want to plant the entire area.

If you want the quick solution just rake the rocks to one side, lay down the landscape fabric, then put the rocks back on the top. You can then cut a hole in the cloth where you want to plant. Dig out that one spot and amend only that small hole. This will work well for larger shrubs.

Hello there,

Why not incorporate the river rocks in your scheme. Mark out the area you want to re-landscape (Maybe use a hose to do it). Dig out all but the rocks. Turn over the soil add bag of compost and mix in. Then get planting up. Have fun!

What are you thinking about planting?

If you have any animals such as squirrels, rabbits, dear, raccoons, etc. where you live, an enclosure will need to be built to ensure that the plants these animals like to eat are beyond their reach.

you can but you will have to put more soil over the landscape fabric.