"Emil" wrote in message
...
Hi everybody!

Long time no post, :-) How is everybody doing? I still
read the newsgroup
daily, but haven't had time to post.
I am in Zones 9-10,(Southern, CA). There is this part of
grass in my
backyard, where the grass won't grow well unless I water
with 234234 gallons
of water. :-(
So, time to take the grass out, besides who likes grass?!

Our lot is 1.5 acres, most of which is just weeds which we
mow faithfully. So I guess I would have to say I like grass
(really, weeds) in parts of the yard, else we'd have to deal
with mud or dust.

The space is 6.5 feet by 16 feet. I need some ideas about
how to make the
area look nice. How many roses can I put in that area?

I think I would go with a combination of minis, small
floribundas & hybrid teas, maybe a couple tree roses for
height - i.e., I'd want as many roses as possible in the
space! So how many roses depends on what kinds (size &
growth habit). Do you get a good breeze most of the time?
That also affects how close together you plant the shrubs.

Should I use
decorative rock?

Do you have a safe way of keeping it weeded among the roses?
That would be my only concern. Well, the other concern
would be heat concentration. You're going to have to water
a lot as it is; rock might make things even hotter.

Should I make a path through the middle, so I can walk
through and prune roses?

6.5' isn't all that wide. Several of my beds are about that
wide, and I can reach to the center of the bed, although to
do careful pruning I usually get up into the bed. (I'm 5'5"
female so arms aren't all that long.) Problem with a path is
depending on what it consists of, that's an area that
doesn't get rain. I use various temporary paths of cedar
fencing or scrap trellis (knee pads mandatory!) and that
seems to work.

Should I kill the grass with chemicals, or remove
them without chemicals?

I like Roundup, but I've also used plastic paint cloth
weighted down by bricks until the sun does its job. I've
also just dug down until I got past roots - i.e., excavate
the top 6" or so. Of course that takes good topsoil, and if
you have shallow soil it's not a good idea. (My soil is
very deep.)

What would YOU do if it was your project?

I'd probably make a raised bed out of it, because those are
easier to work in (for me, anyway).

Planning a new bed is fun. Enjoy, and keep us informed.

Gail
San Antonio TX Zone 8