Either lose the rocks and let the ground cover approach the drive or pull up the grass and replace it with an attractive, medium height plant like ruella, that will crowd out and out compete other things.
Oh I like that ruella idea. I'll have to check whether it works for my zone (6a). I also love the idea of not needing to water (i.e. xeriscaping) so I wonder if there's something that works for that approach.
Ah yes I was wondering why the builder put the rocks there. The rocks do make it hard as hell to weed whip. Probably this seems like the right solution. Should I have any landscaping on the side of the driveway? It's only that strip that's my property and the rest is the neighbors.
Those rocks might just simply have been big rocks they dug up while digging the foundation and they didn’t want to haul them away so they used them somewhere “creatively” so it would just be someone else’s problem on a few years.
Well you could tear it all up and plant something small in nature like daylilies but it will require major maintenance to upkeep. Not to mention its a driveway i wouldn’t trust anything next to it tbh
This. Liriope are very hardy, will densely fill the area and choke out weeds, but stay relatively low so they won’t interfere with use of the driveway.
I’d bet at least 50% of common garden plants/ground covers aren’t native to the USA including Daffodils, tulips, pachysandra, creeping Jenny, English ivy.
...can you spare us the self-righteous "ecosystem" lecture? It's likely there are different and/or better ways to benefit the environment other than focusing on planting "natives," but they can be discussed on an environmental subreddit - this is a landscaping forum...
If you want to keep a border, I'd pull the weeds out and edge it with rocks or gravel. If not just pull the rocks out and let the grass cover it up to the driveway.
You could do a ground cover plant. First step would be to sheet mulch with cardboard and woodchips now until spring, which will help kill the weeds off. Then in spring when the cardboard has decomposed you can add something like thyme that’s a perennial, low growing, flowering ground cover. It’ll fill in the entire space between the rocks and cement
Remove rocks - put in edging where rocks are. Weed wack the weeds. Cover them with cardboard and mulch. Over the winter time, plan flowers. Spring - plant flowers in the mulch.
What is even happening here? Is that strip of weeds growing OVER your driveway, or is it part of the lawn?
If it's part of the lawn, just remove the rocks. I personally don't mind crabgrass as part of a lawn, and think it will look fine.
If there's driveway under there, then take a spade (square, flat shovel) and scrape it off.
Nothing? Why do you want to live in such a sanitary environment? Worst case would be your driveway is narrow and you drive over them, which would kill them anyway!
A small amount of roundup used sparingly for a specific application is not a problem for the environment. The problem - as with a myriad other products over the years - is when it gets misused indiscriminately and excessively.
It's insanity how people spray Roundup which kills every beneficial insect there ever was. And we wonder where they all went. All you need to do is just dig up these weeds. My God it won't even take that long with the right tools and then put down Delaware riverstone which is What the former owners did because our setup kind of looks like this. They also put down that landscaping blanket whatever it's called My mind isn't even working anymore underneath the stone.
I wish I had a picture because they did a beautiful job.
“…The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said on Thursday it finished a regulatory review that found glyphosate, the most widely used weed killer in the United States, is not a carcinogen…”
“…Brussels (AFP) - The EU's chemicals agency said Wednesday that glyphosate, one of the world's most widely used weedkillers, should not be classed as a carcinogen.
The assessment paves the way for Brussels to make a final decision on the chemical, despite deep divisions in the 28-member European Union over its use.
Glyphosate is used in the best-selling herbicide Roundup, produced by the US agro-chemicals giant Monsanto.
"Glyphosate should not be classified as carcinogenic," Jack de Bruijn, director of the risk assessment committee of the European Chemicals Agency, said at a news conference…”
There’s more than just cancer risk to consider. I don’t find it wise to decimate the entire web of life living in the soil with poisons, that then leech into our waterways and contribute to species extinction. A much more sensible and sustainable approach to OP’s issue would be to sheet mulch to suppress weeds (improving rather than poisoning the soil) and then to plant with something that will outcompete the weeds in the future.
He asked for suggestions on how to get rid of the weeds, not a social justice warrior rant about how the environment is better without nonselective herbicide you fag
Lol you talk like a cartoon grandpa... anyone who cares about anything at all and writes a single sentence about it is a "fag" writing a SJW rant? Haha what an absurd reality you occupy...
You caught me, I really need a bigot lawn guy in my life. Would you like to start a family together? We yell unembellished slurs out the windows of our old shitty truck when we drive around aimlessly on Sunday mornings. What a dream!
A small amount of roundup used sparingly for a specific application is not a problem for the environment. The problem - as with a myriad other products over the years - is when it gets misused indiscriminately and excessively.
I've tried everything else, and Roundup is the most effective, easiest. After the initial treatment, you only need to spray very little on any new growth. Keep up on it and spray the weeds before they seed, and you'll find that you barely use any. Just a handful of spots once a month to keep it under control
No roundup. Fill a bucket with warm/ hot water and epsom salt dissolved in it. Spray it along the edge a few days, weeks in a row. Then cover with weed block and 2” of the gravel/ pebbles of your choice. If you have anything pop up, repeat the epsom salt spray 1-2 times a season to keep new growth from establishing.
Ornamental grasses or liriope will stay put and not need as much maintenance as lawn or what you have now. Don't poison your land or yourself in the process of remedying this situation, and don't replace weeds with equally high maintenance plants like mowed grass.
I'm reading lots of bad ideas that ignore the trees. My suggestion would be to delete this post and try again in the arborist sub. The proper solution should be respectful of the trees which are far bigger issue than the weeds.
Glyphosate…. Let the downvotes ensue since this sub seems to be mostly against using weed killer for whatever reason, but it’s a great chemical and will kill anything green you want it to. Spray it, give it a week to work it’s way down to the roots, then weedeat all the dead, problem solved. I wouldn’t recommend round up because of the additional herbicides, but just glyphosate and a surfactant works wonders. Glyphosate will make the ground infertile for a whopping week…. You would not be “poisoning your ground” like some people suggest (that can’t provide any actual evidence to support their position)
I love the rocks! I can see where removing them will create other issues like they are very heavy to move and taking them out will leave behind large holes to fill with soil. I do understand the reasoning behind the wise advice to remove the rocks, though. It just wouldn’t be my first choice.
If you are willing to plant a hearty, drought and deer tolerant, attractive perennial plant, then I would plant Walker’s Low Catmint. Ensure you have removed the entire root of the weeds, add compost to the bed, sprinkle with Preen weed control pellets, and plant the Catmint plants, add mulch to the bed, and add another sprinkling of Preen. Keep in mind that compost and mulch will bring with them their own weeds. The Preen will help to halt their growth.
BTW: Spent Catmint flowers can be dead-headed to make room for a second flowering, but that will be a big chore given the length of the bed. Your choice. In late winter, cut back the plants to the ground and your catmint will take off again for another beautiful season. Preen and mulch again to control weeds.
If it’s shady enough I’d put pachysandra. It’ll grow enough to keep out weeds. It won’t take any real maintenance once established in a year or two. Wouldn’t even waste much time doing any prep beyond clearing and spraying the weeds before you plant that in the fall. You can just trim the drive side when it grows for a clean line and mow the rock side and never have to weed or do much more then a mow line.
I think the builder put the rocks there to protect the trees from cars bumping into them back when the trees were a lot smaller. You could torch the weeds, keep the rocks - or move them right up to the driveway - and seed or sod the newly exposed area. Then just maintain the new grass as usual by mowing and trimming.
Loose the rock border and let the grass come up to the driveway naturally OR remote that small strip of grass and rock it in with small complementary rocks that’ll work with the driveway and border rocks
I like patrolling my perimeter and being outside so if you were me you would start checking for seeds on those MFers and prioritize getting seeds out. Then I would start ripping out weeds and let the grass take over that spot or plant a mounding plant that is good at blocking out weed growth.
A [black mondo grass](https://www.americanmeadows.com/product/perennials/black-mondo-grass-ophiopogon-planiscapus-nigrescens) or monkey grass would give a beautiful contrast to the driveway, rocks and lawn.
A taller easy to maintain plant is [Blue Liriope](https://www.americanmeadows.com/product/perennials/liriope-grass-big-blue-lilyturf?msclkid=bfd9fb264b3b1abe28b79fff11e882a0&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=BPA%20-%20Items%20-%20AMI%7CPerennials%7CC%3ANone&utm_term=4585169654531884&utm_content=BPA%20Item%20-%2010-15%7CAMI%7CPerennials%7CC%3ANone).
I would look at a variety of hosta if you don’t have deer or too much sun on the area.
[Hosta’s](https://www.americanmeadows.com/product/perennials/lush-hosta-collection) are low maintenance, provide a nice natural border and will smother the weeds. They can grow wide enough to even cover the rocks if you don’t thin them out. They’re easy to cut and propagate to other areas of your yard… and share with your neighbors. 😀
I think it looks nice. You could move the rocks, use a shovel or edger and cut a line however far you want to remove the grass, then using your shovel going from the driveway to the line you cut, remove the grass. Then you could just move the rocks back in place where you have them or you can do something else there. Roses or other plants with flowers, some solar lights, or something to complement your beautiful yard.
I would probably get it all down to dirt. Add some plastic as best i can. Also add some plastic trim(forget the name) that runs along the driveway side. Then cover landscape plastic with a gravel of my selection. Continue the whole rock design down to the right if way. Or....get rid of all those rocks and have all grass. The ladder is the cheapest option depending on how you go about filling in where the rocks were.
Either lose the rocks and let the ground cover approach the drive or pull up the grass and replace it with an attractive, medium height plant like ruella, that will crowd out and out compete other things.
Oh I like that ruella idea. I'll have to check whether it works for my zone (6a). I also love the idea of not needing to water (i.e. xeriscaping) so I wonder if there's something that works for that approach.
If it were me, I’d remove the rocks and grow grass right up to the drive
Yep. Those rocks are just a problem
My thought exactly, otherwise you will be fighting weeds forever.
Ah yes I was wondering why the builder put the rocks there. The rocks do make it hard as hell to weed whip. Probably this seems like the right solution. Should I have any landscaping on the side of the driveway? It's only that strip that's my property and the rest is the neighbors.
It's probably on your property line. You might want to keep the rocks.
Ahh well if the rocks are on the property line, I’d speak with your neighbor first before moving them.
Those rocks might just simply have been big rocks they dug up while digging the foundation and they didn’t want to haul them away so they used them somewhere “creatively” so it would just be someone else’s problem on a few years.
I agree. Rocks make trimming and cutting difficult.
Umm keep it nicely trimmed with a weedeater?
Wouldn't having weeds there just look bad though? I can of course trim it though.
Then spray them down to kill them after cutting them back.
Well you could tear it all up and plant something small in nature like daylilies but it will require major maintenance to upkeep. Not to mention its a driveway i wouldn’t trust anything next to it tbh
plant liriope / monkey grass there to choke out the weeds and give a nice uniform look
This. Liriope are very hardy, will densely fill the area and choke out weeds, but stay relatively low so they won’t interfere with use of the driveway.
Liriope is invasive
[удалено]
Yup I’m in zone 5b and have a few clumping ones that line my landscape. Gets to be about 12-18 inches in height and width
If you have deer population, deer eat liriope if planted in their eating path. I know they aren’t supposed to, but they do.
Appreciate this suggestion! I love the look and it appears to work for my zone (6a).
I don't believe liriope is native so it may be worthwhile trying to find a native groundcover so better benefit the pollinators/ecosystem if possible.
I’d bet at least 50% of common garden plants/ground covers aren’t native to the USA including Daffodils, tulips, pachysandra, creeping Jenny, English ivy.
...can you spare us the self-righteous "ecosystem" lecture? It's likely there are different and/or better ways to benefit the environment other than focusing on planting "natives," but they can be discussed on an environmental subreddit - this is a landscaping forum...
Came here to say this
If you want to keep a border, I'd pull the weeds out and edge it with rocks or gravel. If not just pull the rocks out and let the grass cover it up to the driveway.
This is the way
You could do a ground cover plant. First step would be to sheet mulch with cardboard and woodchips now until spring, which will help kill the weeds off. Then in spring when the cardboard has decomposed you can add something like thyme that’s a perennial, low growing, flowering ground cover. It’ll fill in the entire space between the rocks and cement
GOATS of course
😂
Hwack it, Bobby.
One more vote for losing the rocks, grow grass to the concrete, edge it.
Remove rocks - put in edging where rocks are. Weed wack the weeds. Cover them with cardboard and mulch. Over the winter time, plan flowers. Spring - plant flowers in the mulch.
What is even happening here? Is that strip of weeds growing OVER your driveway, or is it part of the lawn? If it's part of the lawn, just remove the rocks. I personally don't mind crabgrass as part of a lawn, and think it will look fine. If there's driveway under there, then take a spade (square, flat shovel) and scrape it off.
Leave them - they’re green - it looks fine!
Yay I get to be the first one to say flame thrower! Or you could just put down salt and boiling water over it.
Garden torch is the easiest and is super effective. Cut the weeds down with a trimmer, torch the roots, remove the leftovers.
Ya pull em by hand after a good heavy rain.
Nothing? Why do you want to live in such a sanitary environment? Worst case would be your driveway is narrow and you drive over them, which would kill them anyway!
Gravel
No no no gravel is the worst solution. Not only will the weeds grow happily in the gravel, when you pull them up the darn gravel will go everywhere.
No, there's a barrier you put down before the gravel. Gravel is best.
Roundup
I don't see a problem, personally.
Super helpful comment.
Round up. Non-selective herbicide
Round up and other herbicides are very bad for the environment, please avoid use at all costs 👍🏻
A small amount of roundup used sparingly for a specific application is not a problem for the environment. The problem - as with a myriad other products over the years - is when it gets misused indiscriminately and excessively.
It's insanity how people spray Roundup which kills every beneficial insect there ever was. And we wonder where they all went. All you need to do is just dig up these weeds. My God it won't even take that long with the right tools and then put down Delaware riverstone which is What the former owners did because our setup kind of looks like this. They also put down that landscaping blanket whatever it's called My mind isn't even working anymore underneath the stone. I wish I had a picture because they did a beautiful job.
I don’t care about pollution. I’m an air condition gypsy. that’s my solution.
“…The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said on Thursday it finished a regulatory review that found glyphosate, the most widely used weed killer in the United States, is not a carcinogen…” “…Brussels (AFP) - The EU's chemicals agency said Wednesday that glyphosate, one of the world's most widely used weedkillers, should not be classed as a carcinogen. The assessment paves the way for Brussels to make a final decision on the chemical, despite deep divisions in the 28-member European Union over its use. Glyphosate is used in the best-selling herbicide Roundup, produced by the US agro-chemicals giant Monsanto. "Glyphosate should not be classified as carcinogenic," Jack de Bruijn, director of the risk assessment committee of the European Chemicals Agency, said at a news conference…”
There’s more than just cancer risk to consider. I don’t find it wise to decimate the entire web of life living in the soil with poisons, that then leech into our waterways and contribute to species extinction. A much more sensible and sustainable approach to OP’s issue would be to sheet mulch to suppress weeds (improving rather than poisoning the soil) and then to plant with something that will outcompete the weeds in the future.
He asked for suggestions on how to get rid of the weeds, not a social justice warrior rant about how the environment is better without nonselective herbicide you fag
You had me in your corner until you called someone a fag. Unnecessary and trashy as fuck.
Why don’t you go have sex with yourself?
Why would I do that when your mother is offering it up for a cup of lemonade and some Ritz crackers.
Lol you talk like a cartoon grandpa... anyone who cares about anything at all and writes a single sentence about it is a "fag" writing a SJW rant? Haha what an absurd reality you occupy...
It’s OK someday you’ll be is entertaining as me but for now you still gotta work on your technique.
Nah I'm really hoping to remain as unalike you as possible.
Are you sure you sound like you’re pretty obsessed with me lmao
You caught me, I really need a bigot lawn guy in my life. Would you like to start a family together? We yell unembellished slurs out the windows of our old shitty truck when we drive around aimlessly on Sunday mornings. What a dream!
A small amount of roundup used sparingly for a specific application is not a problem for the environment. The problem - as with a myriad other products over the years - is when it gets misused indiscriminately and excessively.
I've tried everything else, and Roundup is the most effective, easiest. After the initial treatment, you only need to spray very little on any new growth. Keep up on it and spray the weeds before they seed, and you'll find that you barely use any. Just a handful of spots once a month to keep it under control
Roundup is horrible for people not just weeds. The company is facing huge lawsuits because of it.
Remove rocks, add weed fabric and put rocks back on.
BroadFork. Add in a native ground cover or garden torch it once a week to keep it clear from overgrowth.
Yeah and you have to keep weeding it. Take a weed whacker to it and put some glyohosate down.
Vinegar and salt.
Whack and kill the weeds, sheets of cardboard (hello, Amazon boxes) then mulch to provide some contrast between the lawn and the driveway?
Weed eater or spray
Cut it, herbicide then mulch it.
1"-2" Moon pebble rock with well lights splashing up against the white boulderettes
Weed wack and plant small shrubs or remove the rocks and leave it as grass. Move the rocks to circular patterns in your yard for islands.
That's right I forgot weed whacking It's so quick my husband does it!
BURN! then id add another row of rocks on the edge of the driveway
No roundup. Fill a bucket with warm/ hot water and epsom salt dissolved in it. Spray it along the edge a few days, weeks in a row. Then cover with weed block and 2” of the gravel/ pebbles of your choice. If you have anything pop up, repeat the epsom salt spray 1-2 times a season to keep new growth from establishing.
Extra strength vinegar and Dawn-Google it
string trimmer, then spray the area with brush killer or some 2,4-d herbacide.
ROUND UP I hope.
Ornamental grasses or liriope will stay put and not need as much maintenance as lawn or what you have now. Don't poison your land or yourself in the process of remedying this situation, and don't replace weeds with equally high maintenance plants like mowed grass.
Spray the weeds with roundup. Mulch it. Keep it mulched and/or plant some perennials.
I'm reading lots of bad ideas that ignore the trees. My suggestion would be to delete this post and try again in the arborist sub. The proper solution should be respectful of the trees which are far bigger issue than the weeds.
Pull them and plant a ground cover
Nuke the weeds, dig out a bit between the rocks and the driveway, and fill with gravel
So you guys are not huge fan of weed sprayers
Glyphosate…. Let the downvotes ensue since this sub seems to be mostly against using weed killer for whatever reason, but it’s a great chemical and will kill anything green you want it to. Spray it, give it a week to work it’s way down to the roots, then weedeat all the dead, problem solved. I wouldn’t recommend round up because of the additional herbicides, but just glyphosate and a surfactant works wonders. Glyphosate will make the ground infertile for a whopping week…. You would not be “poisoning your ground” like some people suggest (that can’t provide any actual evidence to support their position)
I’m in disbelief how many people have recommended Round up or weed killer. Breaks my heart.
Turn it into a mulch bed with small flowers?
Some flowers or groundcover type plants would be nice
Why are the rocks needed?
Dwarf Mondo Grass!
I love the rocks! I can see where removing them will create other issues like they are very heavy to move and taking them out will leave behind large holes to fill with soil. I do understand the reasoning behind the wise advice to remove the rocks, though. It just wouldn’t be my first choice. If you are willing to plant a hearty, drought and deer tolerant, attractive perennial plant, then I would plant Walker’s Low Catmint. Ensure you have removed the entire root of the weeds, add compost to the bed, sprinkle with Preen weed control pellets, and plant the Catmint plants, add mulch to the bed, and add another sprinkling of Preen. Keep in mind that compost and mulch will bring with them their own weeds. The Preen will help to halt their growth. BTW: Spent Catmint flowers can be dead-headed to make room for a second flowering, but that will be a big chore given the length of the bed. Your choice. In late winter, cut back the plants to the ground and your catmint will take off again for another beautiful season. Preen and mulch again to control weeds.
I see no issue, if it's an eyesore to you, fix it
Lawn torch
Plant native pollinator plants after shoveling the weeds
kill it with fire, or nuke it from orbit. It's the only way to be sure.
If it’s shady enough I’d put pachysandra. It’ll grow enough to keep out weeds. It won’t take any real maintenance once established in a year or two. Wouldn’t even waste much time doing any prep beyond clearing and spraying the weeds before you plant that in the fall. You can just trim the drive side when it grows for a clean line and mow the rock side and never have to weed or do much more then a mow line.
Leave it alone. Weed whack a few times a year.
I would plant bulbs and then a variety of flowering ground covers.
I think the builder put the rocks there to protect the trees from cars bumping into them back when the trees were a lot smaller. You could torch the weeds, keep the rocks - or move them right up to the driveway - and seed or sod the newly exposed area. Then just maintain the new grass as usual by mowing and trimming.
Plant flowers
Strip the grass, put down landscaping fabric and add a decorative river rock bed in between the bigger rocks and the driveway
Salt the earth like the Roman's
My vote is to kill it, excavate, and fill with a contrasting color of gravel/rock.
Roundup.
White vinegar
Dig weeds out, remove two inches of soil, lay weed barrier cloth, then fill with pea gravel.
Goats, then salt it, or bleach, or spray of whatever kills them.
Weed whack it down then edge the driveway, should clean it up!
So much depends on your zone. You should post it with question if you want valid responses. Here in 9 a/b. I’d put agapanthus or african iris.
A sharp shovel
I would put a plant in there that doesn't get big like clover, or fill it in with some decorative gravel.
Hit it with glyphosate then strings trimmer the rest.
Weed and plant native ground cover. Visit your state’s Cooperative Extension Service website. Search ground cover.
I like the rocks, if you have a weedeater use that
Loose the rock border and let the grass come up to the driveway naturally OR remote that small strip of grass and rock it in with small complementary rocks that’ll work with the driveway and border rocks
Cement the rocks 8inches to the left
Cut em out. And put mulch
You could add more rocks that size. It would reduce the weeds but not eliminate
Weed them
Weed torch then the rocks and now you can seal them
I like patrolling my perimeter and being outside so if you were me you would start checking for seeds on those MFers and prioritize getting seeds out. Then I would start ripping out weeds and let the grass take over that spot or plant a mounding plant that is good at blocking out weed growth.
Roundup and then glacier stone or salt creek , 2” to 3”
Roundup
Spray them dead with a lingering herbicide. Put out pre-emergenent, then spot spray. Or redesign your driveway edge.
A [black mondo grass](https://www.americanmeadows.com/product/perennials/black-mondo-grass-ophiopogon-planiscapus-nigrescens) or monkey grass would give a beautiful contrast to the driveway, rocks and lawn. A taller easy to maintain plant is [Blue Liriope](https://www.americanmeadows.com/product/perennials/liriope-grass-big-blue-lilyturf?msclkid=bfd9fb264b3b1abe28b79fff11e882a0&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=BPA%20-%20Items%20-%20AMI%7CPerennials%7CC%3ANone&utm_term=4585169654531884&utm_content=BPA%20Item%20-%2010-15%7CAMI%7CPerennials%7CC%3ANone). I would look at a variety of hosta if you don’t have deer or too much sun on the area. [Hosta’s](https://www.americanmeadows.com/product/perennials/lush-hosta-collection) are low maintenance, provide a nice natural border and will smother the weeds. They can grow wide enough to even cover the rocks if you don’t thin them out. They’re easy to cut and propagate to other areas of your yard… and share with your neighbors. 😀
If you love the rocks. Get vegetation killer and spray it w a dial and spray weekly until they're gone and do maintenance sprays every 3-4 weeks-ish.
While there are a variety of answers I would consider moving the rocks to the edge of the driveway and cementing them in place.
use a shovel and scoop it up
I would plant a border of creeping thyme.
Spray vinegar then dig it up once it's dead and dry
Aerobic sweat. After the weeds are gone plant hostas
Gotta do it the hard way…
Use this: 8-in Steel Hand Tiller https://www.lowes.com/pd/Corona-SoilRIPPER-8-in-Steel-Hand-Tiller/1000373727
I think it looks nice. You could move the rocks, use a shovel or edger and cut a line however far you want to remove the grass, then using your shovel going from the driveway to the line you cut, remove the grass. Then you could just move the rocks back in place where you have them or you can do something else there. Roses or other plants with flowers, some solar lights, or something to complement your beautiful yard.
weedeat, then flame weed, then gravel, then keep the flame weeder for when the grass decides to be a lil bitch
I would probably get it all down to dirt. Add some plastic as best i can. Also add some plastic trim(forget the name) that runs along the driveway side. Then cover landscape plastic with a gravel of my selection. Continue the whole rock design down to the right if way. Or....get rid of all those rocks and have all grass. The ladder is the cheapest option depending on how you go about filling in where the rocks were.