Yard area straight from the pit of hell

[winofairy]

Please offer suggestions on what you would do out here in this small area. You would never guess by the pic that I'm in OH as it looks very desert like to me.

We have to walk through this area to get to our UGLY shed and to take the trash out.

I suggested to DH to just mulch it all. He tried planting this ugly grass last year that turned into a nightmare. We tried pulling it up and it won't budge without taking 5lbs of earth with it. Crazy DH even tried setting it on fire and it won't burn.

Please help....

[2curlydogs]

So, does that area get full sun or...?

It's hard to really say from the photo. Here's just my thoughts: frankly, I don't think you'll be able to do a damn thing with plantings until you repair the soil there. It looks dry and dead and miserable. So I'd pull everything out, till the hell out of that area, add in some compost and other amendments to try and revitalize the soil.

Then I'd re-do the paths so they make functional sense.

From there it's up to your personal preference. If it were me I'd put in some "stepable" plants like creeping thyme as ground cover between the pavers. Then maybe some sort of low-maintenance planting bed. The ornamental grass isn't a bad idea, provided you get the right kind. Then use annuals for fill-in color.

[winofairy]

Thanks for all the tips! Yes, it gets full sun! The previous owners had all that white decorative rock in there too. We've been digging that out as well.

I want to enjoy my patio area but looking out there now makes me want to cry!

[InBetweenDays]

I agree with Curlydogs. I'd pull everything out and start fresh. Add some compost or top soil, reset the pavers if/where you want them, and then plant with a mix of small shrubs, perennials, and groundcover.

[dirtyred]

If you want to go the lazy way, I'd plant that area (once you've fixed the paths; I agree with pp that they don't make any sense the way they are) with succulents. Sedum comes in hundreds of varieties, from ground cover to large shrub size and everything in between. It's really low maintenance. rarely needs watering, and does okay in crappy soil.

[treedimensional]

May 17, 2012 12:33:29 GMT -5 2curlydogs said:

I'd pull everything out, till, add compost.... and re-do the paths so they make functional sense.

This. Then post more pics.

[mouse]

I'd also cover the ugly shed in some sort of quick growing vine. Maybe evergreen clematis (check to make sure it's not a variety that goes invasive in your area though).

But yeah, unless you want to stick with succulents, which might be hard to find depending on your zone, the absolute first thing you need to do is fix your soil. Or maybe you could do containers, but those tend to be higher maintenance.