Newbie - Help Needed ( Planting )

Hi,

just thought I would pick your brains....

I have recently completed a house purchase and wanted to tidy the garden up. The front of the house has a plain flat lawn and I wanted to plant some conifers / hedges for a bit of privacy. However, this is where my problem arises:

I tried to dig at the side of the lawn and hit concrete about 2 inches down - I tried further away from the edge and there was more concrete, this time around 4-5 inches down. What I'm thinking is that as itw as a previous new build house that the builders have just put a lawn on top of some bricks and concrete.

My question really is ( after all that waffling above ) can I still plant conifers when the soil is not that deep? Do they need to be buried deep? Do they need a lot of soil?

Or can they still be planted?

If they can still be planted, what happens when they grow and there is concrete where the root wants to spreads? Does it stop growing or does it die?

Please help

 

Hi FP
Check out the planting distances for trees at this thread http://www.gardenerscorner.co.uk/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=000693;p=1
I think you might have to do quite a bit of excavating to provide sufficient growing space & replace with good soil, unless you plan to go for plants that really do like arid soil conditions - have a look at the rhs plant selector for suitable specimens www.rhs.org.uk. NB most plants root to about 45cm (18inches) depth, so you would need to excavate at least 60cm (2 ft). Most pines don't mind the dry, but root restrictions will limit growth of the most widely available hedging types. (There are lots of forms that grow on dry rocky outcrops, but these tend to be big b****rs or lowly creepers)It depends too on what your tastes are regarding plants & how big & what sort of habit you want them to have - let us know & I'm sure there'll be loads of suggestions + don't forget to take into account the rest of your growing conditions (light/shade, exposure, rainfall, soil acidity etc).

 

If you hitting flat slabs of concrete at that depth, then no planting on that will not work and the grass won't be too happy either in time. The best you can hope for short of major excavation is to container grow them.

If you are hitting builders rubble chunks of concrete and brick but with gaps in between, then you may stand a chance cos the roots will find their way between. Me - I'd take up the grass, remove as much rubble as you can and replace with good topsoil.

 

I just wanted a nice row of hedges or conifers for some privancy, about 3ft tall, no more than 5ft. Not looking for anything massive. Just wondering if they would keep in those soil conditions?

I will have a good dig this weekend, but there is soil there, with lots of stones and the odd brick underneath. The concrete is at the end of the lawn - where I wanted to plant the conifers / hedges. Is it best to try and break that concrete up?

Like I said I didnt want them to grow massive, I just didnt want to plant them and then they die if there is no spce for the roots to grow

 

Breaking concrete will not be easy- but 4-5 inches of soil on top of slab concrete will not be enough even for low growing conifers. Rethink - consider, either a picket fence or low wall with container grown or a raised bed with plants in front, dwarf conifers, whatever,

 

I will give it a go this weekend. WIll take eveything on board - so if I want conifers, your looking at 18 inches down of soil ideally.

Might be a job for hired help and get some landscapers in

 

18 inches on top of slab concrete, if thats what it is , mmm think of wind and what the roots would grab onto . Before doing anything, I would check and see just what is under there (I hope its rubble - roots go round rubble big or small). Then after that what you want or can afford to do about it.

You know builders of new houses should be hung drawn and quartered, for tipping their waste rubble, concrete whatever into the garden area as a cheap option and then covering with a thin lay of soil/sand and grass to hide it.

 

i would suggeset starting up your own hydroponic garden, its alot more efficiant and cheaper to maintain. :D
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