A Little Pathway Cleanup

I think I've mentioned this a time or two, but I'm not much of a gardener.  Things tend to find their demise at my hand and I'm not really fond of weeding.  So, when our pathway started sprouting grass I let it go so long that in a few spots you couldn't tell there was a pathway there at all.  I finally got motivated one sunny day last week to clean up our pathway of all that baneful grass.

 It looks so much better than that overgrown eyesore we were rocking.

Our yard has undergone a few changes.  We went from a pretty blank canvas when we moved in to a torn up yard after we switched our power from overhead to underground.  I took the opportunity to transform a bald piece of earth into a landscaping detail by installing a pea gravel pathway which was one of my first projects featured on Houzz. The first version was free of any edging because I wasn't quite sure whether I wanted to add plants along both sides or use some kind of paver/river rock.

It always seemed a little half-assed - not quite finished.  So, while I was still deciding whether to use plants or scour for some river rocks, I used up the bricks we inherited when we purchased the home to edge the pathway. 

And just when I thought I was ahead of the game - the damn grass started growing right through the landscaping fabric I had so diligently laid below the pea gravel.  I tried using vinegar, a natural and safe weed killer, to take down the grass but it didn't work.  So the only option left was to dig it up and pull it out.  Luckily, I had my trusty sidekick to lend a helping hand.

I scooped up all the pea gravel, dug up the grass, pulled the old landscaping fabric and put down some newspaper, which I heard is a great weed barrier.  I ended up ditching the newspaper since I noticed that it was a little visible underneath the rock layer which is an issue that we had with the landscaping fabric. 

We definitely need to get another load of rock from our local landscaping rock supply store and perhaps invest in some roundup (although I really, really want to find a more safe way to get rid of weeds.)  Plus, I want to rid the area just beyond the arbor of all that grass, lay rock and build a little firepit in the back corner.  But, for now - I'll just enjoy this small little triumph in our quest for a little outdoor oasis.

So what have you been working on?  Sprucing up your yard or tackling a project indoors?  Or just taking it easy?