| An Oyster Roasting Pit |
| A curved path leads to a freestanding oyster roasting pit near a low country marsh. |
From "Grounds for Improvement"
episode DGFI-304 |
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Anna and Dennis Blaschke's home in the low country of Charleston, South Carolina, is situated next to a tidal marsh. Between the marsh and their yard is a heavily wooded area (figures A and B) that is vital to the health of the waterways. This buffer zone, however, is not very inviting for their kids.
Following Dean Hill's design and with Jackie Taylor's help, the couple and their friends spend two days turning the buffer zone into an attractive area for the whole family, while protecting the foliage. The crew builds a gravel path from the back deck to the buffer area and plants some large trees and a variety of local shrubs. Then they build a freestanding oyster roasting pit using gravel, concrete blocks and a metal grate. Tools
shovels
spades
rakes
wheelbarrow
sod cutter
level
hammer
plate compactor
concrete hand saw Creating the Gravel Path The crew builds a gravel path with weed barrier and edging that leads from the back deck to the buffer area. They also plant some large trees for much-needed privacy and create some planting beds with mulch and a variety of local shrubs. Materials
landscape marking paint
4 cubic yards small gravel
280 square feet weed barrier
128 linear feet aluminum edging
spikes or landscape staples Plants
5 bales pine straw
3 (1 gallon) Bald Cypress
12 (1 gallon) Pink Muhly grass
3 (1 gallon) Sweet Pepperbush
6 (1 gallon) Shenandoah switch grass
6 (1 gallon) Virginia Sweetspire
15 perennials A three-foot-wide path is recommended when it will be used primarily as a walking path. The crew starts by marking the area with landscape marking paint (figure C). They use a sod cutter to loosen the grass where the path will go; it costs only $40 to rent a day and saves a lot of manual labor. They remove the broken-up sod and haul it off (figure D). Next they dig a small, six-inch-deep trench on both edges of the path to allow for the aluminum edging, which will keep the gravel from spilling out of the path. They attach each section of edging with stakes (figure E). Putting the stakes through each section before bending it to form the path is much easier than putting the stakes in after bending it.
Weed barrier fabric is spread out on the path before the gravel goes in. This fabric will conserve the soil's moisture and prevent weeds from germinating. The fabric is secured with spikes or landscape staples.The gravel is spread over the fabric (figure F) and raked out level. Then Hill goes over the path with a plate compactor to make sure the gravel is firmly set into place (figure G).
Finally, they plant the trees, add accent plants that are indigenous to the local area and spread mulch throughout the new beds (figure H). The new curved pathway leads to the oyster roasting pit and the kids' play set (figures I and J).
| ALSO IN THIS EPISODE: | | An Oyster Roasting Pit |
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