I told myself… “You don’t need them. Don’t do it! You like not watering… no flowers will be FINE!”
But, what is it about hot sunny days that make you sprint for the local greenhouse anyway?!
Ah well, I was weak and went. And came back with stuff of course.
Which is ok. My Potting Shed area is in need of some blooms anyway. It would never have forgiven me if I took a year off.
So I head out to a local greenhouse in my area called Five Maples Nursery. (not a sponsored post) They make some of the coolest planter creations around. They really are like art.
My eye was of course totally drawn to the larger planters that are perfectly done. Plop down and water and pretend you are a master gardener!
I was sooooo tempted to load up with the big guns… but since I don’t love to water, I decided to start small. In case they die and all.
This is what I ended up hauling home, which will work out perfectly for around the shed and front door. Maybe even a little on the patio…
I also veered into the garden tool area, and picked up one in particular.
Along with treating myself to pretty new gloves, this hand weeder with a rocker (Amazon affiliate link) drew me in.
I saw my neighbour pulling out his lawn weeds with the stand up kind, which I do have. No idea why I haven’t used mine in years. Silly.
So I decided to get the hand tool to see if it would encourage me moreso.
Since my wonderful neighbour Hank power raked the moss out of my front yard, I also picked up some (pet safe) lawn food, so I’m kinda into fussing a little more over the lawn part. I haven’t fed the lawn in YEARS.
Wow. Yes. I did this a few hundred more times, and it definitely made an impact over the look of the lawn. (now I have dirt holes…)
However, I’m visioning it nicely cut with the lawn food hard at work turning those blades a lovely deep green. I shall keep you posted!
Just a small tip on this hand tool… make sure you take your time and pull up the entire root system. If I moved too quickly, the roots snapped, so I image they’ll visit me again soon…
So anyway, while shopping, I moved into the planter box area.
Boy, did I love this cedar vine planter strung up with twine! I mean, even I could handle a garden this size! What a neat compact garden idea!
And here is the optional other side. They are removable planter boxes with rope handles. Genius! And takes up so little room.
Nearly made me want to get it to have a tiny, easy care veggie garden.
Why do the gardens in the ground become so difficult to maintain?!
However, I was a good girl, and just came home with the flowers, lawn food, container potting soil, and a safe, organic grass killer so I can stop weeding my cement driveway.
Imagine…
Oh… and new old fence wood! The neighbour knocked on my door, asking if I wanted it before he got rid of it!
Goes without saying, I had a pretty fun weekend!
And you know you’ll be the 2nd to see the eventual outcome…
So out of all my garden finds, have any tips on getting rid of grass on cement driveways? Or yanking out all those weeds? I’d love to hear what you do!
Other Gardening 2017 posts thus far…
To kill weeds in the cracks of my driveway, I use Roundup. But be sure not to get it on your lawn or flowers, as it will kill anything! Also, I could so see that stringy garden planter attached to your shed with morning glories climbing up.
You can bet my mind was reeling when I saw the twine planter! I may have to make a few new fun changes this year… 🙂
Grass on cement – I use hot water and salt, just don’t get it on the plants or lawn.. Once the weed dries up you just pull away.
Well that sounds easy! I was able to successfully pull everything up after pressure washing the driveway as it was saturated. However they keep returning. I’ll have to try your trick, thanks for the tips!
Vinegar – plain old cheap white vinegar – poured or sprayed on weeds will kill them in the driveway, in cracks in the sidewalk, along foundations or anywhere you can’t get a weeder in to hoick the unwanted plant. I’ve also killed them with boiling water. No need to resort to the highly toxic commercial weed killers.
“Hoick”? Love the term!
10% vinegar for weeds in the driveway. Foodstore vinegar is too weak. Need garden variety vinegar. Should have at the nursery you just visited.
I have heard that vinegar will kill grass. I haven’t tried it so I can’t verify that information but it might be worth a shot.
I’m with Diane on the vinegar. I had an awful problem with thistles and the only thing that worked was vinegar! I’d spray them with the household white vinegar and when the sun hit them they’d be dried up like burned toast! Never saw anything work so good! It wouldn’t work on the other weeds, so I’ll have to look for the higher acid vinegar at the nursery store like suggested.
I have never yet seen the higher acid vinegar at a local nursery, but I will be looking! Seems like the overall suggested choice!
Please don’t use Round up. Look up Monsanto and glyphosates. Look what happend in Vietnam with agent orange. For the drive I use vinegar, dash of epson salt and few drops of Dawn dish soap. Dries the weeks out in 24 hours. When it rains your water down stream won’t be contaminated like round up and then all of us drink it. I have shown my neighbors that you don’t have to use this cancer causing chemical. I try to do. Green garden, lawn work. Sorry to go on but research and 2 husband that had cancer from chemical will make you study.
I totally understand Rhonda. I’m careful what I use due to outdoor pets milling around especially. Your solution sounds easy enough to make!
I have this weeder and love it.
http://www.acehardware.com/product/index.jsp?productId=1334167&KPID=1039635&cid=CAPLA:G:Shopping_-_Sod_&_Turf_Tools1=&pla=pla_1039635&k_clickid=8899b323-0b62-4678-bcfb-cbfd7601ce43
How cool! I’ll have to look for one!
I am an avid gardener! And love your website (I’ve been reading it for a couple of years. I am also a DIY’er. The stories are also a nice touch. It lets us reader know more about you; less like a commercial website. It’s been nice getting to know you that way.
Anyway back to gardening… once you get rid of the weeds on your driveway (by one of the methods suggested here) You will want to KEEP them from coming back. Although some liquids state it will keep the weeds away for a period of time. This doesn’t always work. I have a brick sidewalk along my front porch which extends to the driveway. One thing I despise is getting on my hands and knees during 90 degree heat and humidity on hot bricks to put weeds out from between the bricks (the roots don’t come out easy!)And then repeat in 4-6 weeks! So after many years in my current house, after I kill the first round of weeds (never seem to quite get out early enough in the Spring to do this Prior to the first weeds)- I then spread Preen granules on the sidewalk. And use a push broom to spread it into the cracks were the weeds grow. This will last all season until late Fall. I have done this for many, many years and it works the best for me. The very large canister or bag is about $ 20-25 here in the US. But it is worth it for me. The Preen is available at Walmart, BJ’s and lots of nurseries. The larger bag is more economical, and will still be good to use the following year. The yellowish granules will fade after a couple of weeks of sun & rain. I only do this once a year – lasts for months.
Keep up the GREAT Website!
Mary G. M.
Hi Mary! I have never heard of Preen before, however you nailed it… I was able to successfully remove all the grass on the driveway by simply pulling after pressure washing, however I’d like them to stay away. Is Preen toxic? I’ll have to see if there’s an organic substitute if so, as there are lots of outdoor pets in my area. Thank you for your suggestion and kudos on the story telling! Sometimes I think I talk too much off topic… but maybe not? 🙂
There is a Preen Organic that is made from corn gluten, non-toxic to humans and animals.
The regular Preen is toxic to some wildlife in run off if it rains and some washes away.
SO good to know Pamela, I’ll be looking for the organic variety. Thank you!
PLEEEASSSE don’t use Roundup – it is so nasty to the environment (despite anything they tell you!!) Whenever you have leftover boiling water (from cooking corn on the cob, or if your kettle is a little over-filled etc…) just go out and pour it onto the problem areas….kills the grass and weeds, not forever, but at least it’s benign for the environment.
Sounds simple enough, thank-you Dale! I’ll be trying this!
You ask a very good question “Is Preen Toxic?”. I have been using is so long… I can put it up to 6-8 inches away from my flowers and it doesn’t kill them. Although Round-Up and other weed killing liquids DO seep into the soil around my plants and kill them. I have lost a very rare yellow clematis- a thunderstorm the following day drowned the sidewalk and the liquid weed killer (not saying which one) seeped into the soil and killed it. Anyway… I never used the Preen around vegetable plants. We have had several kitties for the last 19 years, and it has not affected them. That is, I did not see them near it. I make sure I sweep it into the cracks, so it’s not on the surface of the bricks where you walk. After a rain, it will seep down more.
However, I did check out their website. And as Pamela stated, there is an organic formulation. I DO know that it is way less toxic than roundup. And it does NOT work on existing weeds. Only put it on the area after the weeds are removed, and it prevents more weeds. Don’t know how it works, but it does. The organic one does say okay around pets. Gotta love companies that have websites-to get instant information!
Thanks for doing MY homework Mary! haha I did attempt to read up on this on some website but perhaps I didn’t hit the right one. Appreciate the added info! Will be on the lookout to learn more! It really does sound exactly what I’m after.
Loved this article. I bought Preen for the first time this year. The way it works is to kill the weed and grass seeds before they can germinate, thus preventing them from ruining your flower or vegetable garden. Not suppose to harm the plants themselves.
The cedar vine planter is awesome for someone who is tight on space or who doesn’t want to take on too much. A really great idea. And speaking of good ideas, I really like that weed digger. It definitely would do the job. I have heard that some white vinegar poured on a weed will work well and not upset the ph balance of your soil if you’re careful to pour it directly on the weed. Look forward to seeing photos of your flowers around your home. Thanks and have a great day!
Hi Donna!
I’ve got the hand-held bend-over and get-your-exercise version of this tool that is the equivalent to this telescopic one:
http://homehardware.ca/en/rec/index.htm/Outdoor-Living/Yard-Maintenance/Garden-Tools/Weeders/Weeders/Telescopic-Sidewalk-Crack-Weeder/_/N-2pqfZ67l/Ne-67n/Ntk-All_EN/R-I5078250?Ntt=Weeders
I think I bought it at HomeHardware (not Home Depot).
Just run it along the pavement cracks at a 45° angle and then again at the opposite 45° angle and all the weeds just get cut off. Takes but a few minutes to do my driveway and sidewalks. Eventually without leaves and sunlight, the roots will die, or at least that’s the theory. ?