By Donnaj1dlh
Aberdeenshire,
Scotland 
I'm thinking of digging in a pond into a corner of our garden and surrounding it in gravel, pepples, rocks etc. I have an Acer I'd like to plant there and maybe put in some alpine plants to compliment the pebbles and shingle. Ideally I'd like to cover the ground with weed control fabric before I lay the stones but how do I plant? Do I just cut out Xs in the fabric, plant and then lay the gravel? Will I still be able to water? Can anyone help? I've never done this before.
9 Jul, 2010
Answers
Hello donna and welcome to GoY. A green 'blank canvas' is one of the best things that you can have when you move house.
Personally, I don't like the idea of planting through weed control fabric although I know that others do it. I only use the fabric in places that I don't want anything to grow. I like my alpines to self seed, if they will, and they can't do this over the fabric.
However you do it, good luck with the project.
9 Jul, 2010
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Yes you've got the idea, you can do it either way plant up after putting down gravel, just move the gravel away cut into your fabric and dig out the hole, have a bucket handy to put the soil into so it doesn't get into the gravel, or do exactly the same before adding the gravel maybe a little easier that way. Water will go through the fabric, no worries there
9 Jul, 2010