Questions about Overgrown DIY disaster...

[MacNCheesePro]

So, we bought this house a few years ago as a forclosure. Previous owners (or a bad landscaper) put down gravel around the outer edge of half the yard and didn't put any weedblocker or landscape cloth down. They used a mix of varying plastic tarps that of course have holes in them now. Should I rake up the gravel and add weed blocker and toss the gravel back on? I don't know what to do with all of this... We have a pool, so I'm not sure about doing any mulch, as it gets pretty windy here....

The rose bush area is the back left corner, the three trees (I don't know what they are) are the left side of the yard and the 5 overgrown green bushes are to the left of the trees by the house and block the view of the pool pump and filter.

 

[Beth_B]

What part of the US do you live in, or what is your USDA growing zone? Alaska and Alabama are both in the US but are drastically different.

Also what do you want in this space? I see tons of potential. The pool area is a bit overgrown, but do you want super-manicured or sort of wild? Lots and lots of options, either way. But what way do YOU want it?

Need more info, basically.

 

[DrCase]

I bet you could spray the rocks with roundup too clean them up .

Once the grass and weeds go down it won't take much to keep it clean

 

[MacNCheesePro]

I live in MD on the eastern shore. I'm thinking about making everything grass, but the area with the rose bushes, I'm not sure what to do. I'm going to spray weed and grass killer to get the weeds down, but wondering if I should rip it all up and put the gravel back down? Roundup won't harm the green temple grass or rose bushes?

The trees, I may make all of that grass and put gravel and weedblocker at the base of each.

The big green bushes....I've thought about chopping them down. They look pretty dead inside. I'm afraid if I trim them, they'll just be these dead looking things or will they sort of bloom back?