The boss is getting angry with me for spending time and money every single fall for the last 4-5 years on this grass repair. The grass extends up a slight hill and then towards the middle of the yard. The area gets direct sun nearly all day but there are numerous oak trees hovering over which lay down zillions of acorns in the fall. I have multiple sprinkler zones and numerous sprinkler heads for water concerns but grass dies year after year. I've increased irrigation from 3 days to 4 days a week and increased sprinkler time from 25 to nearly 40 mins without success. It's been very dry here but the shaded areas seem to be doing much better so I am stumped. The area is high traffic from the kids and the landscapers use it for the heavy riding lawn mower. It is not very wide area and flanked on one side with landscaping filled with shrubs/etc., and large rocks that surround the pool on the other side. It's quite possible there are numerous rocks under the grass given me lack of root depth. I am tempted to re-lay seed with fresh top soil and adjust my sprinklers to lay down water 2X a day to keep it wet but this is the 4th or 5th year in a row dealing with the same problem. Do I go with a sun-based grass seed or should I change the grass to paver or some sort of walkway? Misc. crushed stone would look brutal with all of the trees garage/leaves. [img]https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.doityourselft.com-vbulletin/320x240/b36582db_d02c_4bb3_8264_18153ac52966_fbb25b2cdaf9acb824d025f8b3361237b4cb4221.jpeg[/img] [img]https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.doityourselft.com-vbulletin/320x240/1fbdda71_a84a_4f7d_8cd4_7d2be33cf638_32c9e78ce7a0d78a22d2d9c82322a6a2def9544b.jpeg[/img] [img]https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.doityourselft.com-vbulletin/320x240/101b77f5_7680_41cd_8228_1203690c6fde_4229d77c664e2c345d673f8585cfa554dd7590cd.jpeg[/img] [img]https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.doityourselft.com-vbulletin/320x240/12f3d0bf_2801_4725_8d35_425dabeafa9e_4038a1cfee31b2fbc33e2a075cbfd5e19bd77d08.jpeg[/img] [img]https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.doityourselft.com-vbulletin/320x240/c20a85c2_f8e9_4b23_9f3d_52faaea9e64c_3751f027f98231c219decb3af7af1d34c8bcb411.jpeg[/img] [img]https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.doityourselft.com-vbulletin/320x240/adf238c7_683f_43aa_81d5_5f5a4eb15599_e1bdff64a4796846e0cb59976f97623d5fcb1cb9.jpeg[/img]

I'm rebuilding/extending a rock garden. Inside it I have four stonecrop (to be expanded to six) at even spaces. The stonecrop (sedum) is surrounded by walnut to fist-sized stones, with bare earth in a circle around the plants (see below). I'd like to demarcate things better--the stones keep creeping closer to the plants, plus I'd like the openings to be uniform, about 12-14". Problem is, I can't find a ring that size--in addition to the 12-14" D I'm thinking up to 4" wide so it can be partly buried and also stick up slightly above the rocks. I have some edging like the stuff at bottom, but trying to make it into a circle creates more of a teardrop, and it won't sit flat (maybe getting a lot more stakes would help). Plus it isn't as high as I'd like. I thought about whiskey barrel rings, but the ones I've seen are too large a diameter while also being only 1.5-2" wide. Plus, I live along the coast, and corrosion resistant is a must (I have stonecrop there because it's very salt tolerant). I was debating going to a closeout store and getting a large stainless pot or two of the right side and cutting it into 4" wide rings. I even thought about trying to pour concrete into the desired size/shape, but making the mold would be a headache. Worst-case scenario is to give up on rings and just make squares out of 5/4"x4 pressure treated wood. Any thoughts? [img]https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.doityourselft.com-vbulletin/784x642/plant_rocks_60f9709c5b4a4381ba95e63009433203ffe9be72.jpg[/img] [img]https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.doityourselft.com-vbulletin/1000x1000/black_vigoro_plastic_edging_3001_60hd_3_1d_1000_d72ac3965dea77f3ac534a7faa9dbe12e40e1ac3.jpg[/img]