DIY Oasis Instructions

Here’s our current approach to creating an Oasis.

Materials

  • Mower

  • Weed whacker

  • Shovel

  • Rake

  • Hand spade

  • Heavy duty paper - $15 at Home Depot

  • Mulch

  • Plants from a local nursery - use our design guide

  • A hose and 5-gallon bucket

  • Water

Step 1. Mow as low as you can go

Bust out that mower, put it to the lowest setting, and mow the garden.

Step 2. Weed whack even lower

Use your weed whacker to take it down even further, ideally all the way down to the dirt.

Stop for a tasty beverage.

Step 3. Remove material from the edges

Use your shovel to Remove dirt, grass, and weeds from around the edge of the garden. Throw all the material into the middle of the garden or into a separate area on your property where you’d like a small hill feature of native plants. When you install the pea gravel or mulch, you want it to be flush with the surrounding concrete so it doesn’t spill out of the garden.

Step 4. Form a rain garden

Rain gardens collect water that penetrates deep into the ground, nourishes your plants, reduces the amount of watering you have to do, and reduces stress on the stormwater runoff system.

Use your rake to shape a subtle bathtub in the middle of the garden. The lip of the bathtub should be a few feet in from the perimeter and should be a few inches higher than the inside of the tub.

Step 5. Chop up the clumps

With your shovel, go around the edge of the rain garden and chop up the clumps so the soil and material is nice and smooth. Use the rake again to tidy up your bathtub feature.

Stop for a snack.

Step 6. Roll out the paper

Take the roll(s) of heavy duty paper and completely cover the garden. This step borrows from a method known as “lasagna planting.” The paper helps kill off the first few generations of weeds, which germinate beneath and can’t penetrate through the paper. The cover material on top will handle the majority of future wanna-be weeds.

Note: we do not use weed fabric. It just adds more plastic to the environment, breaks down over time, and inevitably starts to pop up and show itself in an unsightly manner.

Step 7. Add the mulch

Evenly spread out the mulch on top of the paper. Make sure the edges around the garden are nice and flush with the surrounding sidewalks, curbs, yards, etc. This material reduces weeds and helps lock moisture into the soil. Spray it down with a hose once you’re done.

Step 8. Lay out the plants

Use our design guide and create islands of plants with natural walkways between them.

Step 9. Dig holes

We use very juvenile plants and create holes that are 5-6 inches deep and 3-4 inches in diameter. Move the cover material away from the hole location.

Step 10. Bare-root plant

Fill the 5-gallon bucket. Remove a plant from its container and with your hand remove as much dirt as you can from the roots. Dunk it in the water to help loosen and remove the soil. Fill the hole with water and place the plant in the hole. Cover the hole with dirt. Reshape the pea gravel or mulch to create a little basin around the plant.

Step 11. Water

Give your plants a good soaking right away. Then use our maintenance guide.

Sing to the plants. (Just kidding.)

Step 12. Edit and maintain your oasis

Over time, add cool rocks or other plants you like. Weed occasionally and always with a beverage in hand.