Question
I live in Durham, NC and have a backyard that is on bedrock. The builder scraped all the soil away (and I mean ALL). When it's dry, it's simply dirt and when it rains, it's mud. Because there's a berm behind it, some silt has washed down so you can't actually see the bedrock any more.

Because of the drought we've been having, I don't want to bring in soil and plant grass. I want to put some kind of rock thing in there, but I'm thinking of the water that stands there at times. So, I'm asking what should the first layer be? Sand? Gravel? Any suggestions are VERY welcome.

Answer
Wanda:

If you have water standing, consider filling with soil so that the water runs off of the subgrade.  I would, then, use a filter cloth or soil cloth and apply stone on top.  Sand is fine to level low areas, but if you will use stone as a final cover, use it exclusively.  It is easier to remove than sand.

Any non-vegetative cover will require weed control.  Airborne soil particles settle in stone or mulch and create a growing medium for airborne seeds.

Grass is the least expensive groundcover to install.  With large rock underneath, it will brown out in drought.

Best wishes.