Just a chit-chat thread..
Is there anything that you all had always wanted to do in your yard/garden but have not done so far?
Myself, well, I have a few things I'd always wanted to do but still have yet to in any of the places I'd lived.
One close to the top would be to build a nice flagstone or other style rock patio with 2" of space between the rocks for plantings.. Since we have a larger yard now I may end up doing that within a few years... Maybe.. ;)
Scott Hildenbrand expounded:
There are so many things....
A chicken coop
A small garden pond
A terrace for the backyard (this is a huge project involving moving bulkheads and building decks - along with a screen porch)
A brick pathway to the driveway
I am in the process of moving the rest of my veggie garden to the back yard. Where it was out front will become a more formal ornamental herb garden (with a few edibles tucked in because it's so close to the kitchen).
All of it takes time and a strong back, of which I have neither, but I'll just keep plugging :o)
just a suggestion, use a plastic tarp underneath the brick as a weed block.
a mountain of dirt can be easy to move if considered one shovel at a time.
I made a lovely patio out of recycled concrete. On my way home from work one day I saw a construction crew tearing up old sidewalks. They were just lifting it with the teeth of the back hoe bucket and dropping it to break enough to put in the dump truck. I costs a lot of money to dump in a landfill so......I asked the guy if they'd like to dump that concrete in my yard, about a mile away....SURE! It was in nice big, random shape and sized pieces and about 4" thick. They dumped the whole load next to my driveway. I had 3 big teenaged boys at home then so grunt labor wasn't a problem ;) I laid out my patio area, dug down six inches, slight grading AWAY from the house, laid down a good two inches of coarse sand and then supervised the boys in placement. We did have to make a tripod and rig a block and tackle to move a few larger pieces. They also learned to use a level. I just told the boys these were valuable life skills .....I won't tell you their grumbling answers to that but they learned it was better to do what Mom asked at a very early age. (The wrath of unhappy Mom aint pretty.)
I had anywhere from 2-6 inches between the concrete slabs, some pockets I left even bigger. After it was all set and leveled I filled in with some of the soil I removed and planted a variety of dense growing creeping plants, most scented. Lemon thyme, the tiny mint, there was some teeny prehistoric fern looking thing and little blue star flowers, etc. In the larger pockets I planted edelweiss, snow drops, miniature narcissus and these tiny little red tulips. It really looked stunning. The soil I dug out I just piled and made mounds for a couple of flower beds, more interesting than "just flat" I think.
When people walked over it and in the evenings the scent was wonderful. The little bulbs popping up through the last of the snow and early spring made a nice scene. By the time it was nice enough to be outside the bulb leaves had died down and the creeping plants grew right over the top. After the second year it took only about 5 minutes of weeding a few times a year because the ground cover was so thick.
It took me one full weekend to dig this out, grade, level and spread sand. One Saturday afternoon to supervise "life skills" and help with setting the slabs and I planted Sunday morning. The only cost was sand and plants, lots of picturesque bang for the buck.
Val
I really want to add a couple of garden benches/seats, maybe one under an arbor with a great vine climbing over it. (Something lush and green with wonderful scent - in NH - yah right)
I'd love a spot for a real rock garden to grow some of the sweet alpines I see at the nurseries.
Cheryl
Oh - I forgot the pond (completely impractical, but I want one)
CJim expounded:
Thank you for your suggestions, Jim, and yes, the above is so true!
I read an article once about a woman who built her own brick walkway, a week's worth of work at a time. Breaking the project down into manageable pieces is key. My backyard is such a mess, no lawn, due to a septic install and indecision on my part as to what I wanted to do out there. Things are starting to coalesce, though, but I've got to stop being overwhelmed at the sheer size of the project!
I wanted to put nice tiers held by really good dressed stone blocks on my back terrace, maybe 30' or more of it. I've dragged my feet on that because of the expense of the stone and don't want to rip something up I may not be able to maintain, plus a couple trees are in the way and should clear them out but hate to do it. Of late, I've been thinking of planting the terrace as it is, clearing, planting and mulching a little at a time.
The other thing is that I have always wanted to experiment with plant propagation and hybridization, the old-fashioned way, not with genetic manipulation, wish I'd taken more courses in botany and biology in college.
I would love to do more with lilacs, heirloom roses, trees and shrubs, have been working with roses lately with many disappointments and failures just getting them to root, have tried several different methods. I would like to cross pollinate roses, but you have to do hundreds of seedlings and have a place to keep them; some take a couple years to come into bloom, same with the lilacs.
Of course, you can buy all that stuff, but I've always been fascinated with the work of Luther Burbank, Mendel, that Canadian woman who worked on lilacs, and a man whose name I can't remember who worked on getting higher yields on food crops before they knew the science of altering genes. He did his work in Mexico. It is very tedious and labor-intensive work.
One of my big regrets in life is that I have found unusual trees and things growing out in rural areas in ditches, etc., and didn't have the means with me, strength and motivation to dig them out of the mess and drag them home to see what they would do. Someone would know what some of the things I've seen were.
I'm always on the lookout for odd mutations, wish I'd saved dandelion seeds that grew a fuzzy top like a cockscomb lol and a viola that crossed with the johnny jump ups. I got a light yellow one with a pretty sky blue border one year, wish I'd been motivated to try and save the seeds from that.
That is inspiring. Just last week I've been trying to get rid of some on freecycle for a neighbor, some has brick facing in it from an old garage floor. No luck.
I could find a use for it on my terrace, but there isn't quite enough, and it would be too much for me right now anyway. Some needs to be broken down more.
Think I'll go out and take a photo of the pile and try something else. Just met the young couple, and they are incredibly nice, offered to help me with chores in my yard, but I don't like to take advantage of people, certainly might call on them for an emergency.
>My garden is the way it is at this time. I'm grateful for coming into a few friends that had similar and contrasting ideas of just what a garden can be. Current issue seems to be devoted to perennials and more pines as it requires lest hand work. Luckily my better half is a Swedish garden devotee. (likes to weed;)) Always wanted a small green house but got by. Current interest is starting to center around how do we give all these Japanese maples away. Also will the leaves be down for a fall cleanup after tonights wind and rain. Who knows?
Bill
"Jim" wrote
The weed cloth is better as it allows water to flow in and out, and doesn't promote mold.
Steve
Make an overhead substantial frame so that I can put up and take down sunshade cloth, hang basket plants, and carry a drip/spray system.
I weld, so it's going to be no problem to do this. I'll probably use pvc for a lot of it, though, as it lasts pretty good.
Steve
Post that picture on "Craig's List" and put FREE in the heading. Seems to work better around here than Freecycle.
Val
Sounds really nice... post some pictures.
I am very fortunate to have a pond. It happened by chance, actually. When I moved here there was a low spot in the backyard with wild roses, wild raspberries, and soggy soil. After removing the vegetation I found seven springs that kept the ground wet. I built a pond--no liner, no pumps. A PVC pipe was buried to catch the overflow to a nearby stream. The pond is about 8,000 gallons and the water runs during a drought. I use the water for watering the garden and to breed goldfish.
Pond saga:
There were more advantages to working heavy construction for years than just the paycheck. We were installing a huge storm water retention system. In the 'dump heap' was a 34" re-enforced concrete bell tile. The bell end had been cut off with about a 3 foot tail of the pipe left. "I want that!" Friday afternoon: Brought that home. As I park in the driveway I announce to the boys, dig a hole as deep as the tile and drop it in for me will ya...I'm going to fix dinner. There was the usual grumbling. "Hey guys, if one of me can get it into the truck, three of you should be able to figure out how to get it out. Make a ramp, it's round, it rolls. Use the level across the top after you get that thing in the hole two feet away from the angle in the deck...~pointing~." I didn't mention I had use of a fork lift to load it...*wicked chuckle*
That evening I mixed up Quick-Crete and put in a bottom and used a little whisk broom to brush up the sides to make a nice seal. During the following week the boys learn 'life skills of siphoning everyday after school since I wanted to leach it as much as possible. The next Saturday I got two miniature water lilies (wonderful scent!) and a pot of tall iris looking things. Dropped in the lilies, built a 'pedestal' of brick for the tall plant pot and dumped in 3 feeder gold fish (25cents each). I had the "pond" right in the angle of the back deck. Did a little camouflage planting around the rim from divisions culled from the rest of my garden......one more successful, lovely "hardly cost anything" project complete!
During one dinner on the deck I lavished praised on the boys for their resourcefulness and skills while admiring my little pond garden......they just kept their eyes on their plates and all swore they were going to grow up to live in high rise condos.
Val
My "garden" is now a 3rd floor balcony......I want to make a hypertufa trough and have a succulent garden, maybe make another for a few alpine plants......still pondering.
Val
If my latest fails, I will do that, thank you. I have checked out Craig's list, and it doesn't seem very active for my area, have heard many good things about it. It was so near Thanksgiving when I first offered it, I tried again today with a link to the photo on two freecycle lists for my area. I also posted a free classified w/uploaded photo on our local online auction/classified site that runs for 14 days and gets quite a bit of traffic.
When I had some, broken sidewalk in my case, and not as flat and slabby as his, I finally paid a neighbor who offered to haul and dump it for $20 which was a good deal. Then somebody wanted it after all. I still had to pick out chunks from the remaining dirt pile, chip off all the slag, do all the backfilling myself, can't remember how I got rid of that last bit. The guy who did the cement work was torqued off at me because I got him to do six steps and several feet of sidewalk for $800 (but I had to pay $350? about that for the cement in a truck). He cut out on me after I paid him (I know never pay until 100% is done, the worst was done so I paid), and I was left with the rest of the mess. He was mad because I got custom-made ornamental ironwork rails rather than the cheapie ones he recommended from Menard's.
"Nobody chips off slag." Well, I knew I'd want to stick a shovel or trowel in there, and didn't want to buck concrete to plant something on the borders. So mine had to come off. My son did some of it with a hammer for me.
I called the neighbor to make sure he hadn't made other arrangements for it, told him what I was going to try next. He said he had found a note on the door from someone who offered to haul it away for $80 and thought it might have had to do with my attempt to rid him of it. One freecycle list didn't post the last time, the other one edited out his phone number as being too personal, I only wrote East Name-of-Town, so I think it was coincidental about the offer. We both agree that is too expensive.
It is a royal pain to try to get rid of some stuff, they make you jump through hoops and pay extra landfill fees even if you are lucky enough to be able to haul it somewhere yourself.
I have two wastebaskets full of mixed topsoil and clay from a french drain I dug and installed (only partly effective turns out, I gave it my all). I'd sure like to get rid of the stuff, don't want to put it back in my garden or try to compost the clay, am waiting for a chance to get rid of it somehow, too heavy for me to even lift (hate that, needs someone stronger). I'd have to empty it partly out and haul to my little car or wherever in batches.
You have a gift for writing, a way with words, humorous touches, and seem to find very creative ways to do things for a gal (I assume you are a gal). Kudos to you. In my old age, I am more resourceful than when younger, and have tackled a few projects I never would have thought I could manage before because otherwise it means beg or pay, but am amazed at some of the things women will tackle these days, wasn't like that when I was growing up. Roles were more strictly defined with a few exceptions. I did dig up with a fork a large garden plot (breaking sod) in my late 20's when my ex did about 1/3 of it and quit, I wanted my garden. It was gruelling work for me, but I was determined.
"Val" expounded:
LOL! My youngest brother always said the same thing, also that he'd never live in an old house. He lives in a small town north of Boston, house was built in 1798, with a good acre of lawn to mow :o)
Great pond story!
I always thought that I would like a "little" more space, maybe an acre or two. But at this time, I think .33 will do very nicely, Thank you! A pond? well I tried a small one. Worked all day digging it, and then all of the next day getting the rocks and plants all just right. The next day I went to admire my work. Well, the rackety goons (who called them that? I love it) decided they would rearrange things to suit them selves. Later they ate the fish. So now I have a bog which I enjoy. And the RGs come and make artistic swirls in the pine needles.
A shed, I wanted a garden shed and my DH built one a couple of years ago. So it isn't that either. Plants......I ALWAYS want more plants, but I have roses, I have ferns. I have 10 varieties of Heuchera. Shrubs, native plants, it's a sickness; I do not need More Plants. for sure. But if there is a square foot of space, I will fill it up.
So now I have to think of something after all this rambling. Well I would like a couple of bantie hens, or maybe a rooster and a hen. But that will be for when I get old(er).
Emilie, NorCal Or maybe a pair of little goats.................
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