Garden Projects # 10

I'm unhappy with the biodegradable cloth, too. It was work to install last summer, then in spring it caught fire--a dangerous underground smouldering kind, and now the weeds are as bad as ever in that region. I'm switching to pizza boxes, of which I expect plenty.

LOL .. Way to reuse!!!

Fire? Weird and dangerous. Pizza boxes dangerous too, at least for the waistline. I have eaten my way through 6 wedding event so far here in New Orleans with 2 to go so I will be eating no pizza any time soon upon my return. in fact I should be eating nothing for weeks.

We use the weed barrier cloth under our pine needle walks in the woods. We still get a few weeds and things like sweet woodruff, lilies of the valley, and other invasive that we use as much loved ground covers in the beds along those pathways creeping out, but they are easily pulled, so I like the cloth for those paths. We also but it down each spring in the veggie bed walkways and cover it too with pine needles. I tried straw one year, but we have free pine needles. We rake the pine needles out in the fall and roll up the cloth for another season. That way the needles don't get incorporated into the veggie bed soil. That works well for us. But I never plant anything on top of it. I have found that the type we have bought most recently is greatly improved, but have no idea of the name. I know it wasn't the cheapest kind and it really holds up and seems to prevent most weeds better than what we bought 10 years ago. Patti

The cloth that the landscaper used was white, and although it did allow some weeds to appear, my complaint was I couldn't amend the soil.....have to add compost to keep the clay in check.....the river runs right below us, so I'm sure he just used riverbank soil to put in my garden.....sounds like NO has been a fun place for you, Patti....good to relax after the garden tour!

Just took the tour down the Mississippi which is always interesting, plus there was a lovely breeze and an interesting awry of ships to see along the way. Now resting for the wedding tonight.

Our cloth is a dark grey, but as I use it on only the paths, I don't want the soil beneath it to be good. Though I am always amazed that many common weeds grow best in the worst soil. And I am always puzzled by the new ones we get, just when we are winning the battle with our old weed nemesis. Go figure.

Many of the trees and shrubs down here in New Orleans are in bloom so the gardens that I can see along the street in Uptown are stunning. Wish I could take a peak at the private ones behind the grand old homes. I may try to get to the botanical garden after the final brunch for the bride and groom tomorrow as that would be interesting, but i might be all danced out by then. Meanwhile I think we are cooler here than many people further north. So stay cool all. Patti

Yes, nasty heat here, although the humidity is tolerable......have fun, enjoy the wedding....

Enjoy yourself, Patti!!!

Here is the garage roof. Not quite finished

looking great Jan!!!!

Glad it was still on after the storm last night. It should be okay while we are gone for the month.

Randy would be in heaven!!

I like it!

My neck hurts again.

Sorry, Victor.

Glad others like it, too. We are noticing all kinds of metal roofs everywhere now. Heehee

I love it, Jan!

Louise, sounds like you're having fun in NO.

I use weed block on an area in the back where I have potted plants for sale. Nothing on top of it but the pots. Sure does keep the weeds down. I wouldn't put in in my beds. Pathways would be fine.

Karen

Pizza boxes just magically appear in my house. So do large numbers of 18 year-olds at unexpected times. It's just as easy to throw a rock on one near the back boundary of our property to start garden "lasagna" as it is to bundle them for the recycler. I'm sure they'd be flamable too in a grass fire, but it won't mean a couple hundred dollars up in smoke.

Wish I knew how to prevent the corners of the plastic week barrier from eventually showing themselves. Do have some under the gravel path. BHG site said to put bigger rocks on the edges, but no matter how many I put there, they seem to move. So this year, seems necessary to keep adding the pea gravel again and again. DH and DS are rebuilding an engine, so it's my aching muscles. The do it yourself instructions didn't say that. Stakes break off as the ground and stones settle (last year I bermed the area nearly three feet higher and planted). It was nice it was done when 50 people were treading in and out of the house for our graduation party last week and no mud.

NO sounds like just the place to be this weekend, and for a wedding, no less.

I just took out yet another square foot of cloth in my lily garden.It was the whole contracters area where they planted pine trees and mulched the 100 foot x 15 foot area.I spent the spring of'07 removing both plastic and cloth. Cloth is the worst. Roots get into it and it cant be pulled out easily.

On the otherhand I am starting another path by myself. Its 20 inches wide and 6 feet long. I wont attempt this again as my bloodpressure meds make me dizzy when I exert and stand up.
This was how it looked since '09
second pix is bucket of quartz countertop pieces
Pix 3 is the nearly done path

that looks good joann you are now to be known as "the queen of the garden paths" :)

Jo Ann, handsome, must be you're artistic eye that gets it so right!

Off to Nantucket to see if we have any lilies left. It was a horrible time to be away from our garden, but we had great fun at the wedding in New Orleans. Ate very well, too well in fact. Patti

Love that path, Jo! Really adds a nice pattern to that area......Glad you're back to Nantucket, Patti......the lilies are starting to shine in the gardens here.....Have had to put my edging project on hold for a few days .....have a sinus infection....

Robindog, sorry for your misery. DH gets them, so I can imagine how lousey you feel. He keeps putting off surgery, but I suspect he will have to at some point. Edging can wait. Have a good 4th all. Patti

Thanks.....I do feel pretty awful.....hope to be spending the 4th at the farm if I feel better.....

Sorry about the infection Marilyn.
The path is done. Bright sun doesnt show it well.Shade pix tomorroe.

Thanks, Jo.....the euphorbia stands out nicely next to the path......

That area was so narrow I had trouble walking in and walking out.I added8 inches,makes a big difference.

yes that does.. very pretty JoAnn

Very nice, Jo. I really like how it turned out.

Karen

Feel better, RD.

Jo, very lovely path you created.

Patti, glad you had a good time in NO and are now back home.

Looks good! I like how you mixed up the stone

I like the combinations too.I use what I have.I wont be making another path by myself.The exertion level is way beyond what I should have attempted.

Thanks, Jan.....starting to feel better.....Jo, it's surprising what we can do sometimes....you really rose to that challenge!

It's an amazing amount of work, isn't it? Glad you can enjoy the beauty now that it's done, Jo. I'm thinking too that I'd rather get fit at a gym and solve some physical problems before I even consider a major garden project. I've just learned that a very low dose of gabapentin from the doctor reduces my achiness without causing sleep.

I listen to my "little voice" sometimes I over ride the caution and learn a hard lesson.

My"Little Voice" needs to get a megaphone for me to hear it as I keep putting it on ignore.

Here is an album of shots taken on June 21 on the morning of the garden tour and then some shots taken when we got back on July 4th. But I reallized that I missed taking shots of a couple of beds. Another time. Enjoy, Patti

https://picasaweb.google.com/pmc.ack/GARDENALBUMLATEJUNEEARLYJULY2012?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCMLn5fjljuyBQw&feat=directlink

I drool every time I see your yard!

Me too!

Me three. Just glad I don't have to take care of it! Needs a full-time staff.

I didnt think it could look any better .I dont believe I have ever seen the gardens in July.The striped shirt guy is teriffic.

just fantastic Patti.. don't know how you do it

Amazing Patti!! Everything looks beautiful!!!!!

Sweet of you all, guess where I am heading? Out to weed and deadhead before it gets too hot. DL's are a pain, but pretty. I need to cut back three more big spireas today as they have gone by and looking brown and ugly. We did three yesterday. I have some new Japanese Iris out since taking those shots and am pleased with them as I have always had trouble growing them well. I have another scarecrow to take a shot of which is my husbands favorite. I never stuffed them so they are kind of lame and we seem to have more crows this year than ever, so they aren't working. I found a giant hole in the Hosta bed yesterday from the dogs, but at the bottom was a big fat and very dead mole. DH filled it back in and replanted all the Hosta they had dug up. grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. Mole wasn't happy either. Have a good one all, especially Karen at her DL sale. Patti

This message was edited Jul 7, 2012 7:44 AM