Garden Projects #13

only planted a couple boxes with impatiens and did not notice a problem although to be candid I rarely take a close look at them as they are on the shed windows.

good luck with the walkways joann that looks like a quick easy job so i would think the price would be reasonable. i would just do it for you if i was closer.

finished the latest stone birdbath this past weekend - last time i attempt working with that type of stone!

have a couple other stone projects in mind that i would like to do before raking season starts here. we shall see it i can get to them as everything is melting fast, still the snow to where the compost is 12" deep or more and the last to melt so i have a couple weeks maybe.

The 2 pathes last year were really reasonable.He used left over pavers from other jobs plus I bought some Lilac stone.
really wanted a brick edge and asked for it this time.He said he would need to buy brick. I will only have the brick on the Lasagna garden.The dissect is in a wooded area where I rarely go.

Wha, you would have noticed if your impatience had it. They went from big full plants to losing all their leaves almost overnight in August. I first thought some rabbit had eaten everyone we had along the paths and along the stream over night. They were just skeletons.

Glad you finished your difficult bird bath. We will all want to see it, especially Victor, who doesn't get it, no matter how much he wants it.

Ge1836, Love the new stone path outline. I think we are done with paths as of last year as we have no more stones from our building the house in 1981. Plus living on Nantucket, there are none here that are affordable as we found out a few years back when we needed a few more to flat stepping stones finish off our rebuilding of our steps to the lower terrace. I changed the path and stairs to a better spot, but then we needed more stones to finish the project. Cost was shocking.

DH worked in the veggie bed today and then sprayed deer repellant on the maples outside the deer fence He also tried to repair some big trenches that our dear dogs dug last night through a couple of our bed. grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. They were looking for moles and voles and made a big mess.

i worked in the GH yesterday doing some pruning and deadheading and then I took a few shots both inside and out and will post the garden ones shortly, but here are some from the GH. I am taking notes on what beds need more crocus and reticulated Iris for next year. Patti

Great GH shots.Look at all that sun.

it is amazing what stone alone cost. check out this link for a couple stone cairns and not the cost. granted they are large, will make a few on a smaller scale here, which means as big as i can muscle them into place or move with the help of boards and ramps.

there are also some fantasctic stone projects on this site - well worth the time to check out - they are probably close to your property in VT patti.

http://www.inthecompanyofstone.blogspot.com/#!http://inthecompanyofstone.blogspot.com/p/stone-yard.html

rosemary if you want a stone seat they have some granite stabs on sale below the cairns that would work well - just a bit of a drive from lexington.

LOVE those donut shaped forms.
If I remember the bill for the 2 paths was $500.00
I had an earlier walk with steps done in '09 I think it was a grand but more serious construction.
Its the slope that was dangerous.Worth every dollar to keep me from a broken hip.

Glad you finished the birdbath, Bill....no way am I going to let my son see that stone site....he has many piled along the side of his drive, he needs to finish his third floor instead! Patti, very nice photos of the GH....nice to see such a variety of plants. Understand well about the dogs....my airedale twins ripped up the entire back lawn one day in pursuit of moles or voles! Jo, having paths there is a great idea.....I know you'll plant something to coordinate.....the snow melted off an area where I have brick edging, usually covered up by hostas...noticed one brick was dated 1914.....used to be a brick factory in town, & friends gave us many bricks they found on their property from the factory located on Clay Street.....

Love old bricks. At times I wish we could pave the all the grass over with bricks so dogs couldn't dig up the yard. But they would just dig up the beds, which they already do at times. Here are some more shots. Patti

Wonderful projects! So nice to see the new walkways, the GH and to hear about the birdbath. Nice to see a source of seats for my little garden benches, Bill :)

I am reading and thinking a lot since garden work is still out of the question for me maybe for another month. So today on my day off I learned how to grow blueberries (but there's an ancient privet hedge in the spot now).

Sell the privet and plant high bush blue berries. Patti

Great garden photos.
Alliums are not that impressive to my eye but other pix are great.
http://www.gardeninggonewild.com/?p=23578

Someone would want the privet? Who knew. Yep, Patti. I'm in favor of a little elbow greese and an irrigation system, and the big bush blueberries. Low bush ones elsewhere for ground cover. And edible garden walls too so the critters don't eat it all.

Big anything that can be transplanted by landscapers at fancy homes for an instant garden is always is in demand. Most have the right equipment to dig large shrubs and trees out and the trucks to haul something big away, They are usually willing to pay good money for something big and mature if they have a client for it or will dig and haul it away for free if they may need it for a future job which will save you trying to dig it out. I would email photos of what you want gone to some of your areas landscapers and see if you can scare up some interest. Worth a few minutes of entry work to try. Patti

Thats a great idea Patti.
My GF 's SIL on Nantucket replaces whole landscapes just at the whim of the client.
Must be nice to tire of the Cottage Garden after a few years and change it to desert scape.

Oh no, I think now I want a tropical jungle surrounding my mcmansion this week as I just bought a dress with pink and green palm trees on it to match hubbies golfing palm tree pants. Life is grand.

LOL

RosemaryK, here is an article that will inspire you further. http://awaytogarden.com/10-tips-for-growing-blueberries-in-the-backyard-win-lee-reichs-book-and-come-meet-him-may-11

Patti, your photos say spring ....great color....Jo, loved the photo with the alliums, you can do that!

Ha ha! and thanks. I think I'll read Lee Reich's book.

It would be great to have a crew take out the old bushes and replace with irrigation and blueberries.

DH was laboring late all winter for a supposed big bonus to each member of the team. It was awarded yesterday and it was just a couple thousand dollars. Can't plant many palm tree or even see how they live in Palm Beqach with that.

How disappointing.....my son is looking for his own company at this time....if he's not successful, he may teach landscape architecture in the vo-ag dept.

Seems we are all haveing to adjust our ideas of what makes for financial security as well as pleasure.

Jo, I enjoyed the alliums too. I just spent the last half hour exploring all the links on the site

Whoopee!!! We opened the house this weekend, felt so good to be back here! Lots of snow and ice still, but that's not unusual for us.

The big surprise, thought, is that the guy we met last fall at a local festival who works with stone has been here, no idea when. He repaired a section of wall that had fallen down during Sandy, and did a beautiful job. But the most fun things are the birdbath base, and the beginning of the cairn.

At first I thought the birdbath was sitting on a weathered stone bust, got my feet soaked getting to it so I could have a closer look. I just love the irregularity of it, and the way it nestles into its spot, looking like it's been there forever. The basin is cement and has been outdoors year round for many years at my late Mom's, so I don't have to worry about it, and I'm happy to have the reminder of her here.

The cairn is the piece de resistance... At first I thought it was too sort, would be completely hidden once the daylilies get going. Then I realized that there's a pile of extra stones nearby, he hasn't finished yet. I love the chunkyness of it, really looking forward to the rest...

The best is that we can see both from the house.

Now I have lots more ideas for him...

wonderful projects. Your snow looks like outs last week. I am assuming that you are at a higher ellevation.

What great stonework.The Birdbath is a treasure and fits beautifully into the area.
Post more of your ideas as he does them.
Wish he lived here.

Love the bird bath

very nice.. the birdbath is awesome

What a nice surprise to come back and found that your Stone Mason had done more than you expected. I always love seeing shots of your garden. It is even more magical with the new stonework. But it will be amazing with some blooms highlighting it. Bring on those DL's.

DH made a simple H-shaped support out of some ceder stakes for a species rose that I bought a few years back called R.wichuraiana which is known as the Memorial Rose. I expected it, from what I read, that it would ramble and to be vigorous, but it is a monster of a vine. We moved it from where I had first planted it in 2008 to a new spot in 2010 to let it grow up through a large cedar which it has done. However it is also sending out large ground runners that we are now hoping that we can get those to instead cascade over this new make do trellis until we can figure out something nicer. Or pull it out as too much to deal with, but I hope we can save it. Patti

Pam, nice to see the gardens again even when they are still resting.....I only have crocus blooming.....the birdbath is a beauty, & am waiting for the finished cairn....so nice that you can see it from the den!

pam that stand for the bird bath is really nice and it will be interesting to see what comes of the cairn.

here is a photo of the bird bath i just finished, probably looks better now after the rain last night got the dust off it - still unsure where it will go in the yard. i like the look of a rough interior verse one that is polished or done with a grinder - still this one is still a little rough for my taste, however there is a limit to the number of hours i am willing to work on it - sticking with a more granular stone in the future.

and here is a new stone piece of art i build late saturday afternoon - saw a picture of something similar on another site from the denver botanical garden and decided to give it a shot. it looks a lot like the rock balances i left a link behind for earlier.

used all beach stone - very large piece of quartz for the base, an angular reddish beach stone on its tip, a flat green stone, then alternated red and dark grey to the top. it is about 3' tall and needed to be moved with a dolly.

wife thinks it needs a better place in the yard to show it off, we shall see, for now it will stay on the rock wall in front of the brick patio.

This message was edited Apr 1, 2013 8:58 AM

LOVE your work Bill

Cool Bill

Beautiful Bill!

Spectacular....move over Calder. Patti

I agree.....would love having either in the yard!

so cool!!!!

I would tiptoe softly past it. What a job. Birdbath near shrubs so birds can hide from hawks?

thanks ladies - i am really happy how it turned out - i was TOLD i have make a smaller version for my wifes desk or else :)

birdbath will go into one of the beds lucy, would like to find some short stone to use as a pedestal, it will probably end up at the top of the stream here and i'll move a bright blue/gray one i made last year to a planned bed expansion if the sister rock found late last fall can be used for a pedestal for that one.

Zone 6 garden chores for April
Set out cool-season annuals
Set out seedlings of warm-season annuals
Set out summer-flowering bulbs
Plant fall-blooming bulbs
Divide and replant crowded winter- and spring-blooming bulbs after leaves yellow
Plant balled-and-burlapped, container, and bare-root fruit trees
Spray apples, peaches, and pears that have been affected with canker problems
Plant permanent ground covers
Plant ornamental grasses
Plant and aerate lawns and loosen thatch
Plant bare-root perennial vegetables
Plant seedlings of cool-weather vegetables
Sow fast-growing warm-season vegetables
Sow seeds for frost-tolerant perennials
Sow seeds for tender perennials
Divide and replant spring-blooming perennials after bloom
Plant container and bare-root roses
Uncover roses for spring and apply dormant spray
Plant balled-and-burlapped, container, and bare-root trees, shrubs, and vines
Apply dormant spray to trees, shrubs, and vines
Plant tender shrubs and vines
Plant summer-blooming shrubs and vines
Plant frost-tolerant trees
Plant needle-leafed evergreens


Zone 5
Set out cool-season annuals
Sow seeds of warm-season annuals
Set out summer-flowering bulbs
Plant fall-blooming bulbs
Plant balled-and-burlapped, container, and bare-root fruit trees
Apply dormant spray to fruit trees before buds swell
Spray apples, peaches, and pears that have been affected with canker problems
Plant cool- and warm-season lawns
Plant bare-root perennial vegetables
Plant seedlings of cool-weather vegetables
Sow fast-growing warm-season vegetables
Sow seeds for frost-tolerant perennials
Sow seeds for tender perennials
Plant container and bare-root roses
Uncover roses for spring and apply dormant spray
Plant balled-and-burlapped, container, and bare-root trees, shrubs, and vines
Apply dormant spray to trees, shrubs, and vines
Plant summer-blooming shrubs and vines
Plant frost-tolerant trees
Plant needle-leafed evergreens

Zone 7

Prune winter-flowering shrubs and vines after bloom
Plant summer- and fall-flowering bulbs
Spray for peach leaf curl, peach leaf blight, and canker
Plant permanent ground covers
Plant or repair lawns
Plant ornamental grasses
Plant bare-root and container roses
Plant or transplant warm-season annuals
Plant fruit trees
Spray dormant fruit trees
Prune frost-sensitive fruit trees
Feed houseplants that are growing or blooming
Plant heat-loving perennials
Uncover roses and apply dormant spray
Plant ornamental and evergreen trees, shrubs, and vines
Apply dormant spray to trees, shrubs, and vines
Prune spring-flowering or tender shrubs and vines during or just after bloom
Plant vegetable seedlings