Small pond

Sure will here is the latest pic of the driveway/utility area. The potting shed and flats bench are in this area as well as the trash & recycle cans. It is a working area where plants are staged and grown. Really can hardly believe how much space there is since Ric got the wisteria up off the ground. Here is a picture taken a couple of weeks ago pretty messy so much going on then but you can see the wisteria sprawling on the left side of the picture. There was a table full of plants and the filled flats bench. Then this other one taken just a few days ago with the wisteria propped up and a second one with the wisteria all the way up. After the arbor is up it should settle on top without any trouble. At least that is what we are hoping.

Wow. You must stay busy from dawn to dusk. And, you are in Pa and so your season to "do" isn't as long as many have available. That wisteria looks so healthy. I heard it can pull buildings down!

It's about 35 years old I had it growing for years over a fence off the patio, but it really needed something more substantial. An arbor has been in the planning stages for many years but we just kept putting it off. Last year we started digging up the stone driveway and laying brick. Close to half the bricks have been laid. Here is a really old picture of the wisteria a good 15 years or more ago. That is were the box pond use to sit and you can see it under the wisteria. And a new shot of it from the yard side you can see the ropes that are holding it up secured to the ground. Not sure what I will do about the yard side yet.

Holly - So gorgeous!

We put our wisteria in a large pot and it still wants to take over!

Missing Rosie your pond runs and falls are really beautiful. Used to live in NC and rocks abound. Fl. doesn't have them so they are very expensive here.
Holly your addition will be beautiful.
It's wonderful to read how we each encourage the other and share such good ideas.
Good luck with your projects.
Bonnie

Thanks Bonnie, My FIL lives and Fl. and I have done some gardening at his place. I love how easy it is to dig and weed in his yard. I took out a tree stump a few years ago that I would never been able to remove from my own yard. But I guess there is a drawback to that sandy soil as well.
I agree these conversations on DG really get the imagination going.

I went to Ft. Lauderdale High.
My sis lives in Plantation and two brothers Dania and Ft. Lauderdale. Cousin in Titusville and sis in law in St. Pete. I have zone 8 envy big time. But I do like the seasons shifting.

Yes...we have rocks. The builder was afraid he would have to dynamite! Hahahahahaha. Not as bad as western NC however. Funny - we have to pay for rocks too. We always want the kind we don't have! My son in law has a 22 acre QUARRY in PA. Do you think I get rock?? Nope! Too expensive and heavy to truck. To be fair he has some equipment to quarry but mostly others do and pay him for the quarry time. But still......surely he can bring me a slab for a bench......or some steps.......... I make him eggplant parm and mussels whenever he comes to town...that ain't easy!

And it ain't cheap!


Last week I went out to get cauliflower for pasta soup......... GRAPEFRUIT sized cauliflower ........4 BUCKS!

He'll with that - we had broccoli and pasta instead.

LOL we have tons of rocks close at hand but still gather some from different areas and have been known to buy a few for some projects. Like the river rocks for around the pond and pool.
I think a stone slab is a "very" reasonable request.

Thanks Holly - I need a friend to support me. Nobody likes me here at home!

This message was edited Jun 27, 2013 2:58 PM

We don't have anything but sand....I'm jealous.... I may try making some decorative rocks out of hypertufa, the cement/perlite/paper mix. Lighter to move around too.

I have made a few hypertufa pots that is always fun.

Do you think it will hold up to water, like on the edge of a water fall? I guess it would depend on how much cement is used?

Mary - I just read yesterday that there are 'falls" that you can purchase. I haven't seen or explored but I think if you have a pond you can buy ready made fall to sit on it and direct the cascade (???)

I asked my brother who had a tile business if mastic would hold up in water and he said it would. My idea was to purchase thin gauge wire screening.. Mold it over a boulder (rough mold it with hands and then pound with rubber mallet to get the proper contours and to actually fit tight to the boulder .....the wire screen would allow me to stretch it back up and off the boulder plus provide a scaffold of sorts for the mastic. Then cover the shaped screen "boulder' with a thin layer of mastic and paint grey and fleck with other color to make rock coloration after it is dry. The idea was to get a hollow mold the size of a boulder - yet have it be light enough for moving and eventually sitting in the pond. I wanted a boulder to sit a turtle ( made from metal helmet) and to function as a water level gauge but the pond liner couldn't take a massive weight - and it had to be able to sit in water indefinitely. I ended up just using the pump cover - it was talk enough and depending how exposed the helmet is - I know if I should add water or do a rain dance.

All the ideas sound great. My son Jeff made me a fiberglass faux rock to sit on top of one of my skimmers and it is is very light weight. It's held up well but of course its not down in water. They make figerglass boat bottoms so I think it would also work underwater. He had a scrap of fiberglass cloth around the house and he just shaped it size of skimmer top and then covered it with whatever your supposed to use. Then put some gray paint on it as other rocks around pond are gray.
I have a painter friend that used to work for Universal Studios and he makes lots of faux stuff and its just beautiful. Even trim for around his living room and also on the furniture. Does beautiful work. He said shaping a waterfall would be very simple. Maybe for h im but I have to stick to the heavy plastic ones all made and then hide the form.
M Mary,
I'll bet you could make some really beautiful pieces of hypertufa to go around your waterfall and stream bed.
Take care all,
Bonnie

Mittsy, I am sorry it has taken me so long to answer your question regarding swapping Spuria. I really only have a few. They were sent to me by a iris grower to see if they would live in this climate. My landscapers moved my tags so they are all noids. I need no more pants but I will cut them back in September. If you will remind me, I will send you some. I also hsve two in the garden that have seed pods. Do you grow from seeds?

My friend came over and he could not tell if the yellow fish is a Koi but he did say he is pushed around by the bigger fish. I took a lot of photos. My eyes are not good enough to see the whiskers and my Koi fish friend does not have good eyesight. He was going t bring a net but forgot. He did bring me a Blue Koi. He is white and black but a shimmer of blue shows up when he rises to the top. I have two other black & white and one is turning more yellow as he ages. My friend was going to tell me the fish's gender but we got busy on other things.

I will download my photos and see what I can see. It is hot here, 16, so I am in my bedroom watching Masterpiece Mystery from last Sunday and my DH is watching golf.

You all be safe. Hugs, Sharon.