Projects 16

Louise, how nice to see blooms! It will be awhile here since the temps will be in the teens & 20s for the remainder of the week.....those temps aren't going to make a dent in the snow cover....The good news is the storm predicted for Wed. will miss us....thank you, God! The girls look so cute with their new haircuts!

Oh Marilyn.....that is just terrible! I'm glad to hear you won't have yet another bad storm to deal with! Even NC is supposed to get more snow, but just cold rain here on the coast. One week from today we head north an hour for the month of March.

Cutie patooties they are!!!

Soooo looking forward to blooms.

I started to build a homemade fountain that will work on our deck or indoors out of two oval shaped metal planters. The pretty tubs by Nicole Miller Home were too hard to pass up at Homegoods.

One of our neighbors whom we will be sad to lose gave us his spare lumber since he is moving. It is enough to build a small pavillion on the side of our shed for firewood storeage.

We continue work on a master bath, and it will be unique. We already put in stonelike porcelean tile and three drains in the floor so the shower is open--they call these wet rooms. The vanity top is butcherblock that has to be finished with marine resin, and it has a trough sink on top. The welds on the stainless steel tub surround completely polished off so it looks like all was made to order, rather than being stainless steel scrap that it was. We're attaching a small triangle of butcher block in the corner to function as a seat to get into the tub. Glass is on order for the sides of the tub. The mystery is how we can build a matching tower to be a linen closet, so that may have to come from a kitchen cabinet store. I am scouring salvage sites one last time...

This message was edited Mar 9, 2014 10:38 PM

I started an invitation thread for Bill's RU on June 8th. Here you can let us know if you can come, and other threads for food and plant swaps will follow....hope everyone can come see Bill's latest adventures in creative gardening.

Thanks, Louise! Rosemary, that project sounds wonderful!

Oh, my aching joints.......I pruned a dozen roses, & dug out 5.....2 were totally dead....both Carefree Celebrations. One had extensive rodent damage. The other 3 I didn't like.....2 Whiteouts & one Red Meidlland...no scent, very dense & thorny....nice if you were trying to stop wild pigs from coming onto your property!

:) - i hear you - got the hole top and side of the yard raked and pruned - next weekend it will be the backyard.

I raked out a lot, and pruned too. Beautiful day today.

Hoping to rake today before the rain comes.....have to see my Mom at lunchtime, though.

I wish I had a yard to rake. I'm still watching snow melt....sigh

granite do you think you can make the RU here on June 8th?

Please come!

I noticed my peony noses are appearing in the south garden......can't believe how many plants I have lost....disheartening. Most are roses, but also lost my bugloss.

Last year we weren't able to get the pool up, so that is in the works this month. Hubby just informed me I have to move my shed garden since the electric needs to run right thru it....UGH...I like projects but not unexpected ones
here is partial shot from 3 years ago, lots of growth and additions of Iris since then...

Hate those little surprises.

Hope you will enjoy the pool, though!

Pool is definitely a project!

Thought I'd share some views of what I'm doing with my vacation for a few days, and while resting before trying to beat the rain again,

First one, I would entitle "gardening is not pretty,"
second is tree stump to remove plus turkey,
then trees in pots, and lots of trees to eventually plant

On the second thought, they all deserve to go under the title, "Gardening is not pretty."

You will have a busy weekend for sure...good luck with the turkey!

Thanks. DD1's tonsil surgery is tomorrow, so I didn't schedule any yard work over the weekend. Her BF is a total sweetie about lifting things and helping but mainly there will be trips to the ice cream seller and whatnot.

We're being awakened in the mornings by "Gobble Gobble," so this errant bird must think he's a rooster.

Deer are no longer a problem for plants now that we have a "horse fence" for our giant dog.

Many of the above pots with smaller conifers will over-winter in an "alpine house," which is a dig up area lined with plastic sheeting, having tall sides and mulch around the pots, able to cover it on sub-zero nights. Not all though, so I am negotiating with DH about how to get soil into our back yard to build some elevated beds for the larger growing conifers.

I fear the patio, wall, and fountain may have to wait another year. So many family obligations, and I want to create an opportunity to be promoted into my dream job, which will be a tall order, or I won't leave what I'm doing now.

It will look pretty when it's done

Cool shot of the turkey really shows off the colors I didn't know they had

Hope your daughter does well, Rosemary......

We're back and all's well but she also required IV and continuing antibiotic due to a new infection in the tonsils. Next shift to take over is her dog and boyfriend.

Is her dog helpful? Glad that she is ok.

Cliffie the dog provides great emotional support. He is entirely devoted to her and stays by her always.

Glad to hear all went well, Rosemary!

Hope that she continues to improve, Rosemary....tough operation....my son had it a few years ago, & really was laid low.....

Yep, burst of energy the day after. The EMT even called to warn her to take it easy, which must mean this happens a lot. Yesterday and today she was miserable.

Not fun for sure!

This is a progress report regarding our hill and the tree that needed replacing. It started with cutting the large mulberry trees in January. It took ages to get the new acer "Gingerbread" planted. I am pleased with the tree and with how my imagination sees the area developing.

The maple looks awesome, Rosemary!

looks good - nice to see progression photo's

Thanks. This weekend we dumped four SUV trunk loads of compost there. The town composting center is close by and the compost is free, but since there's a lot of hauling, I say our labor is expensive.

I read you can prune cotinus 'Grace' into six feet tall and wide, and I also bought two dwarf red corylus as part of the other side toward the middle of the hill. Cham. vintage gold and Pisifera Lemon Threader for in front of the Shasta viburnum on the left front , darker spreading ones behind the corylus, and then the Hally Joviette cherries somewhat to the left on top of the hill. Fill will be some variegated hostas.

Still open to ideas to improve it. Most of the ditch lilies are toast. Eventually when the wall gets put in farther away on the right, I plan to move the red peonies in that direction.

You certainly have a vision!

rosemary - you will need to trim 'grace' multiple times yearly for any chance to keep it at 6' - it is an aggressive grower and will reach >10' or more easily once established each year. I trim mine back in the spring to maybe 3 -4', and in the fall - then in the spring again.

UH, oh. This may not work in the end. Guess I have to plan more room for Grace for starters. Just don't know of anything quite like a cotinus (maybe a dwarf corylus) that would be smallish and have large reddish leaves. DH is getting my hint as he fixed the carburator on our mulcher this weekend. I also bought a miniature ninebark, Summer Wine I think, but since the leaves are tiny it is nowhere near as exciting--a back up selection.

DH is used to my big ideas. Good thing too or it could really be a problem because none of my projects are quick or easy. Today while buying manure and lime at HD during lunch time I spotted a p.o. 'bruns' for $50 and it is almost five feet tall. Depending upon research into how much sun and room it needs, it's going to get a good place. I always see them as single specimens, so it may be the start of another bed in the front yard.

I really like ninebark....it will turn into a beauty!

the brun's is a nice tree - have a baby at home.

do not recommend buying manure unless it is fresh from the ------ ---. I read somewhere that those bags at HD and Lowes offer as much nutrition as mulching leaves.

Very impressive, Rosemary! That is a lot of work with a very nice result, and more fun to come!

Thanks. I wonder what's wrecking the manure. It does smell ripe. At least kitchen compost works well.

Diablo ninebark is already our front yard. This new one is completely miniature.

I've been reading more online about the Bruns. Bob Finchley of Coenesium Gardens is very critical in his blog of the quality when you buy a Bruns from the big box stores as I did. Since all picea omorikas weep a bit they are often sold as Bruns. This one is still cute and the neighbors were over to admire it, so it goes into a large pot for now. I may buy one of his specially grown babies another time and watch it grow into a truly weeping oddity. I've found just about every one of these oddballs growing in the two neighboring towns. One looks like it has horns. Some people write in forums that they prefer Gotelli.