Another new arbor for me! This Weeping Spruce has been getting too big for its britches and we either needed to cut it back or get something in place for it to crawl up over! I've been looking for a cheap arbor, nothing fancy, just something to do the trick. We finally got it in place this week.
From the other side, this is the path that leads around the pond to the gazebo. The Spruce was hanging all the way to the ground but now it will be trained up over the arbor and crawl down the other side. I had a chance yesterday to do some cleaning up around the edge of the path, what a mess! Lots of work to do here and it's fairly wet as it drops into the edge of the pond so I'm going to attempt adding some Ostrich Ferns, Rodgersia, Turtlehead and Darmera, plants that like moist shade. They're planted elsewhere in the gardens but they haven't fared too well with the two summers of drought so hopefully they'll like it here! If I'm successful, I'll continue cleaning out further along the path, to the left, and add plants that like moist sunny conditions.
Just one more view - the Spruce crawls along to the left in this picture and up over a gold Chamaecyparis planted where the path comes in from the driveway. The only plant here right now is a large clump of Giant Solomon's Seal right in front of the Spruce. Plans are to add a border of Hostas along the path and some Ferns - lots of holes to dig and the soil is not "friendly" and will have to be amended as well :(
What do you have planned for projects this spring?
I just love what you are doing with that Spruce!
I have a few ideas for this summer we will see how they come along. LOL
Well! That's wonderful Debbie. I have nothing so extensive planned. I do want to make a trellis to hide the oil tank with a hardy passion vine or other vine, whatever ends up growing for me.
Mostly I've been moving things as they grow. I bought a pink evening primrose in the fall- I just chopped it onto three and now have three nice little plants. Which'll probably be 3 nasty thugs by end of summer!
I wish I had taken a "before" picture so you could have seen it hanging down into the path :( It actually looked nice but if we had left it by summer we would have been tripping over it on the path! Rick just groaned when I started another project LOL But...I think he actually likes it :)
Sally, watch out for that Primrose - it IS pretty, but you obviously know about its bad reputation! We had it growing "inside" the hoop houses years ago and it self-sowed in the gravel "outside" the house - definitely not fussy where it grows!
Love the welcoming are of the spruce over the arbor, Debbie.
No projects for me this year, just maintaining the flower beds that I have, and filling them up with plants. But I do notice I expand the beds by a few inches each year. LOL
rcn--in fact, it was ladygardener who warned me. I have it in a tough spot. (tree roots)
ladyg- well you see, you plant up to the edges and then you have to dig out some lawn to find new edges...ME too ^_^
Actually, my beds looked instantly a little better when I established the edges with bricks or a couple inches of bare mulched ground.
Sally, you've given me an idea :) I have planter boxes around the back side of our pond that need some really tough plants. The area hardly ever gets watered and the Sedums have managed to survive but I need something to fill in. I think if I can find some of those self sown Pink Primrose they might just do the trick - thanks!
Alright, I'm probably dreaming but I played around with a design for the area around the arbor this morning. Mind you, the only plant that is ACTUALLY there now is the Giant Solomon's Seal on the right side of the path and it's much easier to "paint" pictures than actually getting it all planted! A girl can dream can't she? LOL
OHHHH, I like that. You picked some very pretty plants to go in there and I'm sure they will be just a large and full as the pic you photoshopped in. LOL
Honesty that is going to be just a lovely path. I'm hoping to get Ric moving on a new arbor in a couple of weeks. He's going to do most of the building but I get to run the router.
I actually tried to dig my first hole yesterday and plant the Hosta along the edge but no luck :( I forgot that the pond liner comes all the way up to the edge and I didn't have a knife or scissors on me to cut it. So I just moved to another area I'm working on, right around the corner from the arbor. I'll post pictures soon, it won't look like much because it's almost all Hostas, but you'll be able to see the rocks I collected from the creek! I also tried to dig up some of those tall Solomon's Seals. Rick doesn't think they need to be divided, he likes them just the way they are, so I was trying to sneak and get a clump out of there quick! Dug around 3/4 of the clump and he pops up at the top of the hill!!! Quickly covered "my work" and made it look like I was doing something else LOL TODAY, I'll dig around the rest of the plant, have it transplanted, plant the huge clump of Hosta I want to go there before he even knows what's up :)
between this and helping your daughter, you are going to be "gardened" out by the end of the season, LOL.
I've got several projects going... right now I'm still trying to clean up the yarden then I'll think about which project to tackle. I started a couple different ones last spring, then never went back into the yarden after June. What a mess out there :(
Keep sharing progress/photos!
47 square feet of slate. approx.
That's what I scored this AM from DS' friend the casual landscaper teenager. He had leftover from a project. Can you imagine what my yard would look like if I had access to leftover landscape material all the time? Junkyard or awesome, not sure.
The pieces range evenly from large to small. I think I need to find a place in my yard for a 15 foot path. I have a shady, longer path that has sand and round rock leftover from basement drainfield and building material. Of course the sand is yearly getting dirtier, and the rocks under it haven't settled in firmly in places so that didn't work out as well as I thought. I will probably see how much I can cover. Either that or a roughly 4 by 10??small 'patio' where I currently have a homemade bench in the shade, same area.
OOOHHH Sally, What a great haul, next thing you know you will be stopping alongside the road to pick through someones trash. Like I did yesterday and scored to huge shop lights. I call it hunting and gathering. LOL
Ric has tons of things like that, they come home and get piled behind the barn or in the corral. Never know what project you can put together. My daughter used the left over slate from her patio to build a small wall around one of the trees in the back yard. Just a nice little stacked stone wall. Made a huge difference in the look and a real nice little garden bed.
Eh.I need more slate, or a smaller bench. I roughly laid it by the bench and it's less than I thought. I'll take another look tomorrow.
My 'free' slate will probably make me buy more to make a whole job of it. My yard is so flat, I can't think of anyplace that can use a little stone wall. Bet a stack of this would be a nice snake hiding place...
Hey Jody, great to see you here! I'll definitely be posting progress pics and I don't think I could ever be "gardened" out :)
Worked in the area around the corner yesterday and still didn't get the Solomon's Seal dug up! Back breaking work, planted a lot of Hostas but for every hole I had to cut out and dig up roots from the darned Black Bamboo :( If it hadn't been for those roots, I could have finished that project and already been on to the next! Discouraging though, collected the Hostas I was going to plant and discovered the T Rex and Komodo Dragon I bought last fall for this area are deader than doornails. I never have problems overwintering Hostas in pots but I think the bark these were planted in just never dried out and they turned to mush - drat :( I bought three large concrete pavers in January from a PA vendor which have impressions of Ferns in them. I had planned to use them in another area, but Rick thinks they might look nice on this path and he might be right! But...if I only had about 6-7 more it would be just "right" LOL If they weren't so darned heavy, I'd call the guy and have him ship a few more. Although a friend from PA who lives close to this vendor said he might be visiting this summer and told me if I wanted more he'd bring them to me :)
Oooh, Sally, "free slate"! I had to pick up a couple of pieces to finish an old path at Home Depot - at $3.00 each it's a good thing I didn't need more.
debbie--someday I just have to get down there and see all that wonderful stuff. Let me know when you're done.
LOLOL !!
I'm drooling here between that new arbor (and view from behind) and Sally's scoring free stuff - sheesh!
Came in for a break - it is freezing out there!!! Sally, at this rate if you wait until I'm done, you'll never get to visit :) I can't believe I'm actually crazy enough to be planting on a day like this but I'm trying to beat the rain they're predicting. Problem is, I keep taking breaks, looking at this and that and before I even finish one project I'm thinking about a new one! Thinking about the rocks I've been able to collect, there's a few big boys that would make perfect steps leading through the rest of the Hostas I'm hoping to get planted this spring - what is wrong with me??? I can't stop and the rocks aren't even here yet, they're stockpiled by the creek for my next visit to drag more home!! LOL
Debbie, nothing wrong with you, I share the same affliction, can't get one project done with out starting or thinking about the next one or 2 or 3 .
And Yes it is very cold outside, the wind is bitter today.
This message was edited Mar 25, 2009 2:32 PM
I left work at lunch and went to the bank...THAT was enough for me...such a wimp...but gray and chilly...just not a good combination ESP with April fast approaching! Starting to increase the watering and use of fish emulsion (kids will thank me again THIS year...LOL) on the Brugs and Plumerias
How cold is it down there? It's 55 here a bit cloudy now but the sun was out earlier just a slight breeze. I've been out for several hours. Went to the gym this morning, then Dr. appt. and did a bit of shopping at Walmart., you know bird seed, dog food that kind of thing. When I finally got home sometime before 1:00 I headed outside. Just some general clean up and I planted my Pansies.
Holly, I'm still green with envy looking at those rocks and I like your moss too! That's next on my "list" as well, to collect some moss. It was 41 degrees when I first got started yesterday morning and by noon it was up to a whopping 45! But it was the wind that made it seem so frigid and the drizzle that started around 2:00 didn't help things :( I still managed to be able to work outside until almost 5:00 :) Two long sleeved shirts, a fleece vest AND a fleece-lined overshirt did the trick! Got the rest of my Hostas planted and figured it was too miserable to do any more planting, although I did finally move the Solomon's Seals and dug a few more holes for Hostas or whatever else I decide on for along the path. Then I started looking at the slope again where I thought some of the rocks would make perfect steps, drove to the creek, wrestled with some of those "big boys" and by 5:00 I had the top three steps in place :))) The fourth step has been placed but Phoebe was getting impatient with me - she was soaked from the rain as well as a quick swim in the creek AND she was HUNGRY and she let me know it was time to quit! I can see from this small side project that my supply of rocks is going to quickly dwindle. There are more there for the taking but they're wedged in along the edge of the creek and I'll need a pry bar to get them out. There is one other area in the creek where they've been "dumped" from the floods a couple of years ago but I'd have to wade through water to get them and then figure out how to get them up over the steep (6'+) bank :( Think Ric and Josh would want to help? LOL
If I get the steps finished today, I'll try to get some photos so you can see what I've accomplished. One more trip to the creek and I should be able to finish it!
I'm simply exhausted reading about it. I've done NOTHING in my yard...really itching to get out there though!!
Debbie and ladygardener - LOL, I also have the same affliction. I try to limit my expectations to something realistic, but idea after idea keep creeping on to the list! Realistic expectations for this year are a new vegetable garden with deer fence, and a new statue focal point garden on the path leading to the well. The vegetable garden idea is brand new - never had any desire until I got heirloom tomato and pepper seeds at the MA seed swap. The focal point garden has been an idea that has been brewing for years, and the half price purchase of a 4' angel statue in February is incentive for the start I need.
Other than that, I just want to clean up, fix up, and add plants to the areas already established nearest the house. My retired parents live on the adjoining propery, and I am so lucky that my dad loves to take on gardening chores. He comes down nearly every day and works on something for 2-3 hours. It is a running joke for me to play "miss detective" and figure out what he has done. On Monday, he removed leaves from the cottage garden and mulched the lilac hedge. On Tuesday, he removed the old peony foliage (I should have done this last fall to prevent disease), mulched the cottage garden, and mulched the weeping cherry and dogwood trees. On Wednesday, he sprayed the organic oil stuff on the fruit trees before they really break winter dormancy. Wonder what I'll find tonight when I get home :-) Terri
I'm simply exhausted reading about it. I've done NOTHING in my yard
rcn, Ric was looking at your path, he just loves it. Got a real kick out of your Photo Shopped pic. I keep saying that I want to get PS and it wouldn't surprise me if he doesn't pic it up one of these days. I don't think that Rocks are going to be in this years project book but Bricks sure are. LOL The Veggie garden is coming around pretty nicely. Don't know what I will do with all the Christmas greens, I have two huge piles that I got from the Christmas tree lot thinking that what I didn't use for decoration I would mulch up. Make a nice pine needle mulch for under the Juniper Hedge. It's not going very well and I think I will either have to rent something bigger to grind it up or (I hate to say this) burn it.
Holly--Christmas tree boughs are great for mulching/protecting perennials like Mums. You just lay the branches over them, yet there is still room for air and such.
Maybe you should hang on to them?
Holly, there might be cheaper and easier programs to use than Photoshop? I think you can create pretty much the same thing with Photoshop Elements - layers are the main thing you need and it's a heck of a lot cheaper! It sure is fun to "play" with though :) Since I couldn't get any work done outside yesterday I sat down at the computer and "fixed" my "before" photo of the Hosta garden I finished planting this week. At least this time it's almost real because the plants actually ARE in the ground! It was a little tough to display them properly - the scale is a little off and where it shows only one Hosta of each I've actually planted three of each variety! I forgot to erase all the numbers but you get the idea :)
Question for all of you...I was talking to a friend last night whose teenage son is looking for work. I immediately thought I might be able to use him for collecting rocks! Sure would save me a lot of back breaking work getting those rocks up the slope from the creek and he could stockpile them for me so all I'd have to do is load them in my car. When I asked how much he charged, she said she thought $15.00/hr was about "right"!!! It's been a long time since I hired anyone to help me but isn't that a little steep? Am I being too cheap or would I be getting ripped off?
Yes, I think $15 is too much, for our area anyway. Maybe $10 but even that is generous. I'm sure farm laborers in your area don't make $15. Now if you compare that to say road construction crews that would make more. Some teenagers, charge a set fee to say mow a yard and if they are pretty quick about it they could make $15 an hour or more maybe. You could look at how many rocks he collects in an hour and then decide to give him a small bonus if you think he did really well.
reading your list and wondering, is there a Hosta Manana? ma-nya-na
Hmm, I have a teenager like that so I am on the side of giving him the 15 LOL. Your area does partly determine the going rate. How old is he, how much rock will he move, how messy will it be? how much work is there?
I don't know. How eager is he, how much do you like this friend and the kid?
I was trying to adjust to what babysitters were getting- luckily my kids aged out before I went over a dollar an hour per kid.
That's what I was going to say was - what's the avg rate around your area. I know our local carwash pay's them like $10/hr & that's not quite as strenuous. If I really needed something done and couldn't get to it myself...and I KNEW the person would bust their butt during the time they were working...I might consider it (course if I had the money at the time...LOL) How many hours would you need him?
Hosta Manana - huh? Hosta montana there but no "ma-nya-na" LOL
Thanks for the feedback on the hourly rate :) After selecting and hauling another load of rocks yesterday I know this young man could sure save me and my back, but I think I'll hold off getting any help with the rocks right now. It's tough work but it might be difficult getting him to collect them for me because I AM selective about those I choose! I'm still thinking about hiring him to dig out the area for my endless stream though! If he'd go for $10.00/hr I'd be willing to hire him for a morning and see how much he could get done and then decide whether to use him for other projects.
I was hoping to have photos to share this morning but I didn't stop working until late yesterday and thankfully just before it started raining :) I still have a few more rocks to place along the path and need about 3-4 more flat rocks to finish the end of the path but I'm already thinking about what I'm going to plant there even though it's not even finished yet!
Well my first spring project is getting closer to being finished! I got another load of rocks this morning and laid some in place for the end of the path but the soil was too wet after last night's rain to secure them in place. I was able to place the rocks along the edges however that I needed to hold back the raised soil and then couldn't stand it - I wanted to plant something! Off to the woods I went to dig Hepaticas to plant in a few of the pockets of soil I had made along the path - not in the "plan" but you know how my mind works, one thing just leads to another! I was so excited to find Bloodroot and Dutchmen's Breeches as well but my bucket was already full! Planted the Hepaticas and went back for the others and then found Virginia Bluebells :) By the time I returned it was raining too hard so the planting and pictures will have to wait until tomorrow :( I'm psyched, even though this is a project I shouldn't even be working on with so many other areas that need help I'm pleased with how it's all come together. I'll have pictures soon even though I'm nowhere near done with the planting - the ideas just keep flowing!
Sounds like you are really going to town. Ric and I worked in the Veggie garden yesterday. Planted a few things, JR came for an overnight and helped plant and dig weeds. Oh Dutchmen's Breeches, I can't find mine this year. I have had a small patch of them for years that was dug up from the woods behind the house. They come back every year and I always try to be so careful when planting anything in that area. But so far they haven't made an appearance, and they are usually the very first sign of spring in our garden. Well, maybe they are just a bit late this year, too early to completely count them down.
Don't give up on the Dutchmen's Breeches - the ones I found on our property had barely popped out of the ground. It's odd though, when we walked down by the river on the neighbor's property they were all in bloom! He's the one who built that monstrosity of a "garage" spoiling our view of the mountains but he did give us permission to dig any wildflowers we wanted since he's going to be doing more work (aka damage) in the area. So...I grabbed a few more of the Dutchmen's Breeches from his property :)
Rick took a few pictures yesterday so thought I'd at least share a few even though they don't show much. This is the area I started the beginning of the week - the one with the Hostas. Now you can at least see the rocks that define the edges of the bed.
And here's my rock "sculpture" :) I've got mini or dwarf Hostas planted in front of "him" with taller Hostas behind him. A friend bought a 'moss mix' that's she going to share with me and I'm hoping I can encourage more moss to cover it.
Rick didn't get any good pictures of the stone steps and path but he did get this one that shows the top steps with the moss I placed there on Friday. It's a start but I've got a lot of collecting to do to get enough to fill all the areas along the steps!
Last one for this morning - just back from collecting rocks and a quick swim in the creek, Phoebe's ready to start helping! She'll drag sticks anywhere, if I could just hook her up to a harness she could drag rocks for me too!
Phoebe is looking pretty good much improved from last year. Listening to you talk about dragging rocks makes me very happy that were not doing that right now. Josh builds bridges and last year when the bridge below us was replaced we were pretty unhappy that his company didn't get the job. It would have made the work of dragging all those rocks home a lot easier. He was telling me that they are going to replace another stone bridge in our area and this time his company did get the contract, so looks like later this year or maybe next spring there will be more rocks and access to equipment to make the job a bit easier.
