Re: [gardeners] a spring full of chores

M T (gardeners@globalgarden.com)
Wed, 5 Mar 2003 23:28:27 -0800 (PST) 

 What a beautiful day today! High of 71* and sunny in the afternoon.
 Within the next month, we should have 3 or 4 more days of lows below
feezing. Not ready to plant out the annuals, but it's finally warming
up a bit.

 Still need to move 7 medium sized shrubs before it gets too warm,
probably within the next 2 weeks. After that the time table for the
other 20 things on the list is a bit more flexible. <BG>

 Looking back over the past year we have managed to;

 Plant 80 feet of leyland cypress hedge and groom it 3 times. It grew
another 6 inches from October to now!
 Hang the hammock from 2 trees.
 Dig a 10x10x2 pond, pot up a bunch of pond plants, add a few small
goldfish.
 Build a triagular raised bed with the dirt from the pond and face the
front edge with brick and a cobble cap (6"x9" pavers). Plant 3 large
groupings of cast iron plant that had grown in 7 gallon pots for the
past 3 years.
 Remove a 15x20 wooden deck. Get rid of rubble.
 Remove the $%#@ five inch thick concrete sub base with an electric
jackhammer. Get rid of the concrete rubble!
 Get rid of the 20 odd railing posts sunk 2 feet in concrete. (The deck
must have been beautiful 30 years ago, interesting pattern, well built,
just 30 years old and beyond repair)
 Move a 6' gardenia 30 feet and keep it alive through last years
drought.
  Add 30 feet of chainlink fence and 5 sections of 6' privacy fence
with a double gate with a 5' opening. The back yard is finally
completely enclosed.
 Map out the 30' round patio. Map out the walkway with a fountain and
circular walk around that, and map out the second pond (4x18x2) and the
granite bridge location.
 Remove the half rotted wooden floor in the large garden shed. Replace
it with a crush and run and sand base. Dry lay 16" square concrete
pavers with drainage pebbles around the outer edges.
 Get the hot tub fixed (bought a better used one from the same place
for $400!) Life is good! Get the hot tub installed in the large garden
shed.
 Plant a 5'x5' evergreen that was sitting in a 9 gallon pot for 3
years. It's a layered cutting of a 12' shrub from my parents yard.
 Plant a few dozen assorted small shrubs (7 need to be relocated...)
 Plant a 5' butia palm and help it survive this extremely cold winter
(for us).
 Plant a few dozen perennials and grasses here and there.
 Move 6 cubic yards (9 tons) of crush and run for the patio. (still
need another 5 tons...)
 Buy 2 pallets of 6"x9" concrete cobbles from Lowes. Estimating we will
need another 3 to 4 pallets to finish.
 Buy $400 worth of aluminum edging for the patio and walkways.


 Still need to;

 Get a 5' round catch basin for the fountain.
 Dig the hole for the catch basin.
 Buy the liner for the 4x18x2 pond.
 Dig the 4x18x2 pond and dig out the area for the cinderblock supports
for the granite bridge in the middle of it.
 Run the conduit and wiring for the 2 ponds and the fountain and 2
seperate curcuits for the large garden shed. (one for the hot tub and
one for the supplimental electric heat to keep the shed above freezing
in the winter. We over winter a dozen USDA zone 9 plants there. We blow
a breaker half the times the tub starts up.)
 Get and spread 5 more cubic yards of crush and run.
 Get and spread an inch of sand over the crush and run.
 Bend the edging and install it.
 Install the pavers. Cut with new circular diamond blade as necessary.
 Plant another dozen small shrubs still in large pots.
 Get the glass double doors sitting at a friend's house for the past 3
years and install them on the backyard side of the large garden shed.

 Lay in the hammock for 10 minutes when the backyard is finally
finished!

 Start on the front yard... <VBG>

Hope you're all doing well and staying warm,
Matt in Notfolk, Virginia - USDA zone 8
 

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