Batnavel's Blog
Batnavel's March 2008 Entries
Last Post 3 days, 17 hours Ago
Mar 28, 2008 | 7:02 PM PST
Well, the weather hasn't been that great, but it has been good enough that I could make some progress on my retaining wall for my patio. Here are a few pics so you can see what I am talking about. Next nice day with dry ground and I should make a lot of progress.
Mar 25, 2008 | 2:38 PM PST
Well, today was a great day. Despite the 30 mph winds, ( no exaggeration, gusts to 40) I was out in the yard. I had a day off, and was determined to feel a sense of accomplishment. I was at Lowes by 7 am to get supplies, and now its 4:30, and I am all cleaned up for the day.
Below are pics of my flower box that I had planned for the front right corner of the garden. Its a little bigger than I originally imagined it, but I like the size. It will be stained, and I will put some trim on it. There will be wide trim around the top, that could serve as seating toward the back, where the patio will soon be. There is a before and after.....you know I am all about the before and afters!!!
Mar 23, 2008 | 9:43 AM PST
Does anyone out there have a "Drops of Gold Japanese Holly" in there garden?? I have one that I bought last fall. Probably the most expensive this I purchased last year. ( a.k.a. Ilex crenata ) -- Well, it appears to have had NO growth, and I did read that it probably wouldnt show much growth till the second season, BUT, the leaves have little brown specs all over them. They're not falling off, and you almost cant pull them off, so the plant seems strong, but the brown specs are unattractive. I have looked in all my books, and looked a little on line, and cant really find out what the problem is. I am going to try an all purpose fertilizer, but I thought I would ask you all if you had any idea. Thanx ^v^ Below is a pic off the net, not of my actually shrub.
Mar 23, 2008 | 9:12 AM PST
Anyone ever had a good experience transplanting moss??? I read some stuff on the net today that says you can get a handful of moss, mix it with a teaspoon of sugar, and either a can of beer or some buttermilk, and then spread that slurry where you want it, and moss will grow. What I am really looking for is something mossy, or a very low growing, low maintenance groundcover that I can use between the pavers of my patio. I am laying 1ft X 1ft pavers in, and I want to leave them about a half inch apart, to creat a standard tiled look, and I want something green for the "grout" -- Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanx, and Happy Easter to all. ^v^
Mar 20, 2008 | 4:24 PM PST
Here are some pics of my crocuses opening up a bit, and of my experimental 20 gallon concrete pot. I experimented with some concrete dyes, and basically the size was a huge experiment too, since my other pots are about 1 gallon size. I havent wieghed it yet, but I think its about 95 lbs or more, so once I seal it and decide where its going, its staying there. ^v^
Mar 19, 2008 | 8:23 PM PST
What a lovely surprise to a rainy day, that followed a rainy day. I went to take the trash out, and glanced toward the garden, and I see crocuses!! I wasnt sure they were going to pop up because I put them in last year, and I did it under sod ( saw that on HGTV) and it looks like they are poppin out now!! I should have a lot more in the next couple of days. It was almost dark when I took this pic, so its not the best, but if you look real close, you should see 5 purple and one white.
Mar 17, 2008 | 5:34 PM PST
Well, the beautiful weather yesterday allowed me to clean up a pile of crap I had lying around from last year. Some sticks, some bricks, some misc. I also made my first HUGE concret pot.....pictures to come in a day or so. This thing is anywhere from 90 to 120 lbs, no joke. Should look cool though, as I dyed the mortar mix red and black, and layered it in.........cant wait to see it.
Tonight after dinner I got out my binder and started to chart some of my early spring projects. I have a picture here for your viewing enjoyment. Back a few weeks ago when we had some great warm weather, I charted the garden out, and made a scale drawing of it, and then made several copies so I could chart out sun exposure, and use it as a blotter for future projects etc. As soon as last years bulbs bloom, I can chart those out too, since I dont remember what I planted where, DOH!!
What you are seeing in the picture below is the entire garden. Its 47 feet long on the left hand side, so you can get an idea of the size of the lot. The smaller square section is what you see in most of the pictures in my albums, and is what I started last fall. Not sure how well the picture will show up, but the shaded areas are the next three projects, the two long narrow beds, and the flowerbox. There is a small chain link fence on the right border, which is where morning glories will grow ( hopefully, will plant this late spring ) down the entire length of the fence, 30 feet, and then I will plant a variety of shrubs along there too, probably in the fall. The bed at the bottom of the picture will be for Sunflowers and Veggies.
Anyway, thats what I'm up to.
And here is what the dinner table looks like when I am planning. Thats a Fetzer Merlot for you wine lovers. Though lately, I have been way more into Red Zins, this went well with the steaks I cooked on the grill tonight.
Mar 12, 2008 | 6:25 PM PST
Here is a pic of my experimental concrete pot. (on the left ). It worked!! I also made a greenlady garden face thingy, but forgot to take a pic. I started my second batch today. I plan on making more in all colors and sizes and experimenting with all things concrete!!!! Woooohoooo. Weather was beautiful today. I worked until 3, but still got to vacuum cars and make concrete, good day!!!
Mar 11, 2008 | 7:57 AM PST
So I have the day off, and the temp is supposed to get to about 50, so in my quest to do garden related things, and be creative, I am going to attempt to make my first concrete planter today. I originally set out this morning to get supplies to make a concrete" bowl", but I couldnt find any plastic bowls to use for molds that I really liked. So, I wondered around Wal-Mart until I found a cheap pail, and a plastic gallon jug that I think will do the trick for my experiment. I read the How-To's on DIY network, and I think I am positioned for sucess here. If it works out, I plan on making many more, to fill the garden, and also to sell. Two years ago I did a craft show and some lady had some concrete bowls, and sold out, at like $40 - $60 a pop. Now everything I have invested right now is about $10, so if I fail, no biggie, and I will try try again. The only thing I didnt get was concrete sealer, which is rather expensive, but once I figure out if I can actually make what I want, I will definately get some. Anyone ever tried this???
Here is the link to the DIY site if you are interested. I will post another blog with some photos in a few days if I have any success at all.
http://www.diynetwork.com/
diy/cr_natural_homemade/articl
e/0,2025,DIY_13767_5140214,00.
html
