leah's Blog

Entry for May 07, 2007
May 7, 2007 | 10:00 PM PST
Tags: puttering , planning , zen garden , plant sharing , fencing ideas , compost , bricks , rugosa rose , Mr K , pergola , moss

Woke up early today. Went and took care of my grandfather's lawn first.

Picked up a load of composted horse manure from D's house, only one front end loader scoop this time to leave extra room. Stopped by Delaware Brick and picked up another strap of bricks for the patio. The compost had slid everywhere, so I just backed up to the pile and loaded a strap that fell over who knows how long ago up by hand over the tailgate. The yard man's always friendly, and he gave me a hand, so it took no time. And now he doesn't have to wiggle the forklift around the fallen pile anymore.

Mr K worked on the patio all evening. I pruned the rugosa rose (ouch, see photo album for a look at the thorns) with remarkably little damage to my person compared to last time. Got the tomato cages in, and unloaded the compost--half in the new bed out front, half in one of the raised beds out back. I should've watered, but I was tired and windburnt, and it was getting dark.

Talked artistic vision briefly before we headed in to get cleaned up for dinner. There's a Zen garden in my head and I'd like to make it materialize. It's got to wait until our current batch of projects but I think he's on board. We've got a weeping willow we put in the first summer we bought the house, so it's getting pretty big. Maybe 30 ft away is a gingko we put in 2 summers ago. They're around a drainage/retention ditch that's about the size of a school bus, maybe 4 ft deep with a 40 degree slope at the end where the trees are, and gradually sloping up to ground level at the other end. We've lived there 4 years now and I've only seen it hold water once. One winter we had a massive thaw, it filled up and froze, and the next morning nothing was left but the frozen crust across the top--the water had all drained out from under it. I'm thinking a few more specimen trees, at least a Japanese red maple and a black pine, maybe a weeping cypress if I can find one hardy enough to not have to put it inside for the winter. A wide expanse of white sand, and a rake. A few different sizes of stone, both as borders and around the trees. Moss around the trees and on the rocks. Maybe a small grove of bamboo if I can find one I'm confident will not invade. And maybe some ornamental grasses as a transition back into the rest of the yard. And wide slate stepping stones, set into the slope, and down the middle of the sandy expanse. That, and some removable timber bridges that can be stowed out of sight will help with the raking, since the sandy expanse will probably be at least 30-40' wide.

Talked to my father, the resident expert in all things wood and woodworking related, over sushi after dark. Needed advice about the pergola which I'd like to start soon, and I'm also curious about bamboo reed fencing, which caught my attention during my wanderings online last night. His impression is favorable, so maybe I'll run it by the Mr. We have distinctly different aesthetic sensibilities in many areas. Talked a little about my Zen garden vision, and T says they've got tons of moss in several different varieties free for the taking.

I love plant sharing. They're so darn expensive to buy in the nursery or greenhouse, or even in the big box stores. And the ones that divide and multiply are no trouble to dig out. They barely even leave a hole when you take a few out. I've given some stuff to T before, and she gave me some lily of the valley. I'm not much for the through-the-mail exchanges some forums do, but I give stuff away in person all the time. I've got the address of one of my coworkers starred in my email right now so I can drop off a goodie box at her house one of these afternoons when I get a chance.