Spring Projects now Summer Projects!

We came from here, Spring Projects - Show us Yours! http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/965635/#new Since the first thread was getting long and I'm leaving tomorrow to work on my "summer project" I thought I'd start a new thread :) I've been so busy getting things squared away before my trip that I haven't had much time to continue work on my "Spring Projects" but I have plans to continue the plantings when I get back! Tried to think what I could post for a photo to start the thread off - nothing better than to show you what I've got on "paper" for my first Summer Project! A blank slate to work with - my daughter's new home in Maine :) I'll be taking as many plants as I can squeeze into the van and still leave room for Phoebe and I! Have checked online for larger trees and shrubs available at local nurseries and we'll be shopping first thing Saturday morning and hopefully digging by Sunday :) Looks like my timing is perfect - it's been rainy and cold there most of the week but clouds moving out by this weekend and we'll have great weather for planting!

It's been a little difficult to "plan" on paper without having actually seen the house but my daughter has sent plenty of pictures as well as a video to get me started :) Since this is a new home (built last summer) there is plenty of clean up to do in the surrounding woods (downed trees, etc.) but we'll be concentrating on the immediate landscape while I'm there for the week! Her father was there two weeks ago putting a railing on, closing the area under the front porch and getting it painted - here's a before/after photo. Now it's my job to dress it up with plantings!

Thanks, RCN. Good luck with your shopping and planting! LOL, I'm wondering if your daughter is as excited about this project as you are!

Jen, I thought about using Sedum in that strip, but decided not to as I don't want to spend time planting or maintaining it. Working along there is very dangerous and I get wind burnt and lots of stuff blows in my eyes. Jen, I'm going to buy that sod from one of the Jersey sources that specializes in seashore plantings.

Sally, thanks for the tip about the Gypsum. I always have some on hand as I use it in certain beds frequently.

Janet, I grow those Dianthus Deltoids and have to replace some every year. They would look lovely, but I'm afraid they are not hardy enough. Sedum would be.

Oh, Those spring projects are now turning into summer projects and I'm falling even farther behind. LOL
Rcn, could you swing by here on your way home and give me a hand. LOL Shouldn't be too far out of the way. Can't wait to see what you will do at your daughters, Wow just painting and enclosing the porch made a big difference. I know it will be just beautiful.

Have a safe trip and HAPPY PLANTING!!!

Sounds like fun RCN, I just love houses with front porches!
Yeah, Stormy I wouldn't be working out there either when cars are flying by you at 50mph. Is it a busy road?

I wish my house had vertical porch rails. sigh Some of the old houses out here, including mine, have horizontal rails. Looks like a corral. One of these days I'll replace them.

The paint job looks terrific, Deb. I like what they used around the skirt of the porch too, looks very nice.

Stormy, we need to get you some of those big, orange signs like the highway guys use - "SLOW - garden lady working."

Oh, Hart I like the horizontal rails too as long as they match the style house.

Mine also has the rails completely across the front with the steps on the side of the porch because there's a fairly steep slope out front. So it really looks like a corral.

What a great backdrop for the house all those trees make, Debbie.

RCN: One of my sisters has a summer place in ME, on Mt Desert Island. Her place is sort of in the woods, and she put in LOTS of gorgeous japanese maples. When I spoke to the landscaper who did the work for her, he said that that climate is, in fact, perfect for JMs. They also used lots of hygrangeas and some local mosses. I THINK she has some dogwoods, as well; I do recall being surprised at some of the trees and plants she had, as I assumed they were not that cold-hardy.

May we ask the general location of your daughter's house in ME? (It's a big statem with several micor-climates).

Oh, and my 'projects' are mostly: dig new beds, divide and move all kinds of things, destroy thistles. Pretty exciting, huh? :-)

Sounds familiar, Sissy. LOL

I, too, really really like the 'skirt' on that porch--as well as the actual porch lol

Hubby and I were discussing a whole new driveway and sidewalk project. Oh, yeah, as soon as that Money Tree starts dropping Fruit.

Sissystars, I'm in that thistle club too. I even had Bull thistles this and last year. RCN is an ex-Mainer. So is Claypa. Mt. Desert Island is one of the most beautiful places in North America. I've explored it by land, air and sea.

Here's my prize winning thistle. Gone but not forgotten.

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/926080/

And here's the latest crop.

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/993575/

RCN, That house is so improved by that paint and especially that attractive skirting. Your daughter should be thrilled. We'll all be looking forward to photos of your creations as well as any new garden treasures that you bring home!

Jen, Yes, it's a very busy road. I'm a quarter mile from the bridge that crosses the river and leads to 6 major highways. In the morning the traffic is backed up for 3 hours in front of my house. I'm so glad my driveway is not on that street.

It shows huh? LOL Why on earth are you up so early, or is it late? I've got the van all packed - I tried to keep the back window clear so I could see out but by 7:30 we were just throwing stuff in there, going to be a mess to unpack. I would have taken a picture but the camera's buried! I'll try to get my daughter to take one when I arrive.

Hart, the porch is probably what sold my daughter on the house :) She was really pleased with the work her father did closing in the bottom, however she was not impressed with the price :( Supposed to be part of his Christmas present but he charged her for the materials - $500! He's a finish carpenter and even though I love what he did, I told her it wasn't like he was building cabinets! Fortunately all my work is going to be free for her as well as the plants :)

Sissystars, she's in Gorham, inland just above Portland and I'm pretty sure Zone 5a. I've got plans to add a few Japanese Maples even though the nursery we're getting them from won't guarantee them. I'm hoping she's got enough of a microclimate and with protection from the house that they'll make it!

Sally, please share with us where you bought that "Money Tree", I think we all need one! LOL

After a quick shower, I'm off!! Holly, I'll wave when I pass the Dover exit :) I'm hoping it's not too muddy to get everything rototilled when I arrive!

Sally, I'm desperately in need of a new driveway. I'm also waiting for that tree to bear fruit!

Hart, Don't think I've ever seen a house with sideways porch railings. Must be a country thing.

LOL at the orange cones and GardenLady sign.. Someday I'll have to get someone to videotape our tree pruning techniques along that road. Imagine 30' limbs falling into the road and me zooming out there to haul them in while chuckling at the looks of sheer terror on the faces of the approaching motorists.

This is fairly typical of the traffic when it's not rush hour. See that small traffic light in the left side of the photo? That's the on ramp to the bridge. The hills in the background are the Valley Forge Mountain. Once you cross the bridge you are in the National Park. DSO stands on the ladder with the chain saw on a pole. When the light has turned red and the last car whizzes by, we saw. Then I run into the street and grab what has fallen and hopefully don't trip and fall under the next approaching car!!!

RCN, I know it's late for me and slightly early for you! Good luck & watch out for the Moose!

There's the butterfly bench again. Boy, that's pretty and looks so nice there with the tulips.

The horizontal railings are fairly common on old houses here. I don't even know if it's a country thing, more of a valley thing.

I sure don't miss having traffic whizzing by. It's pretty remote here and my road doesn't get a lot of traffic. Even the main road doesn't get lines of traffic except for the nights everyone is going up to the firehouse for their ham and oyster dinners. LOL Seriously, people come from all over Northern Virginia for those dinners, so that's when we get our rush hour.

To have that bradford pear taken down that is next to the house, I need to dig up all my plants in the shade garden so they don't get trampled, I like planting not too fond off digging....lovely.

That's a bummer, Jen. Any way you could take the pear down yourself so you don't have to have tree guys stomping your bed?

Hubby has no time to do it and it was so much cheaper for someone else to do it. To rent a stump grinder alone it was $175.

Good heavens, if you don't have a woodstove or fireplace, give the logs to someone who does. With the cost of heating these days, I'm sure someone will be glad to have them.

My neighbor will take them.

Here's the area that will be my new shade garden...

Closer

See? Somebody's always glad to have hardwood logs. That's going to make a gorgeous shade garden.

hey jen, glad you already have a great spot to move the shade garden to. I don't so much mind moving plants but getting the grass out of the way...UGH. I think I'd be tempted to try the laasgne method. --the steady rain we're getting will help

I've taken forty feet of faux brick edging and made it a mowing strip here then softened (hardened??) the bed edge with local rocks
The lighting is bad but the combo here of textures and colors is pretty nice right now. hart's heirloom iris will need dividing this year and it is a verrrry nice iris, no sick leaves at all

This message was edited Jun 16, 2009 9:05 AM

oops

This message was edited Jun 16, 2009 9:07 AM

Sally, Really like that idea of putting in the mowing strip and then adding the rocks. Looks real nice and will be much easier to maintain than just having a rock edge.

closer

Thanks Holly- the rocks were a temporary edge there and a real mess!

I wil def be doing the lasagna method. I can't believe how much my legs hurt from all that digging yesterday.

Sally, love that bed.

thanks jen- it's really developed well since filling up with DG swap plants!!!!

Ric, did the digging yesterday, he dug me a new bed where the bathtub is going. I planted it last night when I got home. I'll probably post pics next week as I still have some work to do out there. That was the job that the chickies were supervising. LOL

So what did you use for Sally's legs, Holly? LOL

Sally that looks really nice. I like the way you've done the edge too.

I tried the lasagna method in a couple of spots here. The weeds here are so indestructible, by the next year they had come right up through a foot of newspapers and new soil. Maybe if I'd used concrete as a bottom layer... LOL

Bathtub is coming along very nicely, need some mulch and a big more digging around the back and it will be ready for it's debut. LOL
Two more projects are starting to come together. No actual work on them but getting the materials for these two is a good part of the work.
Ric and I picked up about 500 used bricks for the driveway, we will go back maybe next week for another 500.

500 brick, oh how I could use 2-3,000 brick. I need a path but no money for brick. Made me sick about a month ago when I was headed downtown Cleveland for dr's appointment, came across a small shopping mall that was torn down, all kinds of brick and didn't have the time to park and climb a fence and start getting some of them. Cause ya know all they were doing was hauling them off to a land fill. Seems to me that should be a crime to be putting old brick, stone, rocks in landfills. They should be made to put a notice free such and such. folks would be glad to recycle them into their gardens....lol

lucky you. can't wait to see a picture of your finished project with them.

Janet

Today we picked up the RR Ties for the expanded gazebo floor. This is a biggie for me as there will be 4 new flower beds on the corners of the gazebo. Some of the plants still in the driveway have been waiting for those beds. WOOHOO!

a lot of hard work, but oh so much fun creating.

enjoy.

Janet