Here's the plot!

This is the area that is going to be become a burst of color in the next few days. I'm leaving 4' on the left as a public walk way. That leaves 9' x 29', 9' x 48', and a 5' quarter circle.
I have 7 Brugs, then multiple Coleus, Hostas, and impatients.
What do you suggest I amend this sand with? I can't afford new soil. Last year all the composted cow manure and Black Cow were mostly sand which I have plenty of.
Any suggestions for amendments will be appreciated.
Jeremy is going to lend labor and tiller.
He's JaxFlagardener here and a very accomplished artist.
Sidney

I can't wait to see this finished!!!!!! Hurry, hurry, hurry!
Pati

Just rounding up all bits and pieces of bone meal, epsomsalt, borax, etc.
I'm going to have a clean garden pantry when I get through also.
I guess since I live on a four lane street this requires me being 'dressed'.
My NC sister says Mumus don't count as Dressed. Drat.
Still wanting suggestions for additives.
sidney

Bloomer for that mumu would be a great additive..............oh.......you mean for the ground....hehehe.....the only thing that I can think of is a little peat moss...that would help the sand a little...

Boy, sidney, that sure is a big undertaking....wish I could be up to help....but my spirit will.... BTW, what's the epsom salts for? or the borax?

Hap

You might want to check your area for places that sell stuff like topsoil and mulch by the yard.
By the time you buy all the additives for a large space, you could just invest in good topsoil and till in.
Here in the St. Pete area, I can a combination of topsoil, wood shavings/chips and composted horse manure for only $15.00 yard. That fills up the back of my S-10 PU almost twice the height of my bed.
I'm amending my sand as I go along.
Jan...

I wish I could get a load of pure composted cow manure. or sheep manure was Aunt Marys favorite. I'm sure Jeremy's familiar with where to find these. Just want to make the new plants feel welcome. Like they have a big future ahead of them. Jeremy thinks the laceleaf Japanese Maples will do okay there also.
The better idea I get in my head, the more excited I get. I hope to plant it in the rain.
I have a bundle of peat I'll soak and add. The Epsom salt and Borax are for trace elements,
and I already have them on hand. Brugs in particular have needed these.
I'm hoping to plant it, feed it and forget it. The large plants will get some water crystals in the planting holes with Millorganite and these things. Planning to cover bed with oak leaves before tilling it and cypress mulch after it's planted.

Sounds like a plan to me, sugar....forge ahead, Mc Duff...

Any horse stables near you?

Who has the time to go riding that at this point????? She has too much work to be playing...heheheh

ROFL HAP!

This message was edited Jun 17, 2005 9:28 AM

We have some kind of racetrack in Jax, but I think it's "Dogs".
I'll call around and I also have a local native coming to visit.
Been out "Visualizing" and planting things not going there.
sidney

Just started a thread I'd like to share with you all.
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/520879/
sidney

Here are some of the plants, waiting to get in place.

And some more,

One more group.

Are you going to be a busy little lady......it sure will be beautiful...don't over-do now....

One of the Main Players, Orangeola Japanese Maple. It has VERY lacey orange-red folage in spring, and dark red in winter. It will be one of several basic plants going in.

Hostas too!

Here we have the Crimson Queen Japanese Maple, Crimson Red with extremely fine foliage.

Well, time for a work break!
Sidney

WOW

If you cannot get top soil by the yard you should be able to purchase hardwood or pine bark mulch. I have used both and it does a very good job making something that resembles soil out of clay and sand. Someone said Peat Moss in an earlier response. That works well also and you can buy that in huge cubes at Lowes. You wont get much in the way of nutrients out of this stuff but you can always sprinkle a bag of slow release fertilizer in with it. Hope that helps. I have to get creative down here in our pottery clay yards.

Jeremy was here about 7:00am. I'm studying today after hauling leaves back to the area they were raked from for Jeremy to till them in. All done by 11:30. What a wonderful friend he is.
Afterwards a rather intoxicated guy came by and said my yard looked awful, and he could really fix it for me.
I said, I think I could handle it. He said "You gotta get all those leaves out of there." LOL
Gonna go get some more dirt and "conditioner"(???) before I start planting.
sidney

You have a wonderful selection of plants there Sidney. Can;t wait to see a pic when you are done. Love all the coleus. Yvonne

Thanks Yvonne.
Here is a shot of a great friend, aka JaxFlaGardener, hard at work. I really owe him, but I know all neat plants are great gifts for him.
sidney

You have some beautiful plants for your space Sidney. I'm also looking forward to the finished bed.

Taking a breather and reading advice.
Have a system set up of soaking all roots in a systemic/fish emulsion mix in water.
Thank goodness I had some CoCo Wet to finally get the spangum to absorb water,
The heavy drinkers I'm putting in some fortified polymer crystals. I'm trying to decide what to fortify with and how much.
I leave for 5 days on Tues. I will have electric rain on 8 times a day for a few weeks.
Tomorrow I will mulch.
sidney

sugarweed, just wondered if you sprinkle a systemic insecticide around your coleus and cover it over with about an inch of soil?. I tried this in a few of my pots this spring and have really noticed the lack of holes in the coleus leaves. What I used called for a teaspoon per pot.

I also have a dark maroon daylily that I treat so it doesn't get those white blotches on the blooms.

The systemic I have is liquid, and viable for 6 weeks. What was yours?
I may get a srcond wind and go out for more planting by street light.
So far I have the bones in, all the big plants.
Four River Birches that my best friend Betty gave me. I planted those first, and did an Indian Blessing for my garden. Something I thought my ancestors would have done. They were DM's favorite tree
One Copper plant, Acalpha that Grakay gave me, and six Brugs that were from her and originally Kell. I plante a dozen red coleus around that and plan on starting 20 more cuttings from the Mama plants in the morning.
I also planted 2 Laceleaf Japanese Maples.
I planted a sweet shrub from Thirpmaster, and about 11 Kong Mosaic with 11 impatients that I grew from cuttings.
I put lime and deep purple sweet potatoe vines in the front edge of that section.
I had to come in when my toes went into "pinched nerve cramp"
I'll finish tomorrow.
I'm bushed.
sidney

Sugar, I know you are leaving Tuesday.....please, please post some pictures before you go!
Pati

Pati, It looks so punny this AM and I still have many to plant.
I will post some pictures later, say 8 PM, lol
sidney

You must have worked faster than a cat covering sand clusters.

The systematic insecticide I use is a granular powder, just sprinkle a tsp.per 6 inch pot.

I only put it in potted plants. If I use it in the flower beds, I might decide to plant a few lettuce plants there next spring - and then I too would be mosquito proof. LOL

Well, in for a break. I haven't slowed down all day.
Will plant some more after a quick bite.
Big light across the street allows me to do that.
Pictures tomorrow.
sidney

Will you have some kind of path or paths going through?

For any kind of foot cramps: take a tennis ball, put it on the floor and slowly move your foot in circles and back and forth for about five minutes. I had terrible, middle of the night, toe cramps and that's what the physical therapist told me to do. Tried it and it worked the very first time. Now I do it every night - just for about 6 minutes, then go right to sleep.

Arlene

Thanks Arlene, It has no path, as it has a walkway next to the road.
Gonna take a nap and plant some more later.
Sidney

Finished all I can do at 11:25 tonight. Didn't get the mulch down and most of my pictures were blurry, so I'll try again on take-off in the morning.
Here is one of Happy's world record coleus cuttings all the way around a Brug. Hap, can you believe how big they got.
sidney

Here is one taken at 5 this morning.

Another shot in the early AM.

Heres another

Oooooo, when it's all grown up, it's going to be a knock-out! :-)