My Weekend Project

Many of you know I'm tackling a huge project (at least for me!) this weekend while Rick's at a photo seminar in NC. But thought I'd start at the beginning and fill you in on my progress. Be prepared, there's alot to report here!

We have an area in our field where we have started developing an arboretum of sorts of every tree/shrub that we grow. Last fall Rick planted 100+ trees and shrubs - unfortunately with the drought this year, bad timing :( Some successes, some failures and lots of deer damage, but that's another story! We have a pond with a wooden walkway where I wanted to build stairs to lead down a slope which enters into the field. There are several access points to the field from the driveway, etc. but I wanted a "special" entrance. We had tossed around a few ideas but with the heat this summer we didn't get anything accomplished. When I found out Rick would be away for a weekend, my brain kicked into action! Figured I could get someone to help me build the stairs while he was away and have a nice surprise for him when he gets home :)

In August I found a wonderful arbor on sale at Lowes and decided to include it in the design for the steps. Plans are to install it at the top of the stairs with a small platform just off the walkway. Okay, bad news first, my friend wasn't able to help me - had to work this weekend - but I decided to tackle the project myself, I'm determined that at least part of this project will be completed by tomorrow afternoon! First thing Thursday morning, I arrive at Lowes with a diagram of what I wanted to accomplish and the salesman helped me figure out the materials list - fortunately they cut all the lumber to size and an hour later I was loaded and headed for home. Unfortunately I didn't get to start on the project until yesterday because of the unexpected death of friend which necessitated a 2.5 hr trip Thursday afternoon :( Bright and early yesterday morning, armed with hammer, drill, tape measure and level I was ready and raring to go! Mind you, I am not a carpenter but have just enough knowledge to be dangerous LOL I successfully constructed the platform and attached it to the walkway - a REAL carpenter would probably be shaking his head at me at this point with my "construction" techniques - the joist hangers gave me a little bit of a problem but the L-shaped brackets sure came in handy! Pleased with my "handiwork" I began the task of attaching the stair stringer hangers - oh boy :( Realized that with the slope I would fall short of where the bottom step would land and my first step would be at the same height as the platform - that's not how it was supposed to work! Scurried around to find cement blocks to support the platform and found a piece of 6x6 PT that would help - not quite long enough - platform is 48" and 6x6 was only 41" but it works because the stairs are only 36" wide :) This isn't supposed to be "pretty", just functional! LOL Took me another hour to get things level so I could attach the stringer hangers - then realized I really needed a second pair of hands to help hold the stair stringers while I screwed in the hangers. Not to worry, a friend is coming by later in the afternoon to check on my progress - that "step" will just have to wait!

Minor interruption :( An ATV goes whizzing by in the field and I'm thinking to myself, now where the heck is he going? After all, this IS private land! Next thing I know I hear him hollering and went to investigate. He's in the lower field waving his arms and hollering at EIGHT cows meandering through the field!!! This is not the first time we've had cows in the field - as a matter of fact last fall the week after Rick had completed the plantings in the 'arboretum' we came home to find five cows walking through the beds :( This an ongoing problem we have every spring and fall, there are always one or two strays who make their way across the creek from the neighbor's fields and break through the fences - grass is always greener on the other side right? Anyhow, the fellow stops by to chat and apologize and lets me know he's still got another TWO on the other side of the house in the gardens that he's trying to chase back - great, so now there are TEN cows in our yard! I was so busy with my project that I didn't even see them. I leave him to his "business" and wish him luck - after all I've got things to do!

Still waiting for my friend to arrive, so I start screwing in the decking for the top of the platform now that I know it's safe to proceed because it's actually level and I've dug Phoebe (our new puppy) out from under it LOL Honestly, of all the places she could find to take a nap! Just as my friend arrives, my battery powered drill starts running out of juice :( But that's okay, because it's finally starting to rain - yahoo, finally - much needed rain!! So that kills the "project" for the afternoon but it's okay, it's only 3:00 and there's a great little garden center about a half hour way that's having their fall sale this weekend - 50% off trees and shrubs and 75% off perennials! My friend, Judy, was thrilled to find out about the sale because she and a couple other friends were looking for a birthday present for Rick and thought about buying him a tree for the arboretum - perfect timing! We travel the 30 miles to the garden center, find some great buys (all trees and shrubs) but we've only got her small Toyota and they won't fit! No problem, we were able to pay for them, leave them there and can pick them up with the truck anytime in the next week :)

Just in case you're wondering what we bought :) She bought Rick a Cercis 'Hearts of Gold', a steal at $40.00 and he's been looking for one to include in the arboretum planting. She also picked up a beautiful healthy Camellia for herself. I picked up a 'Wolf Eyes' Cornus kousa http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/53337/, something I've wanted in the landscape for a long time :) Bought another yellow flowering Calcycanthus 'Athens' http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/93128/, the first one we planted hasn't fared too well and this one was real healthy! Picked up a real nice Umbrella Pine http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/60887/. We actually have two of these planted in the landscape but thought another one would look real nice in the new planting around the new arbor and steps :) And last, a Yellow Paperbush http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/1158/. This beauty is reportedly only hardy to Zone 7 but I have always wanted to "test" one in our gardens and at $18.00 I couldn't resist! I have a spot where it will be somewhat protected (of course in the new "arbor" planting :) and will keep my fingers crossed.

At this point it's 5:00, the rain has stopped but figure with a drained battery and my aching body from hoisting PT lumber all day and struggling working on that slope, I'm ready for some dinner. We call it a day and stop on the way home to reward ourselves with Margaritas and great Mexican food at a local restaurant :)

So now it's Saturday morning and it's going to be a beautiful day - onward and upward - or would that be downward since I'm building steps to go "down" the slope? LOL I've got stairs to install, an arbor to erect and attach, then have to haul some dirt with the lawn tractor and cart to fill in the slope and hopefully collect some rocks to help with the terracing that needs to be accomplished before I can start planting. Whew!! Wish me luck - I only have until tomorrow afternoon when Rick arrives home and hopefully his surprise will be ready! I'll be taking pictures along the way so I can post them for you to see the before and after :)

Debbie

Debbie, Sounds like a great project, can't wait for the pictures. Where are you getting all that energy from, Girl. Send some up this way LOL. Phoebe, didn't notice the cows! Probably a good thing wouldn't want her hurt getting kicked.

Enjoyed reading about your day.

Please, pictures as-you-go! Sounds fantastic.

LOL Chris!! I've been saving my energy all summer for this project :) Yeah, Phoebe was asleep when the cows arrived - thankful for that - our dog, Flopsy, who passed away in January actually got kicked in the head by cows from this same neighbor years ago :(

Okay, anxious to post the pictures but want to report on yesterday first. Wonderful crisp cool morning to tackle my project. My friend Judy was supposed to arrive sometime after lunch to give me a hand, but I got way ahead of her :) Nailed down the decking to the platform, continued to struggle with the stair treads and finally achieved a level reading and screwed them in - didn't nail them in case I found out later I had made an error and needed to back them out and remove the treads! Then I had to cut away and pick axe a ground cover juniper that was in my way - Phoebe and I had alot of fun with that - NOT! It's only 9:30 and I'm already to assemble the arbor - yahoo, the fun part ??? I hate reading those #@(%$! instructions - finally figured out the plan of attack and was on my hands and knees on the gazebo when something landed on my back!!!! My cat, who I hadn't even noticed because I was so engrossed with the instructions, was on top of the gazebo and jumped down (about a 6' drop!) onto my back - I let out a scream - I don't who was more surprised - me or the cat LOL Finally get the arbor assembled and I just can't stand it - it's only 11:00 and Judy isn't going to arrive until around 2:00 :( So I struggle with it and get it upright into position only to realize with the winds we had yesterday morning, I need to get my L-brackets to attach it to the platform - quick! So I laid the arbor back down, head off to the local hardware store and I'm back in a flash and got it back up (once again by myself) and attached the brackets to keep it from falling over. Only problem I ran into was the dimensions on the box, which I used to calculate the width of the platform it would rest on, said it was 42" but when I got the thing assembled it was 49" - 1" wider than the platform!!!! Not to worry, since the guys at Lowes couldn't guarantee their cuts would be accurate, the platform decking was actually 48-1/4" so I only had 3/4" of an inch to split on either side and the arbor actually now sits only 3/8" beyond the edge of the platform. Am I boring you yet? LOL

The steps (at least the first section) are complete, the arbor is up and installed and it's still only 1:30! I try to start the tractor to haul some dirt for fill in anticipation of picking rocks from the creeks to build it up - tractor won't start :( So I move to an easier project, digging a couple of Junipers and putting together the containers I had planned for both sides of the arbor. Judy finally arrives and is amazed at what I've accomplished all by myself :) At this point I'm kind of at a standstill and it's been a long day so we decide to drive back to the garden center and pick up the shrubs we bought the day before - thinking if I get them, I can fill in with dirt this morning, lay the stones and get some of the shrubs planted before Rick arrives home.

Quick change of plans - at 7:45 last night Rick arrived home!!!! The amount of driving to and from photo shoots had just about killed him - he has severe back problems :( So he decided after 52 hours of driving over two and a half days he had had enough and headed home. Don't get me wrong, Phoebe and I were pleased to see him - but I wasn't "done" with the project yet! He asked what I had been up to since Thursday (since it was obvious I hadn't done any housework LOL) - told him he'd have to wait until morning when it was light out and I'd show him his surprise :) Bright and early this morning I walked him down to my project - he was impressed!!! First thing he asked me "who helped you", when I told him I did it all myself, he said, "No, really, who did you have help you?" When he put the level on one of the stair treads he was REALLY impressed :) I can't believe it myself but I was determined to at least get most of it done before he got home. He was so impressed in fact that we went back to Lowes this morning to get the rest of the materials necessary to install the next five steps :) He figured I did such a great job, I may as well finish it :) Initially I wasn't really sure how many steps it would take to clear the slope but figured if I got at least part of it completed, I'd be well on my way to finishing it.

So without keeping you in suspense any longer, here are some before and after shots!

Yikes, I've got a wireless connection and this is taking forever to load - my apologies to anyone on dial up.

This is the "before" shot looking at the area where the arbor and steps will be. The "platform" you see across the top is the walkway around the pond.

And this is "after" :) Don't let the bottom of the steps alarm you, they haven't been levelled yet - we've run into a bit of a snag but we're working it out! The variegated shrub to the left of the stairs is one of the shrubs I bought at the garden center - Cornus kousa 'Wolf Eyes'. It will probably be dropped a little lower because there will be an Oakleaf Hydrangea just above it.

And of course I couldn't miss the chance to include a pic of my little "helper" - I'm beginning to worry that Phoebe will want to "help" too much! She finds it imperative to get into the middle of anything I'm trying to accomplish :)

A little different perspective with the gazebo to the left and the house in the background.

Oops, forgot to include this one in the beginning - this is taken from the walkway around the pond looking down from where the arbor/steps were constructed. The tilled soil in the background is ready and waiting for more trees/shrubs/perennials to be planted as an extension of the arbor planting!

Another angle from the other side - taken from the gazebo.

And just a little closer - I planted 'Gold Cone' Juniper in the containers so I'd have year round interest (this Juniper turns bright gold in the spring) - included one plant of Rubus calcynoides (trailing plant) - another evergreen, and 3 Veronica 'Goldwell' to spill over the edges as well - looking pretty shabby after a long hot summer but should be bright gold and green in the spring. Snagged the containers from Lowes while I was waiting for them to cut my lumber on Thursday - another bargain, 50% off!

Last one for today - this is taken from the other side of the pond where you enter the walkway around the pond. Thinking it would be really neat if we had a sort of 'bridge' over the pond to lead directly through the arbor - but that project will have to wait. We have tons of work to rejuvenate the plantings around the pond - Royal Ferns and Pitcher Plants among others that we want to drop in around the water's edge.

Sorry I didn't get any photos of the actual "progress" - I was too busy working! Plans are to finish the last set of stairs and rip some boards for risers so the stairs won't be "open" - I have to hide my messy construction! When I finally get all the shrubs/plants in the ground I'll post some pictures of the "completed" project.

your project looks great! good luck with it...and I love your little "helper" :)

Thanks wind, can you tell I'm excited? LOL

Wow!
What a project!!

Job well done! Its amazing what we can get done when the men folk are not around.
One request, can I see a picture of your pond? Please.

Phoebe looks so cute in the picture. What a sweet heart!

Great job!
Looks absolutely gorgeous & inviting :-)

Wow -- Rick is in for a real surprise! Is he still in the dark about this project?

LOL, Rick says he's not leaving me "alone" anymore :) I'll try to find a picture of the pond, it doesn't look like much right now. We've developed a leak somewhere and for now we're letting it drain so we can yank some of the irises that are taking over and create more of a bog along the edges. And yes, I agree, Phoebe IS a sweetheart - we're having so much fun with our new "baby" :)

Happy, I must have lost you somewhere in my long winded description! First post last night (5:42) - "he was impressed!!!"

I still have a long way to go before this area is complete, finish steps, planting, etc. and I'm leaving for Phoenix on Nov 1st, so I may still be working on it into December! Plan of attack is to at least get the "bones" (shrubs) planted and then fill in later with the perennials. I've got some monster Hostas that I plan to transplant from another garden to hopefully give the area a more 'mature' look. I have so many ideas for this area my head is spinning and I will probably run out of room!

Wow! Reading this on Monday morning -- I think I'm exhausted for the week just reading about it. Your energy and ability are really impressive. What a great project and a great result!

Quite a feat indeed!

Really nice! I love the arbor, and what a beautiful yard you have! Well done to you! Very inspirational!

Brenda

I have to admit this was a very "ambitious" project for me, maybe more like foolish since I really had no idea what I was doing - but it all worked out! I have alot more planting to do to complete this "side" of the project. This area will eventually connect to the other arbor I erected last fall. Looking at this picture the top arrow points to the location of the pond behind the shrubs. Left shows the direction the path will take to wrap around the back side of the pond and join the area of the new arbor.

Chris, this is the only shot of the pond that I could find right now. I can't believe that we don't have any when the water lilies are in bloom :( This is the view looking down from our deck and the arrow shows the location of the new arbor. The yellow irises in bloom are the ones that will be "weeded", they're just too darned aggressive!

Most water /bog plants I find aggressive. I started out with a small pot of rush I would lift it out every year and cut part of it away. When I got sick I missed 2 springs thinning it out and by this summer it was too heavy for me to do anything with, My husband managed to roll it up out of the watergarden. He had to chop it into 4 sections to carry it to the compost pile. I still have a few small stems that are growing out of a lily pot, which I'll have to thin out the lily next spring .

Here is a picture of the monster. I wanted to open up the view as I am starting a flower garden near the fence. The rush provided some privacy before the fence when up. My favorite spot to sit in the summer is by the watergarden.

I redid the water garden about 5 years ago when my hubby was away for 2 days, that was pond liner, small water fall , catching and releasing fish and tadpoles. LOL

rcn--bravo. beautiful landscaping. really enjoyed your story. what an accomplishment!

Chris, I guess we all get into "trouble" when our hubbies are away LOL I would love to incorporate at least a small pool of water somehow into this new project, but for now will just have to be happy with the sound of frogs from the big pond :)

where there's a hill there could be a waterfall............. spoken by a water- feature- frustrated flatlander

Debbie I'm soooo impressed. And to think I whined about being sore that same weekend from planting the few plants I bought from you at the last plant fair :)

LOL, Just wish I could have had an opportunity to get something planted in this area before all this glorious rain!

sally, don't get me started!!! Had already thought how wonderful it would be to add a water feature connecting the larger pond to a waterfall on that slope but for now I'll be content to just get the area planted :)

rcn,
Your new steps and arbor look wonderful. I can't wait to see the area planted. I also like that gazebo (the swing chair is very inviting) and just might try to adapt it to a fence line construction. (I have a extra old fashioned screen door and window that could work with the lattice construction. Now I just need you to move next door and advise me. lol). I'm not brave enough to try it myself though. It is great that you tackled this project on your own, excuse me, with just Phoebes help.

sempervirens, Phoebe is willing to "help" with everything! She's my new 'shadow' LOL The gazebo has been there for about ten years and now that the arbor is up, it's just "begging" for a type of lattice across the top that I've been wanting forever! When we have our Open House in June, we encourage visitors to relax in the gardens and this lady did just that :)

I was pleased yesterday, Rick's father stopped by to check out my project and was impressed - that's a huge compliment coming from him, his "hobby" is fine woodworking and he's made some extraordinary pieces :) I had almost thought about having him help me with the steps, but it would have taken forever - his method is way too precise for me LOL