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Landscaping

runningtrails
15 years ago

I have been doing a lot of landscaping until I can plant veggies, anyway. I am working on a fieldstone path across the front of the house. grown son has graciously offered to help me with it now, so it should go faster. Putting the rocks in is easy, it's getting them all here that's difficult. My poor old wheelbarrow will only carry about 2' worth of path at a time.

Here is a pic of the path:

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ANd look what I have!!

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It's going here:

{{gwi:38199}}

I'm going to put perennial sweet peas all over it with a tall something, probably pink obedient plant, growing up through the seat hole.

That rock path will go across the front of the house. I have the path rocked the goes up to the step already. This will join it and keep going.

Comments (10)

  • runningtrails
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    I also have a post and old black metal mailbox that I want to put in the shrub bed and plant perennial sweeet peas on. I may do that this morning.

    I have the already stained wood to make an arbor, as well. I'd like to make two of them. I may start them this week, while waiting for the veggie garden to dry.

    I got out my dahlias, cannas and elephant ear bulbs yesterday. I may start the few special ones early and leave the rest for another couple of weeks. I can pot most of them up in large pots and start them early on the deck.
    and just keep a sheet handy to cover them at night, after they come up. They don't go in the ground uncovered until after the end of May.

    Wth son helping me, I can get a lot more done around here.
    The perennials I winter sowed from seed are starting to come up now and I planted perennial flower seeds yesterday. It's the cheapest way to get a large swath of one thing. They look better that way too.

  • msmitoagain
    15 years ago

    I like the path and that chair is so NEAT! Can't wait to see the finished picture. I love using recycled stuff in the yard.

    I just posted that we were slowly getting our yard together. If we get the cleanup job we bid yesterday, I'll be able to get some nice large rocks to use as borders.

    There's a pool table with a broken slate top that needs to be hauled off too. I think DH can break it with the sledge hammer and I can use it for a path or walk area.

    Ramona

    Here is a link that might be useful: MY BLOG

  • nhsuzanne
    15 years ago

    Nice job runningtrails. I really like your stone path. There is no shortage of rocks were I am (Granite State) and a walk like that would be nice at my house. Did you put do something down under the stones to stop weeds?

    Where are you located? It seems that you and I have similar weather.

  • msjay2u
    15 years ago

    Me... I am the shortcut queen. I did a cobblestone walkway too. BUT I did it with the mold they sell in Lowes and cement. One bag does 2 molds worth. Admittedly it did take 2 days to do. I put sand in between the pavers and that makes it VERY easy to pull out any weeds that might grow in there.

    {{gwi:38200}}

    As you see I need to cut the grass AND also pull the weeds out and generally sweep it up.

    {{gwi:38201}}

    I also used some dye in the mix but the stones did not come out nearly as dark as I wanted them to. I wanted them to be pretty close to the chimney, steps and foundation and when they were wet they matched perfectly. LOL

  • runningtrails
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    I am in Barrie, Ontario. You can look it up on Google maps. I am also in zone 5 so we probably do have similar weather. I put the rocks straight into the dirt, after pulling out all the sod and grass roots. I usually plant stuff between the rocks in the paths, ground covers and such. I have planted lamium along the edge so far. It'll grow around the rocks.

    Great looking path MsJay. I have seen those molds before and wondered how quick and easy that would be to do. The fieldstone path was free, however, even if it was a lot more work. I have lots of field stones. I want to edge the flowerbedw with them and they will match the path.

    I might start an arbor tomorrow morning.

  • msjay2u
    15 years ago

    Nothing like the real thing. There is a definate difference in the real stones and the mold. And in the end I think that if I had the real stones it would look much better. I posted the photos and hoping when you put yours up we can see what the real deal looks like in comparison. There are a lot of those rocks on my property as well. That is where they came from in the chimney, the foundation and the steps. pisses me off every time I dig and hit them...

  • goldenpond
    15 years ago

    runningtrails have you been to the gardenjunk forum here? I get plenty of ideas there and the folk would love to see yours.
    tanya

  • posy_pet
    15 years ago

    I'm glad I'm not the only one who gathers and hauls and picks rocks!Yours are such a nice shape.Ours are all shapes and sizes but not so much round.Good job,guys.Posy Pet

  • runningtrails
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    I'll look at the garden junk forum. Sounds great! I like junk in the garden. I would love to make garden decor pieces from iron and copper. (Need an acetylene torch and welding equipment first. On the list...)

    lol! I am always stopping to pick up rocks in the car. I know people think I'm nuts.

    I want to outline the flowerbed with matching rocks after I make the path, so I'll need a lot of them! I use the thin flat ones for stepping stones in the flowerbeds and the huge boulders in the flowerbeds for interest points, if they're small enough for me to at least roll in place or I can get hubby to lift them for me.

    I also have some small retaining walls in mind that would look great done in rock, but I don't know if I will ever have that many rocks. I may have to do those with the cedar posts I have piled. (I never buy anything...)

    I would eventually like to build a small ruin covered with vines with a fountain, but don't know if I will ever get there or have enough rocks for that, after I have finished everything else I want to do with them. There's no room for that in my time budget this year, anyway, but I am putting an inukshuk at the front of the house. Just need the right rocks...

  • msjay2u
    15 years ago

    I had planted a little tree in my front yard last year and surrounded it with rocks so the lawnmower would not mow my tree down. Well the tree never did take off and this weekend I went to move the rocks out of the yard. I saw something wiggling and at first I thought it was a worm but it was about 12" long, had a flattish body and a diamond shaped head. IT WAS A BABY SNAKE living under the rock!!! OM goodness. Well I let it live, moved the rocks BUT later I thought about it and wondered if there is one baby does that mean there are many others??

    Anyway all this talk of rocks made me think of that. It was a "sidebar"

    The garden junk forum is great. They always have such good ideas but I did find out the hard way that they are so talented that when they say something is soooooo easy it is for super talented people but not so easy for so so people like me. LOL
    I made a bottle bug that looked so simple in the post but it busted by butt trying to make it. It came out good though and it only took me dayyyyyyyyyys. Next project is some of the great birdhouse ideas I found on there.

    (so many ideas... so little time sighhhhhh)

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