JOIN NOW LOG IN
iVillage GardenWeb iVillage GardenWeb THE INTERNET'S GARDEN & HOME COMMUNITY ADVERTISEMENT
Blogs Forums Photo Galleries Ask The Experts Tools & Directories        
Return to the Gardening with Stone Forum | Post a Follow-Up

 o
Our Stone Gardening

Posted by Bramma_BC z6b (BC) -PNW (My Page) on
Tue, Jul 6, 04 at 13:11

We have always loved rocks in our garden and have hauled numerous rocks of various sizes from all over the lower part of BC. They are piled in a corner until we find that just right role for them in our garden. Here are some examples of what my DH did for me.


This edging is a perfect solution for containing my rose bed and makes trimming much easier without throwing the grass clippings into my beds.



Our North Garden pathway is wonderful to stroll through. No weeds on the path either. It would have looked much nicer if I had cleaned the path before I photographing it. We have a lot of evergreens that are constantly shedding.


View of our North Garden path from the other end.


Full view of North Garden and it's winding paths.


This stone edging was completed last year since we liked the results of the other stone edging we had done over the years. you don't want to rush into things (especially since it is not me doing the work.)

Sorry, I got a bit carried away.

From Carol in BC


Follow-Up Postings:

 o
RE: Our Stone Gardening

Love your stone pathways and the little bridge is so cute.
Something like what we want to put over our stream. Your
place looks so serene and peaceful. Thanks for the pictures.


 o
RE: Our Stone Gardening

I love seeing pictures of finished projects. Your paths look really cool. Thanks for showing us!


 o
RE: Our Stone Gardening

I love how you blended the formal square with the natural
stones. I also like your use of focus points!


 o
RE: Our Stone Gardening

Thank you everyone for your lovely comments. My husband and I work with what we have on hand and it has resulted in our own unique design. Some of the stones have fond memories for us as we remember where and how we got them. You might say they are a 'Path of Memories'.

Sorry about the size of the photos. I have since been shown how to load a more appropriate size for viewing. I am pleased that you have all enjoyed our stonework. I sure enjoyed sharing them.

Carol in BC


 o
RE: Our Stone Gardening

Carol,
This looks so inviting! Have you been to the garden junk forum here yet? I think some of the people there would love to see some of your picturs as well. Especially the ones with the old pump and the windmill in them. I am currently searching for rocks for my pond edge. Looking for flat ones preferably. Any hints or ideas for a lower mainlander? Thanks for sharing the pics. A lot of hard work REALLY paid off for you!


 o
RE: Our Stone Gardening

Thanks schmoopi in Abbotsford BC, for the compliment. I have been on various GardenWeb forums and it is rare that I find anyone so close to home. I'm glad you enjoyed our garden scenes. I have sent you an e-mail. Rock searching is a lot of fun but it was addicting for awhile. We are still finding uses for our 'collection'. My husband prefers stone to wood since in BC's wet weather stones are cleaner than wood which rots quickly.

Happy rock hunting. From Carol


 o
RE: Our Stone Gardening

Carol,
I frequent the Canadian Garden Exchange and Gardening in Canada forums and see lots of lower mainlanders there. Thanks for the email. I will be spending my summer rock hunting as well!


 o
RE: Our Stone Gardening

Looks so nice thanks
Did you-all cut those to make such good edges and if so how ???


 o
RE: Our Stone Gardening

To answer your question, Ann, about the edging, my husband cut out the shape of the path we wanted first, then he selected and laid out the rocks that worked best to give us the edging we desired. He finished all the spaces with concrete and hand shaped the end to give a smooth line to the edge of the path.

Hope this helps. Carol


 o
RE: Our Stone Gardening

I just saw these pictures and really am inspired!! Thanks so much for taking the time to share them and all the information, too. I really did enjoy them!


 o
RE: Our Stone Gardening

Carol, did your hubby use mortar to affix the stones together for the bed edging, or is it cement?
How thick (deep) is the concrete path that you placed the stones in? And part of the path has squares that look like peastone was added to. Is that correct, and how was it done?
I enjoyed your pics. Thanks for sharing them.


 o
RE: Our Stone Gardening

Sorry for the delay in replying to your e-mail. We have just returned from a short holiday. To answer your question about 'mortar or not', yes, he used mortar. The mortar between the stones on the paths is only around the edge of the stones (enough to give them good support). The larger stones are not laid 'in' the mortar but are laid in either dirt or mostly in sand. Only the very small ones are laid in mortar as a filler in large gaps. Our first path was done in early 1992 and they all have held up well with no problems. The squares in the path are simply leftover pre-made exposed-aggregate concrete slabs. We basically used whatever we had on hand for the paths. We even used a broken piece of concrete in one area.

Glad you enjoyed our garden paths. We enjoyed our adventures in hunting for the stones and then came the work of arranginng them and creating the paths. My husband did all the work and has a good eye for laying the stones. He is our gardens biggest asset. I may have the ideas but it is my DH that makes them a reality. He really is my Darling Husband in the true sense of the word. I hope you have as much pleasure with your future paths as we did. Just go with any idea you have.

Carol and Hugh


 
 

 

 


Click here to learn more about in-text links on this page.



iVillage GardenWeb: The Internet's Garden & Home Community  
  iVillage Home & Garden Network