Let's all be landscapers!

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Well, spring is in full force now, and it's starting to get rather green around the house. I've got a bunch of summer projects I want to tackle, including redoing the front porch steps and giving the siderails some nice planters for herbs and whatnot, but that's not all.

I want to finally get started on my yard.

Now, I have no grass. I have pinestraw. Lots and lots of pinestraw. There are a few dogwood trees spread about, but at a count of three and with the fact that they're in out of the way places makes them difficult to include with the prettiness that I want my yard to have. Plus it's too late to transplant any of them, so that particular endeavor will have to wait for next year. I did find some very nice Japanese maple leaf trees at home depot, so I'm going to get a few of those.

Alright then. This particular view of the house I know you all have seen before:
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh126/silancy/DSCN0822.jpg

Turning slightly to the right gives us a bit of an open view of a road called Bear Creek, with the front pasture of the Bear Creak Stables in plain view:
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh126/silancy/DSCN0823.jpg

Let's walk forward a little then, shall we? It's pretty easy to see where Charley parks his car, as what might pass for grass and other green leafies can be seen growing around where his car normally would be. Personally, I'm not a big fan of the openness here, and it's pretty obvious when you're driving towards the house from that direction. I was thinking a line of trees, or possibly some shrubs. If anyone has other ideas I'm all ears:
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh126/silancy/DSCN0826.jpg

Turning to the right is a small little patch of weeds and other assorted whatevers. I already have a plan for this spot - a little premade pond type thing and actual non-weed plants. I've got a bunch of large rocks that I'd like to move there as well, and make a nice little relaxation spot. It's hard to see from this angle, but one of the pines recently fell, leaving a stump and nicely opening the 'grove' up a little more. I was also thinking a little birdbath?
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh126/silancy/DSCN0825.jpg

Here's another view from the other side. Immediately to the right is where I park my car, and I'm thinking it might look nice to put in a low fence type thing; nothing like a privacy fence, but something low to the ground and very open spaced:
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh126/silancy/DSCN0828.jpg

Ok, back to the side of the house. In this picture it's easy to see the remnants of the tree that fell on the house just this last December. Also, vines are starting to creep up the wall, and I want to get rid of them before they do any sort of possibly damage. Hell, I'm looking at the window right now and there's a budding tendril working its' way through the open spaces between the upper and lower halves of the window (due to a window unit in it). The tree wreckage is going to have to be removed, but at this point I'm at a loos as to what I should do in the space between the house and the small wooded area. Anyone have ideas?
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh126/silancy/DSCN0831.jpg

One half of the front of the decking. Since the house is on an incline, it's higher off one end of the deck than the other. I have no clue what I want to do, but I know something needs to be done with it. Those little green bushes have been here since I moved in, and they're getting old I have to say. Also, there's an amazing amount of pinestraw on this end and the other since my landlord usually comes out once a year to push all the pinestraw off.
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh126/silancy/DSCN0832.jpg

The other side. There's a big pine on this half, so it makes it necessary to be creative in figuring out something to do:
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh126/silancy/DSCN0833.jpg

con't...

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Turning right around shows us the piddly rock wall I built last year. Beyond what you see, I can't really decide what would look neat there, and I don't want Charley to put his garden in it since... well I just don't want a vegetable garden there. I had to stop the wall where it is since the roots to that big pine form a step and natural wall of their own. The random rocks spread out were originally going to for a circle, but my 'quarry' got cleared out before I could get the rest, so what I have left is going to where the future little pond will be.
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh126/silancy/DSCN0827.jpg

The rock wall from the opposite direction:
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh126/silancy/DSCN0824.jpg



Well, that's the front yard pretty much.

I'll put up the pictures of the woefully sad backyard later this evening ^_^;

I can't wait to see what ideas you guys have, and as things progress, I'll be taking pictures of the projects as we go along, and you'll be able to see your suggestions get put together :D

[Aurelias Kazaar]

If I don't have a yard?

I always liked bulbs myself.

[Shadow Storm]

Looks like yall have plenty of trees and straw, and you live on a slope. One suggestion is to create a small stream somewhere for water runoff collection. Perhaps put a koi pond at either it's start or it's end or in the middle of it.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Bulbs. Lotsa bulbs.

:D Our daffodils are up and the tulips are following! So pretty. :D And I wouldn't plant more trees around your house, if anything I'd see if the landlord would thin out some of the smaller ones around your house. The whole 'yard' looks like a fire hazard.

[Darth Turbogeek]

My father, brother and I like landscaping.

With dynamite.

And ANFO

And that's also 100% true too. Explosives are the bestest way to clear stubborn rocks

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

As far as bulbs and whatnot, I want to try and steer towards more year-round natural looking foliage. I might plant a few flowers here and there for accents, but not much.

And a runoff is a good idea. Next time it rains heavily I'll take a picture of the lake formerly known as my driveway. Where to put it would be the only thing, but that won't be a hard thing to figure out.

I need more rocks, not less, Mark :p

As far as the trees go, I'm not going to cut any down unless they're dead. With them all around, they're a wonderful natural windbreaker. Now that I've got the time and daylight, I'll be cutting up the dead limbs and stacking them in preparation for either a nice firepit or an outdoor brick smoker thing. Or hell, just save it a sell some come winter for some extra monies.

I know I said I was gonna post the backyard, but I'm gonna wait a little on that one.

[Shadow Storm]

For the clearing where the powerline runs through, maybe a palmetto hedge can be planted there. :)

[Dasquian Belargic]

*continues to be jealous of your place*

We don't have a lot of garden space, but what we do have my stepdad uses pretty well. I'll take some shots when the sun comes out :)

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

The palmetto hedge is a great idea! Plus Charley likes palmettos, so score :D

We're off to Lowes and Walmart and possibly Home Depot now, and when we get back it'll be outside time.

I'd love to see what your stepdad has done with his garden Jenny, so hurry and post pics :)

[Callista]

Oh man, you have such good space to work with! So many possibilities!!

Is it weird I totally wanna draw up landscaping plans for you? lol

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Certainly feel free!

I'd love to see what sort of ideas you come up with :D

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Alright then! Got things started small, but it's a good beginning point I think.

I find myself pouring through this (http://www.amazon.com/Reinvent-Your-Garden-Sunset-Books/dp/0376036117) book constantly. It's full of creative solutions to space-saving, day projects, weekend projects, and yard makeovers.



We only went to Lowes, but we got a crapload of herbs and small vegetables, some pots, soil, I found the birdbath I want (but will have to get tomorrow or monday), and cacti!

Dill, basil, red bell peppers, red chili peppers, ceyanne, leeks, green onions, jalapeno peppers, and catnip. The cacti are so adorable, too!

Lowes had apple, nectarine, and peach trees, and so I'm gonna recruit a friend with a truck so I can go back and get all three. Those are going to be put in the area by the rock wall, as well as the birdbath I want.

It might not look like much, but there's alot here. Trust me:
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh126/silancy/DSCN0854.jpg

My cacti :eee
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh126/silancy/DSCN0860.jpg

It was starting to get dark when I finally got out to take the finished pics, so apologies:
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh126/silancy/DSCN0861.jpg

On one side of the steps we have the bucket/barrel thing with leek, red bell peppers, and ceyanne:
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh126/silancy/DSCN0862.jpg

And on the other side are the jalapenos and red chili peppers:
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh126/silancy/DSCN0863.jpg

Dill, rosemary, basil, and sage:
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh126/silancy/DSCN0865.jpg

Oregano, cilantro, green onions, thyme, and catnip:
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh126/silancy/DSCN0864.jpg

And my cacti again. They're just so cute. I got a bunch of smooth stones from the driveway and covered the soil around them:
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh126/silancy/DSCN0868.jpg


Like I said, a small first step, but it's a step forward nonetheless. I trimmed back some of the weed vines coming up over onto the porch, and raked out the planting area by the rock wall in preparation for the fruit trees.

I have to look up and see where to get my hands on some palmettos, as I like your idea of using them in that bare patch, Shadow :)

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Busy day!

After work and some bill-paying, I went back to Lowes and bought the birdbath I'd been eyeballing on saturday. I also went to walmart for a hoe, batteries, seeds, and some bulbs.

All of what I bought today is going in the area by the rock wall, as I've decided to flex my gardening fingers with that area first. I won't be planting the flowers until next weekend though - tonight and tomorrow night it's supposed to freeze, and I don't want my new pretties to die before they're even able to sprout. I've already covered all the peppers in preparation for the freeze, even.

But anyhow, on to pics!

Sitting in the birdbath bowl, we have: 3 packets of petite orange marigolds, two packets of dwarf bolero marigolds, 5 packets of alyssum, 3 packets of coleus, and a 3 night beacon bulbs:
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh126/silancy/DSCN0888.jpg

Now, since we're not planting those for a bit longer, we can set those aside and worry about them later.

Here is our canvas:
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh126/silancy/DSCN0891.jpg

And here is the new birdbath set up. It's a concrete formed one, so it's heavy ^_^;
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh126/silancy/DSCN0893.jpg
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh126/silancy/DSCN0894.jpg

So far so good! It took a bit to get it level to my satisfaction, and once it was put in place I tilled up the ground around it:
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh126/silancy/DSCN0895.jpg

It may be barebones yet, but we're gettting there!
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh126/silancy/DSCN0902.jpg


I'll probably end up going back to walmart for some flower vine things, and plant those around the bath so that they grow up around the pedastal. The coleus I'll use to border everything. The alyssum I'll scatter about to act like a carpet, and both types of marigolds I'll do about the same, but I'll concentrate those around any little deco pieces I might decide to add. The night beacons are definitely going to go around the birdbath :)

[Estelle Russard]

The birdbath is lovely. Well done.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Thanks :)

Much has been done in the last few days. I bought a nifty birdfeeder, and moved the random rocks to line them along a right angle to the original rock wall. I also planted the flower seeds I bought, as well as a wildflower mix that I picked up earlier this afternoon. Can't wait till they start sprouting :eee

Also, I've begun clearing out the small 'grove'. I decided against a small pond, and instead tomorrow I have a friend coming over to drink and lay in a brick patio type thing for lounging. Also I need somewhere to put the grills :)

Pictures will follow, I promise!

[Shadow Storm]

I've another idea for the opening with the power lines - Build a bunker that could either be used as a storm shelter or whatever, three feet into the ground, two above, and put a nice lounging deck on top of it, with maybe a gazebo or hot tub.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

SO much has been going on, that I've been jumping from outside projects to inside projects.

The grove area has been cleared out and the patio is coming along nicely. It's slow going, but things are starting to take shape. I worked outside all day yesterday which was a nice change of pace from my indoor work. Inside I cleared out the livingroom closet and organized everything into rubbermaid bins and tubs instead of the old boxes that were being used. Since it rained most of last weekend I was delighted to be able to go out and play in the mud with bricks and pavers and shovels and levels, heh. Today was a loss however, and I spent after-work hours trying to fix the wiring in the house. But, that's done now and tomorrow it's off to home depot for more bricks and more pavers.

I know I promised pics in my last post, but I haven't gotten them off the camera just yet ^_^;

[Shadow Storm]

One more idea to add. Perimeter alarms and retractable nerf autocannons ringing your property, to prevent any sneaky nerf attackers. :lol

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Ha! The nerf paraphernalia is going in the backyard ;)


Here's how the area with the birdbath looks:

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh126/silancy/DSCN0980.jpg
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh126/silancy/DSCN0928.jpg

The seeds I planted are starting to poke up out of the ground, too. It took the birds about four or five days to figure out that there were yummies there, but once they did, hoo boy. The sparrows are quite the little pigs, and cardinals are regulars as well.



And now. Remember the grove area? overgrown with weeds and vines and general disarray, it got cleared out to look like this...
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh126/silancy/DSCN0918.jpg
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh126/silancy/DSCN0917.jpg
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh126/silancy/DSCN0916.jpg

... in preparation for this:
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh126/silancy/DSCN1004.jpg
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh126/silancy/DSCN1008.jpg
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh126/silancy/DSCN1009.jpg
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh126/silancy/DSCN1010.jpg

Slow and steady, but things are taking shape, I like to think.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Wild honeysuckle has been discovered today! It's running rampant in the small side woods, so I'm going to look up how to transplant it :)

[Wyl Staedtler]

Honeysuckle! Oh! Memoriiiiieeeees.

My dad used to make us do 'survival weekends' every month or so. We'd hike to the middle of nowhere with nothing and complain while he whistled and did his Grizzly Adams thang. He used to make a soup thing with fiddleheads, kinnikinick and honeysuckle.

I expect to see something like this only better on Charley's blog! :p

[stevenvdb]

For some reason, each successive house we move into has progressively less yardage, square footage and a higher lease. I am far from being the village country bumpkin that I was as a kid with fields of green and little canals cutting the landscape of my memories.

I often miss it. :/

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Remember those itty guys in the red planters? The've grown, and are starting to yield peppers!
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh126/silancy/DSCN1093.jpg
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh126/silancy/DSCN1092.jpg

Oregano and chives! The oregano we've had since last year, and it's doing very very well. The chives we planted as seeds last month, and now they're growing like weeds.
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh126/silancy/DSCN1100.jpg

The parsley has gone a little crazy.
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh126/silancy/DSCN1097.jpg

And so has the lemon basil. Next to it is the rosemary plant that's still chugging along from last year as well.
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh126/silancy/DSCN1098.jpg

Tarragon and more habanero peppers..
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh126/silancy/DSCN1101.jpg




And honeysuckle growing up the side of the front porch!!! I took a closer look about, and found it EVERYWHERE.
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh126/silancy/DSCN1096.jpg

Also, here's how the rock wall/birdbath/birdfeeder area looks now.
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh126/silancy/DSCN1102.jpg

And the big news!







BLACKBERRIES!!!
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh126/silancy/DSCN1095.jpg
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh126/silancy/DSCN1094.jpg

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Oh yes, and not to be left out, our retarded cilantro, Gobbles.
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh126/silancy/DSCN1099.jpg