The garden: Evolution of a backyard

[Crow18]

Nice work.

If you want some native plant starts to add to your collection, we've got quite a bit of stuff out at our place, as well as expert advice from the resident botanist (she rides a Yamaha, but don't hold that against her).

 

[knary]

Nice work.

If you want some native plant starts to add to your collection, we've got quite a bit of stuff out at our place, as well as expert advice from the resident botanist (she rides a Yamaha, but don't hold that against her).

I'll be knocking on both your and Bob's doors.

 

[HODAG]

needs a pond

 

[MANDYPANTS]

Wow! I didn't know you had such a green thumb! So, if people come over, are they welcome to frolic on those little paths you've made? They're just BEGGING to be skipped upon...

 

[knary]

needs a pond

One is in my new plan. Something of a fairly geometric shape. But that's in phase 11 of home/yard construction. Next is the studio. Then more backyard. Then the basement. Then the kitchen and bathroom and maybe the stairs. Then new sheetrock in every room. Then the driveway. Then the front yard. Then....

 

[knary]

Wow! I didn't know you had such a green thumb! So, if people come over, are they welcome to frolic on those little paths you've made? They're just BEGGING to be skipped upon...

When you come out for some big rally or 'nother, you'll be more than welcome to frolic on the paths and meet some of the local hippies (I know how much you like hippies).

 

[BRADFORDBENN]

Very nice

We are still working on our backyard. I think it will never be done...

 

[kbasa]

We got our plot plan from the landscape architect this morning.

We should see the first design documents the week after next.

 

[BRADFORDBENN]

So what is your plan Kbasa, hire Knary?

 

[kbasa]

So what is your plan Kbasa, hire Knary?

We've got a lot to do. Irrigation, hardscaping, drainage and a gas line for starters, along with lots of beds and such.

We should see some preliminary design docs the week after next. I got a copy of the site survey this morning.

We're working with these guys.

 

[12BSWAYED]

You did a great job Scott! I really like it. The joy of being a homeowner is that you're never finished, there's always something! Keep having fun!

 

[knary]

I am the great white hunter... again. This time the plague wasn't fuzzy. It didn't even have a spine. It was the methodical nocturnal munching of the -gasp- cutworm. These two inch moth caterpillars spend the day curled up in the ground. At night they come out to feast on your garden. The usual trick is to poison them, but since they're just insects, you'll kill far more than the target of your hatred. The easiest and most fun solution is to hunt them. Head out into the night armed with a flashlight and a jar (or mug - for tea?) and pluck them off your besieged plants. The first night, some weeks ago, I hauled in over 30 of the writhing beasts. If I head out tonight, I might only find one or two. I admit it, it's fun.

The second night's catch

 

[knary]

With spring springing, it was time for the next baby step - building up and extending the large bed to the right. This bed defines many of the shapes in the yard.

The quick recap:
The bed in question is the funny long one on the right...

We didn't get much beyond this last year...

before the gravel

after the gravel

 

[knary]

Two things were going to make this bed - the material choice for its walls and, far more important, a tree.

The choice for the first was stone, but stone is damn expensive around here. It runs between 350 and 600 a ton delivered - and a ton isn't nearly as much as you think. Some homeowners head out into the woods and gather it 'wild', but it takes a big big truck and takes a huge amount of effort. Our favorite neighbor (the guy cheering "hoowah!" at the end of the garage demolition) had acquired of a pile of granite he was going to sell. We bought it for a nice price - some dirt. At that price, we weren't going to turn it down even though it wasn't the color/shape I would have chosen.

The tree on the other hand was a hard choice. After too much pondering, we decided on a japanese maple. That narrowed it down to about a hundred different choices. We made repeated trips out to multiple nurseries trying to find the right one. We had started out looking for a coral bark japanese maple (NorCalMo posted a nice photo of one somewhere around here) but we never liked the ones we found. They're not cheap, have a twiggy growth habit, and we couldn't find one that was of the size we were hoping for.

And then there it was. The tree. A welcoming embrace in the curves of its limbs. An Acer Palmatum, a japanese maple, but not one of the better known cultivars (of which Coral Bark is one). It will grow larger than we'd originally intended for that bed, but this one tree was the right tree. It will tolerate drier and sunnier conditions than the cultivars. Plus they're cheaper.

The tree was delivered the first day of Erin's spring break, the same day a load of soil mix was delivered. I began work very quickly. To top the wall, I used the thin stone I'd salvaged from the previous owner's misbegotten pond.

When digging around old stones, watch your fingers

 

[knary]

This is where things stalled. The first stab at the retaining wall worked well enough but I just wasn't happy with it. The transition from the stone to the brick irritated my like a pebble in a shoe. The overly emphasized sweep of stone on the top of the wall was even worse. And then there was the damn symmetry. Without us meaning to, the tree had ended up being placed smack dab in the middle of the bed - and tilted too far back. After a few days, we tilted it forward. A few days later, we tilted it back a little. After another day, a little bit forward.

I reworked sections of the wall again and again. I'm not perfectly happy with it, but overall I'm pleased. We fast ran out of stone and faster ran out of pieces that would neatly knit together. But I still love it.

The tree, fresh in the bed. Can you tell that it's tilting too far back?

 

[knary]

Getting there but not quite right.

A week or three goes by. I go out, I move a few rocks around. I dig up some plants and shift them around. "We need more plants!" echos around NE Portland. Getting closer.

 

[knary]

I know it doesn't look like much. It isn't much. It's just a small wall with a small tree in a small yard, but I keep looking at it.

And at the little moments of color or shape, wondering how they'll work out over the coming years


This little Hebe

These little "Bronze Swords" next to the red hen and chicks and lamb's ears.

If I was told that I needed to build stone walls for the next five years, I don't know that I'd complain. This should be a beautiful bursting garden within a few months.

Do I have to go shopping for more plants? ok

 

[MCMXCIVRS]

I wouldn't sweat the transition from stone to brick. Once the vegetation fills out, much of that sort of stuff becomes far less obvious in the grand scheme. I've been working on our landscape for eight years, and I'm still planning changes. That's the beauty/curse of it, there is always something that is not just right.

It is really looking great. Keep at it.

 

[BUBBAZANETTI]

When digging around old stones, watch your fingers

blip-ity-do-ba-bing-bong.......what the hell is that thing??? i'm not a fan of your west coast bugs. i had to deal with 7" millepedes on my friend's glass doors in monterey. put a penny or a thimble or something next to that guy. i don't want you faking me out with camel spider depth of field trickery. i need to know exactly what i'm dealing with should i end up on the left coast any time soon

 

[rangepig]

i don't want you faking me out with camel spider depth of field trickery.

Ahhh, camel spiders. The only entertainment we had peacekeeping in the Sinai. Well, we had scorpions too.

In case you were interested: scorpion vs. camel spider = dead camel spider. Hey, we were bored!