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Showing posts with label landscaping. Show all posts
Showing posts with label landscaping. Show all posts

Saturday, June 5, 2010

Pond Building 101



This picture is how we ended after our first day of wall construction. Josh was completely worn out from moving and placing the rock in just the right place. Building a stone wall may not look like it's a lot of work but it is. The stone have to fit sort like a puzzle next to and on top of each other.


We decided to go with a pre-formed pond as oppose to a site built one. Too many problems exist with a site built pond and since we weren't having a huge pond, the pre-formed one fit the bill.

My birthday day, Josh was renewed with vigor, so he set out to dig the 2 foot deep area the pond needed. A few hours and many root removals later, the pond insert fit.



Time to backfill around the pound, making sure it was level. Thank goodness for strong youthful backs!










With the pond in place,the rest of the wall could be built. Then came the waterfall construction. Or should I say frustration!


Josh built, tore apart, rebuilt the waterfall so many times that day. Trying to get the water to fall just right from one stone to the next can be tricky.



After trying and trying again Josh has given up temporarily. Hopefully he is thinking out his next plan of attack. The hubby says that he will help him with the design later this afternoon, so hopefully there will be a successful waterfall. We even have our first visitor to our pond, a small tree frog. Wish I could get a picture of him but he's about the size of a quarter and blends in too well with the pond right now.

One of the things we did get accomplished was to ring our front street tree with a stone retaining wall. I planted some impatiens and transplanted some hostas in the new bed. I think it looks rather lovely.


Monday, June 1, 2009

Landscape & Outside Renovations








Our landscape renovations and paint spruce started with the removal this spring of the 50+ year old silver maple that once graced the front yard. Due to severe rot we had to sadly have the tree removed.



Once the tree was removed, we could grow grass again. The whole front of the house became sunny. We could plant new sun loving flowers! Yeah! Some of my favorites are sunlovers.





I scrapped around the bay window and the door of any loose paint and repainted them. Painted over the bay window and door with black over the hideous green that was there. Scrapped and painted the wrought iron railing. We replaced the light over the door with a more modern and up to date one. The planters on either side of the door had already been in place from last year, so I just added a wave petunia to each.









After all the painting was complete, the next thing to start on was the landscaping. The bushes had taken over, overwhelming the house, so they had to go. My son Josh and his friend Josh, yep, Thing1 and Thing2, as I affectionately call them, removed the front porch bushes.






So with a little time and a bunch of young muscle the boys removed the bushes...








Now doesn't that look better?

We still have lots to do out front. The plan is for a two-tiered stone raised bed. The back tier for new bushes/shrubs and the lower front tier for beautiful flowers. I've already have a few ideas of what I'd like to put in the new bed that will be built.

Oh and much to the hubby's dismay (only because it requires him to do some work) I'm hoping to add window planter boxes to my front second story windows.


Over the next few weeks I hope to have the new bed in and be started on my next landscaping project. I'll be sure to post pictures and give you an update.