Little bit of everything project thread lol

[teddytn]

@Silas_Sancona killin it! Really cool selection of plants you’ve been planting. A bunch I’ve never heard of. I’m about busting at the seams with “specimen” plants to get in the ground (palms, agaves, yuccas, cactus) some new flowering trees, have 4 lavender that I dug up to rework the new berm area. I need to work on my flowering perennial game this spring. One of my daughters keeps house plants herself and is interested in venturing outdoors this year. We picked out a mix of 30 different seed packs of annuals and perennial flowering plants from the spring season cardboard shelves lowes annually offers. Some plants I’m rather attracted to and need to acquire are some more ferns/ hostas and other shade tolerant plants for the east and north side of the house that I plan to start working on more this year. Baptisia, penstemon, some new varieties of milkweed, some new lillies, cannas, and may try a few new smaller varieties of colocasia are all on the to do list this year. 
Lucky enough to work at a metal fab shop and can build anything out of scrap metal I want (with in reason), we always have out of town jobs that we deliver tractor trailers worth of fabricated steel to each week. Make smaller hot shot runs as well. Anyway one of our drivers was close enough to Gary’s nursery in NC and had him grab me some more Sabal minors. Good thing I changed my mind and went with 5, originally was after 10, no way ten would have fit in the cab with my driver lol, may have been pissed as it was lol. Grateful. I can’t wait to get these planted, literally chomping at the bit for spring. These and a bunch of other sabals will be the start of my venturing lower into the yard away from the house with palms. Minors and needles will make up most of the roster, trying to keep gathering up/ growing from seed as many Sabal minors from different locales as I can get my hands on, I’ve been nothing but amazed by the cold hardiness of Sabal Birmingham, Sabal Louisiana, Sabal Brazoria, those and etonia, Blackburniana, tamaulipas are all getting planted close to the house and down in the yard in all these raised beds I’ve been working on. Good thing I went with 5, my driver was probably cussing me already lol, filled my car up for sure.Trying to get my act together in some other areas as well. I was always bad at tagging plants and when your the only one messing with 100 or so plants for me has always been easy. Honestly getting closer to the 1000 range now it’s a necessity to tag things. Most all potted plants have a hand written piece of painters tape on the pot. Everything that’s planted I want to start getting professionally tagged this year. Just recently started fooling around with this. We have a weatherproof/ galvanizing proof metal tag maker to tag parts at work. That and a quick twist with welding pliers on an aluminum tig filler rod and voila Can get as detailed as I choose, add date planted, more lines of info, little images like the Texas flag for my guy tlow. Anyway going to attempt to get my big boy gardening panties on this year!! Lol

Edited February 12, 2022 by teddytn

[Silas_Sancona]

1 hour ago, teddytn said:

@Silas_Sancona killin it! Really cool selection of plants you’ve been planting. A bunch I’ve never heard of. I’m about busting at the seams with “specimen” plants to get in the ground (palms, agaves, yuccas, cactus) some new flowering trees, have 4 lavender that I dug up to rework the new berm area. I need to work on my flowering perennial game this spring. One of my daughters keeps house plants herself and is interested in venturing outdoors this year. We picked out a mix of 30 different seed packs of annuals and perennial flowering plants from the spring season cardboard shelves lowes annually offers. Some plants I’m rather attracted to and need to acquire are some more ferns/ hostas and other shade tolerant plants for the east and north side of the house that I plan to start working on more this year. Baptisia, penstemon, some new varieties of milkweed, some new lillies, cannas, and may try a few new smaller varieties of colocasia are all on the to do list this year. 
Lucky enough to work at a metal fab shop and can build anything out of scrap metal I want (with in reason), we always have out of town jobs that we deliver tractor trailers worth of fabricated steel to each week. Make smaller hot shot runs as well. Anyway one of our drivers was close enough to Gary’s nursery in NC and had him grab me some more Sabal minors. Good thing I changed my mind and went with 5, originally was after 10, no way ten would have fit in the cab with my driver lol, may have been pissed as it was lol. Grateful. I can’t wait to get these planted, literally chomping at the bit for spring. These and a bunch of other sabals will be the start of my venturing lower into the yard away from the house with palms. Minors and needles will make up most of the roster, trying to keep gathering up/ growing from seed as many Sabal minors from different locales as I can get my hands on, I’ve been nothing but amazed by the cold hardiness of Sabal Birmingham, Sabal Louisiana, Sabal Brazoria, those and etonia, Blackburniana, tamaulipas are all getting planted close to the house and down in the yard in all these raised beds I’ve been working on. Good thing I went with 5, my driver was probably cussing me already lol, filled my car up for sure.Trying to get my act together in some other areas as well. I was always bad at tagging plants and when your the only one messing with 100 or so plants for me has always been easy. Honestly getting closer to the 1000 range now it’s a necessity to tag things. Most all potted plants have a hand written piece of painters tape on the pot. Everything that’s planted I want to start getting professionally tagged this year. Just recently started fooling around with this. We have a weatherproof/ galvanizing proof metal tag maker to tag parts at work. That and a quick twist with welding pliers on an aluminum tig filler rod and voila Can get as detailed as I choose, add date planted, more lines of info, little images like the Texas flag for my guy tlow. Anyway going to attempt to get my big boy gardening panties on this year!! Lol

Shouldn't that be .." Getting my big boy, non - Sponge Bob Square pants gardening Boxers on this year!! "  Kidding of course.. 

Always fun to have projects to work on..  Btw,  rest of the trench out back is dug.. All i need to do now is get a couple more sprinkler heads / risers ..and schedule a Sunday lunch date with Christy  ..that " wonderfully scented  " PVC Cement / Glue for connecting all the pipes/ fittings.  ..Then that is done.  Still some drip to put in ..but that should be a cinch. 

Laid everything out slightly  differently than in the back yard shots posted earlier so i could get an idea of where the gravel and cement stepping stone path / widened out planting bed area that will run the length of the addition room  will go.  Gravel will eventually go out to where the sheds are. No reason to have any grass in that section of the yard ( not going to have any irrigation any way, ha ha.. = Grass ).  Between me and my dog child ( especially ) a lot of cut grass keeps getting dragged into the house. Gravel path will end that.

Btw, Our landlord was fine w/ doing brick / stone work around the mailbox. Even offered to get a better mailbox, ..so yet another project ahead.

 

[teddytn]

11 hours ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Shouldn't that be .." Getting my big boy, non - Sponge Bob Square pants gardening Boxers on this year!! "  Kidding of course.. 

Always fun to have projects to work on..  Btw,  rest of the trench out back is dug.. All i need to do now is get a couple more sprinkler heads / risers ..and schedule a Sunday lunch date with Christy  ..that " wonderfully scented  " PVC Cement / Glue for connecting all the pipes/ fittings.  ..Then that is done.  Still some drip to put in ..but that should be a cinch. 

Laid everything out slightly  differently than in the back yard shots posted earlier so i could get an idea of where the gravel and cement stepping stone path / widened out planting bed area that will run the length of the addition room  will go.  Gravel will eventually go out to where the sheds are. No reason to have any grass in that section of the yard ( not going to have any irrigation any way, ha ha.. = Grass ).  Between me and my dog child ( especially ) a lot of cut grass keeps getting dragged into the house. Gravel path will end that.

Btw, Our landlord was fine w/ doing brick / stone work around the mailbox. Even offered to get a better mailbox, ..so yet another project ahead.

 

Walking around my house on tip toes with my pee stained sponge bob underoos lol, funny gauging peoples “level” of gardening like this lol. When someone comments they have one of a species planted and nothing else in the genus and claim to have some expertise….smdh lol. Maybe one day I’ll be at the one piece long John underwear suit with a back flap like you’re sporting . I’ve never ran a sprinkler system, but am tempted now to get a drip system going. We usually get weekly rain during spring, summer, fall. But with all these plants going in the ground I’m having flash backs to the year I planted 10 fruit trees and we went through a drought, hauling 150’ of hose down to the bottom of the yard and watering every other day because it’s over 90f and the grounds so dry the neighboring soil is just soaking up all of it. Same with foundation planting against the house, has its advantages with protecting plants, but is way drier that I would have previously thought. Might have to look into this, save me time watering everything. 
You’ve got it right with the gravel pathways, I went through this phase where I was very concerned with life in the soil including worms….lol, kept making pathways out of basically wood mulch, yeah great looks good here for about a week, then the Bermuda grass invades and sometimes stealthily completely under the surface and when it does pop it’s ugly head up it’s way too late. Had to accept I have tons and tons of oasis for in ground life to inhabit. Walkways yeah from now on are going to be completely excavated and filled with crushed stone and topped with decorative rock mulch or pavers filled in with rock mulch. Another trial and error sponge bob underoo deal I’ve had to learn the hard way lol. Mother Nature def. doesn’t play “nice”. Always good having a cool, open to ideas landlord to work with. Got any plans for a few yuccas or agaves to go in the ground? 

[Silas_Sancona]

2 hours ago, teddytn said:

Walking around my house on tip toes with my pee stained sponge bob underoos lol, funny gauging peoples “level” of gardening like this lol. When someone comments they have one of a species planted and nothing else in the genus and claim to have some expertise….smdh lol. Maybe one day I’ll be at the one piece long John underwear suit with a back flap like you’re sporting . I’ve never ran a sprinkler system, but am tempted now to get a drip system going. We usually get weekly rain during spring, summer, fall. But with all these plants going in the ground I’m having flash backs to the year I planted 10 fruit trees and we went through a drought, hauling 150’ of hose down to the bottom of the yard and watering every other day because it’s over 90f and the grounds so dry the neighboring soil is just soaking up all of it. Same with foundation planting against the house, has its advantages with protecting plants, but is way drier that I would have previously thought. Might have to look into this, save me time watering everything. 
You’ve got it right with the gravel pathways, I went through this phase where I was very concerned with life in the soil including worms….lol, kept making pathways out of basically wood mulch, yeah great looks good here for about a week, then the Bermuda grass invades and sometimes stealthily completely under the surface and when it does pop it’s ugly head up it’s way too late. Had to accept I have tons and tons of oasis for in ground life to inhabit. Walkways yeah from now on are going to be completely excavated and filled with crushed stone and topped with decorative rock mulch or pavers filled in with rock mulch. Another trial and error sponge bob underoo deal I’ve had to learn the hard way lol. Mother Nature def. doesn’t play “nice”. Always good having a cool, open to ideas landlord to work with. Got any plans for a few yuccas or agaves to go in the ground? 

No way man, lol.. Long Johns are too conservative / prudish.. Gotta be bold and sport the " man-kini " ..or even better,  Tatooed underoos.. No flaps necessary..  haha..

Running drip will definitely save water  ..and $$$..  As ok as i was with how the yard at the last house looked, it would have looked that much better had i'd been able to run a drip system..  did ok hand watering what need it, but hand watering also fed the " Bermuda Monster " there.  Drip should help keep that stuff under control here.. or, at least to a point where any that tries to pop up can be dispatched with much easier.

Sounds counterintuitive but had plenty of worms, and other " soil workers " happily composting shed leaves / other stuff that would sift under areas where i had gravel / stone..  Grass growing through the rock can be a bigger issue, but, pretty easily dug out if the stone is deep enough. Same thing happens if you laid wood /organic mulch but w/ gravel / stone, it won't break down / get turned over as easily - at least not for awhile- and it looks nice.  Wood mulch here would either blow away, or wash away during the summer..

If i can find a couple of the really small Agave sp. or a specific yucca, they may go in somewhere.. Even though the don't trunk, the Yucca i have may be too big ( when they're flowering ) for most spots.. But, we'll see.. One or two in the rectangle area might work.. Big Agave / Yucca would easily overwhelm most of the planting beds. 

Am planning to do a couple groups of our native Mammilaria ( M. grahamii, thornberi, sheldonii, tetrancistra ) tucked between larger rocks / specific, short grasses,  and collected wash grit in front of the mail box, and maybe in a couple other spots where they can easily be seen by anyone passing by..   Have a couple other Pricklys going in somewhere as well..

[teddytn]

3 hours ago, Silas_Sancona said:

No way man, lol.. Long Johns are too conservative / prudish.. Gotta be bold and sport the " man-kini " ..or even better,  Tatooed underoos.. No flaps necessary..  haha..

Running drip will definitely save water  ..and $$$..  As ok as i was with how the yard at the last house looked, it would have looked that much better had i'd been able to run a drip system..  did ok hand watering what need it, but hand watering also fed the " Bermuda Monster " there.  Drip should help keep that stuff under control here.. or, at least to a point where any that tries to pop up can be dispatched with much easier.

Sounds counterintuitive but had plenty of worms, and other " soil workers " happily composting shed leaves / other stuff that would sift under areas where i had gravel / stone..  Grass growing through the rock can be a bigger issue, but, pretty easily dug out if the stone is deep enough. Same thing happens if you laid wood /organic mulch but w/ gravel / stone, it won't break down / get turned over as easily - at least not for awhile- and it looks nice.  Wood mulch here would either blow away, or wash away during the summer..

If i can find a couple of the really small Agave sp. or a specific yucca, they may go in somewhere.. Even though the don't trunk, the Yucca i have may be too big ( when they're flowering ) for most spots.. But, we'll see.. One or two in the rectangle area might work.. Big Agave / Yucca would easily overwhelm most of the planting beds. 

Am planning to do a couple groups of our native Mammilaria ( M. grahamii, thornberi, sheldonii, tetrancistra ) tucked between larger rocks / specific, short grasses,  and collected wash grit in front of the mail box, and maybe in a couple other spots where they can easily be seen by anyone passing by..   Have a couple other Pricklys going in somewhere as well..

Hahaha I had no idea you’ve attained such an exalted level. Mankini for gardening wear is only one level below the top dog, old gardener grandpa wearing what should be tighty whities, but in actuality are more like loosey brownies bwahahah!!! Seems a few PT members may have achieved this level….I’m about tinker tot level, I don’t even own a gardening hat and wouldn’t dare to wear black socks with sandals yet! What level do I unlock the achievement where I get one of those green mesh vests I wonder??? 
Yuccas get surprisingly big, but go through weird phases where they may appear to be fully grown…wait a season or let them get more water next than this and watch out, better have not planted anything too close you wanted to survive, under a yucca canopy can be almost pure shade. Need to remember this when planting faxoniana and the faxoniana x rostrata cross this year. Those should be into the 6’ across head or more easily. Essentially going to plant a row of agaves with a staggered row of yuccas behind in this new berm. Here’s initial layout of approximate location for the 13 agaves I’m putting in the ground soon. All survived this winter I planted last year so I have at least a little confidence some to most will survive to maturity. Need to give ovatifolia, ovaticata, and montana some room just like the big yuccas. That filtered shade will be disappearing after I top that oak tree, also on the to do list. Need the sun for the greenhouse which will be below the berm.

[teddytn]

Another dirt worx in progress, this is a hugelkultur bed I started must be 5 years ago I guess. These were always attractive to me and have been working organic material into the native soil since I was a kid, composting and turning it into the garden adding soil amendments. Basically all these in the technical sense, excavating soil, burying wood, came about out of necessity. Having so many trees in my yard there’s a ton of branches that fall each year and actually trimming some of them left me with an overload of wood in all shapes and sizes. What’s amazing is how much the pile shrinks over the years. That’s where this phase of the bed comes in. Wanted to get some more trees planted this year. Picked up a kwanzan cherry blossom, adams flowering crab apple, unnamed flowering crab apple, and an eastern red bud. Shooting for a spined curving berm with this bed when it’s finished. Figured the trees are dormant, get them in place now and can fill in around the trees to the new elevation. Perfect use of excavated soil from the future greenhouse. Give me tons of space to plant new goodies this year. Doesn’t look like much now, wait till I update….

[teddytn]

Here’s them planted, this will be the height of the berm in the middle “spine” and then taper down. Tons of work to go on this one. 

[teddytn]

Finally finished filling some of the raised beds I’m going to plant soon. I’m literally chomping at the bit to get stuff in the ground. This is facing south, everyone of these beds is getting 2 sabals.Got this bed filled as well, a bunch of goodies are going in this one. Saw palmetto against the wall, Sabal Blackburniana front right corner, big double sabal minor back right corner. Fill in the gaps with some flowering perennials. Broccoli took a beating but overwintered in the cold frame. Happy about that. Signs of spring are everywhere. Geese flew over a few times in the past week. A lot of fruit trees and berries take on a reddish hue on the branches when getting close to budding in the spring. Blackberries, need to do some cleanup…BlueberriesCant remember what the rosemary looked like last spring, looks pretty crispy right now. We had a tough winter here, I’ll be surprised if it comes back even from ground level. Daffodils are poking their heads up

[teddytn]

I needed 3 more Sabal minors to have as many as I need to plant all these spots I have ready. So 3 minors show up today, I could either pot up and in a few weeks plant out or plant now and use this as an experiment to not be the end all be all conclusive result, but gain a little more knowledge through experience of the palms I love so much. I’ve always been hesitant in the past to do any kind of cowboy stuff with plants in general. Especially so with palms though. I guess I’ve always felt like I was in possession of something so special I wanted to give it all the best variables for survival (still in the initial experiment if will these even survive here long term). With definitive proof of long term survival of the Sabal species at 710, and my continued acquisitions of more and more this is perfect opportunity to test planting dates, cold and transplant/ shipping shock, and unhardened off cold tolerance. Still supposed to get quite a few nights in the 20’s. Gentleman’s bet is there’s no damage, they just don’t start actively growing until May. Bought palms from this guy a few times always show up looking great.Good root development, supposedly 4-5 year olds.First additions to these beds. The ones I skipped will get an Emerald Isle giant in the front just like these, then a mccurtain, then another Emerald Isle giant. In the back of each of these beds will go a trunking Sabal. I have 3 Brazoria, 1 Birmingham, and 2 palmettos slated to go in. Do a trial run with these plant tags here and in a few other spots. Not sure if I like them yet, wrote with sharpie for now to “test” as well before I laser print all these. 

Edited February 19, 2022 by teddytn

[teddytn]

Surely need more than just palms, cactus, yucca, agave. One of the many additions of other types of plants this season. Lilac is one of my favorite flowers, I have fond memories of going to the lilac festival in upstate New York. Natural perfume floating through the air in a public park that’s dotted throughout with different species of lilac, the scent even as a child was intoxicating. Have one planted up near the house that’s just really getting going flowering (these take quite a few years to mature). Give this one a shot down lower in the yard.Planting this at the desired height gives me a good ruler to go by to get the height of the fill just right. Should fill the rest of this bed this weekend. 

[teddytn]

Really happy with this torreya taxifolia (stinking cedar) endangered native Florida tree in the yew family. Just pulled back the thick winter mulch of leaves and pine needles and wood mulched it.Serves as a good marker while I fill the rest of this bed. There’s some hostas in there already (dormant now), going to at least plant a sabal minor here, and some ferns. This is on the north side of that fence and gets pure shade for most of the year. Below is opposite to this bed. This spot is a naturally wooded area that has never had grass. Been actively trying to fill this forest island since we moved here. With how much soil I have to move I’ll finally get this one checked off!!! Another good shade area under canopy that I’m going to venture out and start a shade garden. Close by are 2 varieties of magnolia. Here’s Magnolia Grandiflora ‘coco’ interesting evergreen version whose leaves stay green too and bottom. That’s the leaf undersideHere’s a more common variety for comparison Magnolia Grandiflora ‘brackens brown beauty’ darker green top side And typical brown underside

[Allen]

Looking good there.  The minor should be ok planted this time of year but like you said it's not ideal.   My problem is always planting distances.  When you put out those minors it seems like they are so small and I want to put a bunch together to make them look better.  But one of the main planning issues with minor is they can't be moved once they root in well and hit their adult form.  So you have to be REAL sure of placement.  A medium minor (McCurtain) that grows 3' tall will end up needing a 6' circle (3' fronds laying horizontal in both directions).  A Emerald isle will need...................lots.  Or be mushed with other stuff.  It's impossible to plan long term.  I never really appreciated how much the palms lay out horizontally till I have so many.  

See this minor on the right in this picture and it looks planted so perfect.  Well see the walkway to the right?  I had to move the walkway to get by last year.  Now guess what again this year?  It's hard to get by it again.  

 

Now - that's a yardstick laying down there

Edited February 19, 2022 by Allen

[teddytn]

2 hours ago, Allen said:

Looking good there.  The minor should be ok planted this time of year but like you said it's not ideal.   My problem is always planting distances.  When you put out those minors it seems like they are so small and I want to put a bunch together to make them look better.  But one of the main planning issues with minor is they can't be moved once they root in well and hit their adult form.  So you have to be REAL sure of placement.  A medium minor (McCurtain) that grows 3' tall will end up needing a 6' circle (3' fronds laying horizontal in both directions).  A Emerald isle will need...................lots.  Or be mushed with other stuff.  It's impossible to plan long term.  I never really appreciated how much the palms lay out horizontally till I have so many.  

See this minor on the right in this picture and it looks planted so perfect.  Well see the walkway to the right?  I had to move the walkway to get by last year.  Now guess what again this year?  It's hard to get by it again.  

 

Now - that's a yardstick laying down there

I think we’ve all underestimated mature plant size for sure. That’s the best thing is actually measure and layout diameter of the spread. I personally like when plants spill over a bit. Get the opportunity to get up close and personal with the plants we love. Those minors the minors to be planted and definitely all the trunking sabals that are getting planted behind them are going to get massive, and in technical terms will outgrow those spots. But for me it’s an opportunity to brush past a palm frond. This is one of my favorite places in my garden. It’s the little path from under my deck. The needle palm was in a 1 gallon pot when I planted it, and that Birmingham was a strap leaf plant that was well around that corner for many many years. Even that lavender has pushed away from the wall and tripled in size over the years. Either way I walk through now one hand touches a palm frond and the other against the lavender and release the fragrance. These are good problems to have lol. But In all seriousness that mini Sabal row I’m planting, in 8 years time it may be tough to walk that path you’re correct, everything on the right is dieback perennials, should allow room to pass. Now in 20 years some strategic pruning may be necessary…….assuming they live. On a side note I’ve got to make it down to your place this year if the offer still stands. And I really need a second set of eyes on a few things here and would be honored if you would come check out my garden as well. 

[Allen]

33 minutes ago, teddytn said:

I think we’ve all underestimated mature plant size for sure. That’s the best thing is actually measure and layout diameter of the spread. I personally like when plants spill over a bit. Get the opportunity to get up close and personal with the plants we love. Those minors the minors to be planted and definitely all the trunking sabals that are getting planted behind them are going to get massive, and in technical terms will outgrow those spots. But for me it’s an opportunity to brush past a palm frond. This is one of my favorite places in my garden. It’s the little path from under my deck. The needle palm was in a 1 gallon pot when I planted it, and that Birmingham was a strap leaf plant that was well around that corner for many many years. Even that lavender has pushed away from the wall and tripled in size over the years. Either way I walk through now one hand touches a palm frond and the other against the lavender and release the fragrance. These are good problems to have lol. But In all seriousness that mini Sabal row I’m planting, in 8 years time it may be tough to walk that path you’re correct, everything on the right is dieback perennials, should allow room to pass. Now in 20 years some strategic pruning may be necessary…….assuming they live. On a side note I’ve got to make it down to your place this year if the offer still stands. And I really need a second set of eyes on a few things here and would be honored if you would come check out my garden as well. 

I see no warning on size was necessary!  I have a hard time trimming those minors 'strategically' because they don't have too many fronds to spare.  And I hate you can't move them.  That needle is getting some good size.  Did your Birmingham show cold damage spots this year?  My Palmetto and Birminghams have some minor frond spotting.  minors and needles spotless.  Offer sure still stands and I'm sure I can come your way one day

Edited February 19, 2022 by Allen

[teddytn]

37 minutes ago, Allen said:

I see no warning on size was necessary!  I have a hard time trimming those minors 'strategically' because they don't have too many fronds to spare.  And I hate you can't move them.  That needle is getting some good size.  Did your Birmingham show cold damage spots this year?  My Palmetto and Birminghams have some minor frond spotting.  minors and needles spotless.  Offer sure still stands and I'm sure I can come your way one day

The birmingham pictured took normal damage, tiny bit of tip burn and a little leaf spotting. Newer leaves under the “canopy” look spotless. The Birmingham above it has the most damage It’s ever had. Pretty bad tip burn and some leaf spotting on pretty much every leaf. Palmettos, this was their first winter, they all survived and took no damage, but all had some protection (non air tight overhead cover, and mulched with pine straw). Minors and needles no damage. 

[teddytn]

Glad I laid out the spots so far in advance. Needed more room between plants, just had to live with it for a few days to see it. I’ll get 7 agaves planted in the berm. The rebar marks the spot. So zig zag back and forth between agave and yucca in the back row.Less is more in this case. Give everybody room to grow into their spot, and tons of room to add smaller succulents around the berm. Going to start pushing on this one. Try and plant April 1st.

[Silas_Sancona]

Scetching out what will happen out back, and getting final totals for stone / gravel..   ( 16 *est*. tons. of 1" rock, + 6 tons 1/4" Decomp. Granite  = A LOT of rock, lol ) while starting on clearing out the rectangle out front..

Pathway and extended paver area off the patio:

 Because there is a 5" drop off between the Patio edge, and pavers below, Raising two sets of paver closest to the edge of the Patio ( Dark Green Line ) so that the transition off the patio isn't as abrupt..  Next two sets of pavers will be at the same level as the ones behind it ( will go where the open space is between the lighter green/ teal lines are )  last set of pavers will be at ground level.



Bringing the " Planting bed " ( Yellow line ) < that is quite narrow atm >, out a couple feet from the house.. Plan is to add in a couple taller things that will hopefully shade that wall ( west facing ) from the sun in the afternoon.. Room is an addition built by the previous owner and isn't as well insulted as the rest of the house. 




These  are high on the list of consideration plant-wise for the taller / sun blocking things in that space.. If i'm going to plant something that is mostly green, most of the year ..and " Hedge-y ".. it has to have something more interesting about it than just green foliage to offer.. Excellent complement to both the Olive out front / Ficus nitida back here as well.

Myrtus communis v. boetica " Twisted Myrtle  





Additn'l planting bed to be cut out along the s. facing side of this room: May round the corner rather than have it be sharper edged 



Back area between the side of the family room addition, and the sheds.. Can see why gravel is going in that area.. Should be a good spot for a fire pit as well later.
Red line is the edge.. unless i have extra gravel to widen the area to the Green line.  ?' marks are there for these two Junipers.. Not sure i plan on keeping them.. May get yanked/ replaced by a coupe more Twisted Myrtle ..which will shade the master bedroom better than these things..  Yellow lines mark additional planting bed  areas / where rock will go, edged by brick. Brick will also separate the gravel area from the lawn.



Pocket between the sheds that will be filled w/ gravel also, and will be building a temporary gate/ fence ( Magenta line ) to keep my dog from getting behind the shed on the left ( when pursuing Cats )..
Not sure why people leaves space between the block walls / fences and sheds here but not the kind of place you want pets to explore, esp. when you share a wall w/ questionable neighbors.  If this were my house, would build one large shed, instead of having these two.

[teddytn]

Have been gathering these liner pots a little at a time…..for the price of 12 liner pots I bought 54 five inch deep pots. Ended up at 66 cents a piece. Definitely switching to these to help get all these palm seedlings potted up when it’s actual spring here lol. Had hoped to finish filling this bed this weekend, but I had to water a bunch in the plant room and uncovered everything, I forgot to takes pics. I’ll take a few tomorrow. 

[teddytn]

7 hours ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Scetching out what will happen out back, and getting final totals for stone / gravel..   ( 16 *est*. tons. of 1" rock, + 6 tons 1/4" Decomp. Granite  = A LOT of rock, lol ) while starting on clearing out the rectangle out front..

Pathway and extended paver area off the patio:

 Because there is a 5" drop off between the Patio edge, and pavers below, Raising two sets of paver closest to the edge of the Patio ( Dark Green Line ) so that the transition off the patio isn't as abrupt..  Next two sets of pavers will be at the same level as the ones behind it ( will go where the open space is between the lighter green/ teal lines are )  last set of pavers will be at ground level.



Bringing the " Planting bed " ( Yellow line ) < that is quite narrow atm >, out a couple feet from the house.. Plan is to add in a couple taller things that will hopefully shade that wall ( west facing ) from the sun in the afternoon.. Room is an addition built by the previous owner and isn't as well insulted as the rest of the house. 




These  are high on the list of consideration plant-wise for the taller / sun blocking things in that space.. If i'm going to plant something that is mostly green, most of the year ..and " Hedge-y ".. it has to have something more interesting about it than just green foliage to offer.. Excellent complement to both the Olive out front / Ficus nitida back here as well.

Myrtus communis v. boetica " Twisted Myrtle  





Additn'l planting bed to be cut out along the s. facing side of this room: May round the corner rather than have it be sharper edged 



Back area between the side of the family room addition, and the sheds.. Can see why gravel is going in that area.. Should be a good spot for a fire pit as well later.
Red line is the edge.. unless i have extra gravel to widen the area to the Green line.  ?' marks are there for these two Junipers.. Not sure i plan on keeping them.. May get yanked/ replaced by a coupe more Twisted Myrtle ..which will shade the master bedroom better than these things..  Yellow lines mark additional planting bed  areas / where rock will go, edged by brick. Brick will also separate the gravel area from the lawn.



Pocket between the sheds that will be filled w/ gravel also, and will be building a temporary gate/ fence ( Magenta line ) to keep my dog from getting behind the shed on the left ( when pursuing Cats )..
Not sure why people leaves space between the block walls / fences and sheds here but not the kind of place you want pets to explore, esp. when you share a wall w/ questionable neighbors.  If this were my house, would build one large shed, instead of having these two.

That’s on the list to cut pathways around the yard, excavate and fill with gravel. With out actually digging out the Bermuda grass and removing soil so it can’t return it’s an unending uphill battle. 
That twisted myrtle is super cool, definitely a plant worth repeating in the landscape. I’m trying to get my medium/ small tree game together. Trying to work on creating different layers eventually. 
That west facing wall has to be hell on plants in the summer time. 
I like the use of block walls to separate yards, seems like they give more privacy and can foundation plant against them? 
Badass plan over all, I personally enjoy landscaping/ hard scaping as much as I do actually planting plants. Both enhance and compliment each other when done right as you know. 

[Silas_Sancona]

1 hour ago, teddytn said:

That’s on the list to cut pathways around the yard, excavate and fill with gravel. With out actually digging out the Bermuda grass and removing soil so it can’t return it’s an unending uphill battle. 
That twisted myrtle is super cool, definitely a plant worth repeating in the landscape. I’m trying to get my medium/ small tree game together. Trying to work on creating different layers eventually. 
That west facing wall has to be hell on plants in the summer time. 
I like the use of block walls to separate yards, seems like they give more privacy and can foundation plant against them? 
Badass plan over all, I personally enjoy landscaping/ hard scaping as much as I do actually planting plants. Both enhance and compliment each other when done right as you know. 

Oh the grass is getting scalped, lol.. as best as possible anyway, then sprayed -if / as needed - to keep it out of the pathway / beds / open area further back..  Much like was done at the old house ..only this time there will be brick separating the hardscaped areas from the lawn to at least slow down the Bermuda as it tries to grow under the brick ( nothing really stops that stuff ).. Would have to install a 2-3' deep barrier, below the brick to really keep it out, and using a barrier is no guarantee it will stay out permanently since i'd find pieces that were over 6' long trying to grow into the block planter from underneath out front at the old house.

Twisted Myrtle is probably one of the nicest, " green " shrubby thing you can add to landscapes here, and will tolerate reflected heat. Supposedly hardy to 8b as well.  If i were in CA. would use Manzanita for the same application, but none tolerate the heat in the low desert. The Myrtle is a good substitute, minus red- colored bark/ branches.  Leaves/ fruit can be used for the same uses as traditional Myrtle from the Mediterranean as well.. ( Is a variety of Myrtus communis )

Here, an un-shaded, west facing wall ( ..or yard.. ) is 100% hell on whatever grows for sure, lol,  esp. w/out tree canopy in the yard/ neighbors to block the sun ..esp after say noon -2pm in the summer.  Having a back yard that faces south or east would be the best position here.. Regardless, at least one more tree is going in the back yard, before the two Mulberries get the chain saw, which should help w/ the blasting summer afternoon sun situation as it grows, esp. as the Ficus on the north end of the yard gets larger..  I actually removed some curved concrete edging from a couple spots that i may use to create planters, against the back wall, with... mainly for vines. Would be great for smaller, patio- type trees if the yard was deeper. 

After living somewhere where block walls are pretty much the standard property " fencing " won't have a house w/ out one.. No worries about the block rotting / getting chewed up / damaged by animals or people. If living more out in the desert, can install barriers on top of perimeter walls to help keep bigger critters out of the yard ( Bobcats, Mountain Lions, Bears.. ) Rattle Snakes usually don't climb, ..so the walls can also keep them out as well.. They Usually don't need replacing for quite some time ( unless a car drives through it, lol ) and yes, lol,  no weirdos can peep through the fence slats / any broken out knot holes checking out things.    

Can plant below them / or against them ( vines ) as long as you don't put in something w/ aggressive roots that might break the wall's foundation, and keep in mind that they get can HOT in the summer.. depending on which direction they face / if shaded ..so choose plants that won't fry w/ that extra heat and you're good.

Have seen yards where ..often the yard/ house facing side of block walls were done up really nice using stone and / or stucco..  Probably do the same w my own home ..only constructing it in a way where i could plant things in any crevices in the rocks..

[Silas_Sancona]

Home stretch:  The Rectangle..



Should have the two remaining sections cut out by tomorrow or Monday, at the latest.. Once i get the grass hacked up / remaining dirt / bits and pieces of Bermuda stolons teased from the Bermuda " Sod " pieces spread over low areas where the lawn is staying  ..and one last minor scrape of the bed to root out any remaining bits n' pieces of Bermuda, get the contour of the bed itself laid out. Since runoff during storms drains right off the roof, vs being channeled via a gutter into down spouts, this particular bed will act as a sort of catch basin which will also help runoff slowly move into the bed by the mailbox deeper in the soil.   ..Gravel, at least order # 1 ( don't think i can fit 13-16 tons of 1" rock, and    6- 7 tons of 1/4" Decomp. Granite in the " 'Tangle " ) will be ordered / delivered    ..and i can start prepping to - be - scraped areas out back, ...as i start filling in the beds out front.. Mucho work ahead ..

First batch of larger " rip rap- sized rock collected out in the desert. Small batch this time:



Also using some of the wash grit collected for topping planting hole basins ( to bury drip emitters, and as a mulch to help keep moisturein the soil  around the roots of newly planted stuff longer )  Will have 1" rock scattered atop of it as that is laid down, away from the root crowns / trunk bases of course ) Could get some " paver base " - sized Decomp Granite from where i'll get the deco rock for the same purpose, but that is usually washed / has sat out long enough to have been washed through when it rains.. Freshly collected grit will have all the good stuff that settles into it after being washed down stream into the stream bed itself during flash flood events.



..Getting there...

More rock ( and wash grit ) gathering trips ahead for sure .

[teddytn]

23 hours ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Home stretch:  The Rectangle..



Should have the two remaining sections cut out by tomorrow or Monday, at the latest.. Once i get the grass hacked up / remaining dirt / bits and pieces of Bermuda stolons teased from the Bermuda " Sod " pieces spread over low areas where the lawn is staying  ..and one last minor scrape of the bed to root out any remaining bits n' pieces of Bermuda, get the contour of the bed itself laid out. Since runoff during storms drains right off the roof, vs being channeled via a gutter into down spouts, this particular bed will act as a sort of catch basin which will also help runoff slowly move into the bed by the mailbox deeper in the soil.   ..Gravel, at least order # 1 ( don't think i can fit 13-16 tons of 1" rock, and    6- 7 tons of 1/4" Decomp. Granite in the " 'Tangle " ) will be ordered / delivered    ..and i can start prepping to - be - scraped areas out back, ...as i start filling in the beds out front.. Mucho work ahead ..

First batch of larger " rip rap- sized rock collected out in the desert. Small batch this time:



Also using some of the wash grit collected for topping planting hole basins ( to bury drip emitters, and as a mulch to help keep moisturein the soil  around the roots of newly planted stuff longer )  Will have 1" rock scattered atop of it as that is laid down, away from the root crowns / trunk bases of course ) Could get some " paver base " - sized Decomp Granite from where i'll get the deco rock for the same purpose, but that is usually washed / has sat out long enough to have been washed through when it rains.. Freshly collected grit will have all the good stuff that settles into it after being washed down stream into the stream bed itself during flash flood events.



..Getting there...

More rock ( and wash grit ) gathering trips ahead for sure .

I’m collecting rocks again myself, need to start defining the agave and yucca spots and build upward a little more, shooting for dry dry dry. The little at a time method is much easier to manage for me. I’ve had mulch delivered before and I feel like I have to move all of it the same day lol. If I had rock/ gravel delivered might as well use it to build a grave stone lol.

I was reading somewhere that in some trial beds they removed all the sod and 6” more of native soil. Planted plants at this lower depth normally, and then mulched with gravel up to grade. Apparently this had surprisingly good results. Weeds were reduced to zero, the gravel reduced the need for frequent watering but also let air down to the roots and growth was better compared to a normally planted bed with 2-4” of gravel mulch. 

[teddytn]

Got some stuff planted today. Cherry laurelHino crimson azalea Got a bunch of Sabal minors in the ground. 7 NC minors, 1 mccurtain, 2 Emerald Isle. Try and get the trunking sabals planted in a few weeks. So yeah everyone like finished highly manicured shots of plants….um sorry to burst everyone’s bubble here, definitely isn’t plug and play at my house. Planted over 200$ worth of evergreen plants under this massive pine tree. Perfect planting area for part shade, except for all the dead branches it drops in a year. Had to climb up and do some pruning. I always remember why I don’t care to climb that thing when I do it again. The branches are spaced just far enough apart that it gets real hairy lol. Too much air in that tree for my liking. 

[Silas_Sancona]

2 hours ago, teddytn said:

I’m collecting rocks again myself, need to start defining the agave and yucca spots and build upward a little more, shooting for dry dry dry. The little at a time method is much easier to manage for me. I’ve had mulch delivered before and I feel like I have to move all of it the same day lol. If I had rock/ gravel delivered might as well use it to build a grave stone lol.

I was reading somewhere that in some trial beds they removed all the sod and 6” more of native soil. Planted plants at this lower depth normally, and then mulched with gravel up to grade. Apparently this had surprisingly good results. Weeds were reduced to zero, the gravel reduced the need for frequent watering but also let air down to the roots and growth was better compared to a normally planted bed with 2-4” of gravel mulch. 

Deeper gravel definitely helps w/ moisture retention.. Weeds? just depends on what plants itself in it... Annual stuff is typically easiest to pull / doesn't root in all that well / roots closer to the surface. Perennial stuff, at least desert plants can develop tap roots pretty quickly. Roots can drill through the rock layer faster / easier in some cases, chasing moisture down / capitalizing on extra moisture in the soil, and air that moves through the rock to the soil below.. On the other hand, they can be easier to pull where not wanted < Depending on what the plant is / how long it was allowed to grow before pulling of course >.

Bermuda Grass and Nut Sedge are a whole 'nother type of animal. Bermuda Grass itself can send Stolons as deep as 2ft ( no way i'm digging out that much soil, haha ) and those left over pieces have no trouble pushing new growth up through several inches of smaller rock / around bigger sized rock, seeking out areas where it can find the surface. Nut Sedge can plant the " nuts " up to a foot below the surface in some cases. If any remain when the plant is dug out, they too will try and regrow through 4-8" of gravel. Turf - type " bunch " grasses that don't form stolons / rhizomes are pretty much eliminated when pulled out.

Some other invasive, non native grasses can also be impossible to fully eradicate simply by laying thicker layers of rock., or mulch. Cogongrass being one of the worst. Glad we don't have it here.

As for the Bermuda, i know they'll be bits and pieces i can't completely eliminate, esp. where it has grown under concrete slabs and will just have to spot treat any pieces that peep out of the rock until completely knocked out. Using drip should also help starve any remaining " Little Green Gremlins " looking for water to help them grow into monsters.

Edited February 28, 2022 by Silas_Sancona
edit

[teddytn]

On 2/27/2022 at 9:06 PM, Silas_Sancona said:

Deeper gravel definitely helps w/ moisture retention.. Weeds? just depends on what plants itself in it... Annual stuff is typically easiest to pull / doesn't root in all that well / roots closer to the surface. Perennial stuff, at least desert plants can develop tap roots pretty quickly. Roots can drill through the rock layer faster / easier in some cases, chasing moisture down / capitalizing on extra moisture in the soil, and air that moves through the rock to the soil below.. On the other hand, they can be easier to pull where not wanted < Depending on what the plant is / how long it was allowed to grow before pulling of course >.

Bermuda Grass and Nut Sedge are a whole 'nother type of animal. Bermuda Grass itself can send Stolons as deep as 2ft ( no way i'm digging out that much soil, haha ) and those left over pieces have no trouble pushing new growth up through several inches of smaller rock / around bigger sized rock, seeking out areas where it can find the surface. Nut Sedge can plant the " nuts " up to a foot below the surface in some cases. If any remain when the plant is dug out, they too will try and regrow through 4-8" of gravel. Turf - type " bunch " grasses that don't form stolons / rhizomes are pretty much eliminated when pulled out.

Some other invasive, non native grasses can also be impossible to fully eradicate simply by laying thicker layers of rock., or mulch. Cogongrass being one of the worst. Glad we don't have it here.

As for the Bermuda, i know they'll be bits and pieces i can't completely eliminate, esp. where it has grown under concrete slabs and will just have to spot treat any pieces that peep out of the rock until completely knocked out. Using drip should also help starve any remaining " Little Green Gremlins " looking for water to help them grow into monsters.

I’ve come to accept that I most likely will always have some Bermuda to deal with here. Same here as you say, I’ve dug out an entire area and was convinced I had it beat….yeah not so much. As soon as spring is in full swing and we get weekly rain and high 80’s forget it, Bermuda rears it’s ugly head and invades everything. Perfect growing conditions has its down side, it’s perfect to grow weeds too lol. Tried for years and failed at smothering Bermuda, double layer landscape fabric is no match for it here either . About the only thing that will slow it down is tight planting of plants that are taller than Bermuda and just crowd it out, definitely doesn’t like shady conditions from my experience 

[Silas_Sancona]

38 minutes ago, teddytn said:

I’ve come to accept that I most likely will always have some Bermuda to deal with here. Same here as you say, I’ve dug out an entire area and was convinced I had it beat….yeah not so much. As soon as spring is in full swing and we get weekly rain and high 80’s forget it, Bermuda rears it’s ugly head and invades everything. Perfect growing conditions has its down side, it’s perfect to grow weeds too lol. Tried for years and failed at smothering Bermuda, double layer landscape fabric is no match for it here either . About the only thing that will slow it down is tight planting of plants that are taller than Bermuda and just crowd it out, definitely doesn’t like shady conditions from my experience 

Have noticed that if the area where it is growing is heavily watered, most of it will come out / less of it tries to dig down..  Plants those bleepin' stolons really deep where it is trying to survive.. Was the case at the old house.. Was easily removed, and rarely tried to re- invade where it was killed off completely. In the spots i didn't dig out enough, that saw more shade/ where runoff would remain in the soil longer,  that was where it survived.. Here, in the rectangle area esp., i'm making sure i knock out every piece i see when scraping out the bed. Already have a couple spots in other beds where some pieces are trying to come back.. They'll be gone soon, lol.

Is true that Bermuda can really thin out in really shaded areas, but have seen it out competing stuff you'd think would smother it over time.

Fabric definitely doesn't work, loll Can see in a neighbor's yard where they'd originally laid some sort of fabric / plastic when they put in rock, but the grass tore right through it. Someonne ever re does that yard is going to have to have everything hauled out.  Best way i have heard to kill large areas of it, combined w/ spraying < if needed > Solarizing ..using clear, 4-6ml plastic. Not sure how well it might work there, but with our 105-115F heat in June and early July < ..all the way until September if it doesn't really rain >, shouldn't be hard to cook it.

[Allen]

https://www.domyown.com/acclaim-extra-selective-herbicide-p-1506.html?gclid=CjwKCAiAjoeRBhAJEiwAYY3nDPar7X6xMR3oP7pL6Tfls6OZDRtAv5_BXMHOwRMAoINxyyCJksCkABoCK2EQAvD_BwE

RE: bermuda grass - This is expensive but will knock it down substantially with little harm to fescue.  It will substantially suppress but not kill it.  Spray 2-4 times when bermuda is growing good and plant fescue in fall. Rinse/repeat and it will be knocked out in 2-3 years.  Mow fescue 4 inches. 

 

 

Edited March 5, 2022 by Allen

[Silas_Sancona]

23 minutes ago, Allen said:

https://www.domyown.com/acclaim-extra-selective-herbicide-p-1506.html?gclid=CjwKCAiAjoeRBhAJEiwAYY3nDPar7X6xMR3oP7pL6Tfls6OZDRtAv5_BXMHOwRMAoINxyyCJksCkABoCK2EQAvD_BwE

RE: bermuda grass - This is expensive but will knock it down substantially with little harm to fescue.  It will substantially suppress but not kill it.  Spray 2-4 times when bermuda is growing good and plant fescue in fall. Rinse/repeat and it will be knocked out in 2-3 years.  Mow fescue 4 inches. 

 

 

If it takes ..2-3 years to possibly kill the stuff  via applying a horrible chemical, .. Solarize and rip out the grass  ..all of it.  Definitely cheaper ..and best for the environment.

[Silas_Sancona]

After tearing out the final patch of grass, moving a lot of soil, and scraping out just a little more.. DONE!  Rock, 14.5 tons of it, should be here by sometime Thursday.  Just in time for a nice weekend ahead.  Had to downsize on the gravel to 1/2" since, ..for whatever reason, the 1" size i wanted is no longer being produced from the source, yet they have 1/2",  Figure that one out, lol.

Teal X'es represent the area where extra driveway space will eventually go in.  Other line represents where i need to get more scalloped edging for that bed.

[teddytn]

Been bouncing around on projects lately. Here’s an update on the desert berm. Starting to really take shape now. Got the rock rings in place for all the agaves. Moved the rebar stakes to the back row to mark spots for the yuccas. I may have mentioned earlier, but holy crap I’ve dug up a lot of rocks excavating the pit for the greenhouse. Using a mini x it wouldn’t be as noticeable and rocks would get lost in the scoops. Digging by hand different story, had 3 decent sized piles. They are the red rocks scattered on the berm, added some choice tan rocks in as well from the rock quarry at work and started filling with some smaller 1” stones. Started a single rock wall to hold the smaller gravel back as I go. Going to live with this for a little bit and see how I like it. Next step is start mixing in some sand and more gravel into the actual planting ring for the agaves. First pic just the rocks addedNext with 1” stone added Forgot I planted that hesperaloe, used what gravel I had at the time, will pull back some of the gravel around it, add red and tan bigger rocks and re mulch to blend everything together. Going to keep piecing this together a little at a time. Want to make sure I like the color scheme and placement. 

[teddytn]

Whole other project I’ve got going is all these palm tree seeds. Getting community pots going is no big deal…separating and potting them up is a whole different story lol. Ended up with 28 s. Bermudana, there’s 2 Sabal mexicana in the right tray to finish it off. Today separated and potted 44 sabal minor Georgia. I’ve got 8 community pots to go. Gonna need more pots and trays for sure lol

[Silas_Sancona]

Waiting for a delivery of rock?  Start out back,  why not..  lol..  Main segment of the path,  ..Done.


 

[teddytn]

I’ve got more projects going than most people do all year lol. Here’s another one, need more space and love my raised beds. The wife picked out some ferns we’ve got coming, going to try my hand at a shade garden on the east side of the house. Probably go 2 layers higher with the oak timbers. 

[Silas_Sancona]

6 hours ago, teddytn said:

I’ve got more projects going than most people do all year lol. Here’s another one, need more space and love my raised beds. The wife picked out some ferns we’ve got coming, going to try my hand at a shade garden on the east side of the house. Probably go 2 layers higher with the oak timbers. 

Since you're doing a shade section, would look at some of the hardy Orchids Pant Delights offers, esp their selections of Calanthe and Bletila. You should have no trouble growing most of them there. Good, tropical- looking complements to both the ferns and palms in the same beds.

Btw, rock delivery was pushed back until tomorrow morning..  Due to our small/ narrow driveway, will have to block traffic ( likely all 3 lanes ) to get the truck in / positioned to where the rock is to be dumped. Far less traffic ( and people to annoy, haha ) on a Saturday morning, then on a Thursday morning,  ..hopefully, lol.  

Used the delay to continue clearing out whats left to scrape out back.  Not much left to tear out..

[teddytn]

11 hours ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Since you're doing a shade section, would look at some of the hardy Orchids Pant Delights offers, esp their selections of Calanthe and Bletila. You should have no trouble growing most of them there. Good, tropical- looking complements to both the ferns and palms in the same beds.

Btw, rock delivery was pushed back until tomorrow morning..  Due to our small/ narrow driveway, will have to block traffic ( likely all 3 lanes ) to get the truck in / positioned to where the rock is to be dumped. Far less traffic ( and people to annoy, haha ) on a Saturday morning, then on a Thursday morning,  ..hopefully, lol.  

Used the delay to continue clearing out whats left to scrape out back.  Not much left to tear out..

Funny you mention hardy orchids and plant delights. The JC Raulston arboretum has a ton of PowerPoint talks about all kinds of plant subjects. Literally yesterday just finished this one up. 

There’s some people that dislike plant delights for some reason I still haven’t figured out…Tony Avent is a rockstar. He’s been experimenting with plants for 30-40 years, what a wealth of knowledge and hard learned lessons. He’s got such a fun outlook on gardening. Support endangered plants by propagating them and getting them in the publics hands, it’s almost laughable to hear that because it’s against the scientific community’s stance in some ways, but so damn true at the same time. Definitely not afraid to kill plants either experimenting. Won’t consider a plant not hardy at his house until he’s killed it 3 times, and then still plants it again in different soil types and sun exposures to further experiment. Sorry for the pdn rant! Lol. 
Definitely expanding my plant collection in new directions this year. I will most definitely try some hardy orchids, thank you for the recommendation! 

The amount of rock you calculated, definitely isn’t coming on one pallet lol. I don’t know why more people don’t experiment with using rock in the landscape. See the same basic lame gardening attempt repeated through a town at so many people houses. Some people will use gravel mulch against their foundation, but as far as using rock to build elevation and create microclimates not so much. The colors rocks come in on their own is worth using. Crazy how much difference planting something on a certain side of a rock can make. Unbelievable really vs. planting on flat ground. I’m chomping at the bit to see how your yard turns out. 

Edited March 12, 2022 by teddytn

[Silas_Sancona]

3 minutes ago, teddytn said:

Funny you mention hardy orchids and plant delights. The JC Raulston arboretum has a ton of PowerPoint talks about all kinds of plant subjects. Literally yesterday just finished this on up. 

There’s some people that dislike plant delights for some reason I still haven’t figured out…Tony Avent is a rockstar. He’s been experimenting with plants for 30-40 years, what a wealth of knowledge and hard learned lessons. He’s got such a fun outlook on gardening. Support endangered plants by propagating them and getting them in the publics hands, it’s almost laughable to hear that because it’s against the scientific community’s stance in some ways, but so damn true at the same time. Definitely not afraid to kill plants either experimenting. Won’t consider a plant not hardy at his house until he’s killed it 3 times, and then still plants it again in different soil types and sun exposures to further experiment. Sorry for the pdn rant! Lol. 
Definitely expanding my plant collection in new directions this year. I will most definitely try some hardy orchids, thank you for the recommendation! 

The amount of rock you calculated, definitely isn’t coming on one pallet lol. I don’t know why more people don’t experiment with using rock in the landscape more. Some people will use gravel mulch against their foundation, but as far as using rock to build elevation and create microclimates not so much. Crazy how much difference planting something on a certain side of a rock can make. Unbelievable really vs. planting on flat ground. I’m chomping at the bit to see how your yard turns out. 

I think many people's  main " gripe? " ..if you want to call it that, w/ Plant Delights is shipping costs,  ..further out across the U.S at least.. Can't think of any other down talk i have heard about him besides steep shipping.. His plant selection is stellar w/ out any doubt.. Have seen numerous things that grow here he has worked with ..that ended up doing well back east. The fact he is also working with a lot of rarer and endangered plants, vs. just " common stuff " is what much more plant nurseries should be doing in the first place, not copying each other w/ the same general palate of plants you can find at the next 20 nurseries within say 20- 40 miles of X person's location....

The fact that he isn't afraid to admit to having killed things along the way as he is trialing stuff is a huge bonus as well..  and further asserts him as an actual Plantsman.

Some people may assume it is horribly embarrassing to admit, but, how else do you learn ..let alone be able to advise others if you don't fail sometimes. People's advise i trust the most are  like him who essentially say .." Don't fear sharing stories of the plants you have killed.. Anyone who might seriously judge you  ..because of the # of plants you have killed, isn't worth knowing / taking much advise from.  Killing plants is how you get better at growing plants " Yes there are those who never seem to listen to good advise, but they're far fewer than those who want to learn, and master growing whatever they are growing..

As for the rock.. Just got dumped..  Is more gravel than large rock, but bigger stuff will get mixed in over time.. Regardless, yes, it's pretty neat to see how adding it -even smaller sized rock- definitely helps amplify any microclimates you may already have in your yard.

Even in shady areas, it can help keep keep plants moister, but can also retain some warmth, providing an even better microclimate there.  Here it definitely helps retain moisture in full sun areas, and provides shade / cooler temperatures around the root zone. Obviously, here at least, dark colored stone will heat up more, which can cause heat damage to certain things, but also provide extra warmth in winter..  Lighter colored ( ..but not the blinding white stuff, lol ) stone still heats up somewhat, but not nearly as much as darker colored rock.. and will still retain some heat during the winter months.


 

 

[teddytn]

Trying to stay at it and get all these seedlings separated. The sooner I get these potted up the sooner I’ll have room to start some more community pots. I think I’ve got 4 more bags of seeds at the moment to soak and sow. By the way thank you to everyone that has been kind enough to send me seeds from PT!! 
Ended up with 18 sabal tamaulipas. 

[Allen]

Looking good on the progress fellas! My hardy orchids have been around for a few years and they just don't seem to thrive.  They just can't compete with the other plants I guess.  PD has high shipping and high plants costs but a great variety.  Regarding rock in the landscape it is ok if you plant certain things (I have a whole area of it).  But you can't change your mind easily and it would be impossible for me to plant stuff like my spreading tropical plants in it.  

[teddytn]

1 hour ago, Allen said:

Looking good on the progress fellas! My hardy orchids have been around for a few years and they just don't seem to thrive.  They just can't compete with the other plants I guess.  PD has high shipping and high plants costs but a great variety.  Regarding rock in the landscape it is ok if you plant certain things (I have a whole area of it).  But you can't change your mind easily and it would be impossible for me to plant stuff like my spreading tropical plants in it.  

I love all the palms you’ve got in the rock beds, look amazing mulched with rocks like that. Definitely not for every application though as you said. PDN is a little pricey there’s no arguing that. I do feel it’s worth it, just for their extensive plant trials they do and the information they provide either good or bad. And we all know the size palms they sell…that Blackburniana surprised me with how big it was. I’ve never seen anyone get one with palmate leaves.

[Silas_Sancona]

12 hours ago, teddytn said:

  ..I’m chomping at the bit to see how your yard turns out. 

Chomp no more!, haha..

Some progress pictures from a long day of slinging rock.. Remember, this is just stage #1.. Though the most important part. 

Perfect morning for awaiting delivery..


A perfect drop.. no rock slung across the driveway... and what 14.5 Tons of rock looks like out of the gate.






Lotza'  progress today.. 

Liked the tone of the rock before spraying it down as i'd fill each area.. Like it even more once the dust is washed off.. Is a touch brighter( a good thing, as it will reflect more sun, stay cooler and further help keep more moisture in the soil ), w / more blue tones that i'd had thought, but definitely complements the grey / white colors of the house, esp. since those colors pick up the color of the sky when the house is shaded.  Looking at the rock closer after spraying down, a nice mix of light white -ish / gray -ish blue,, gold, and rose tinted tones. Is a Limestone-type stone rather than Granite.




Area out by the mailbox.. Seems bare but, as there are plants in there.. More to be added over the next several months as well.. Maybe some real'  goodies near the mailbox itself..   Rock is going in just in time to start tossing around seed of some of the annual, monsoon season stuff in various spots as well. Blue lines in the last picture represent the " culvert " i etched out to drain off runoff that should run down the side entry bed. Bigger rocks ..and likely a couple buckets worth of collected wash grit will finalize the " finished " look as things progress.  Filling in the rectangle as well as i go along..  Only thing i'm not thrilled with are the two stumps on either side of the walkway.. Eventually will get a saws all to try and cut them down closer to just below the rock.. or, to a point where larger rocks will cover them. 










Side entryway bed.. Some small seedling- size things in there already,  picking up some other, bigger things for this bed next week.  Teal outline / X is that last little patch of grass i need to cut out. Was going to put a patch of Grit in there for access to the lawn but decided to just extend the bed. Need to get more Scalloped edging as well.

Small section up by the porch ..and the famous family Otter that has traveled cross country..  I'd had a pair of Coonties in here but they never snapped out of a " looking awful " streak , so they got tossed. Thinking i let them go too dry awhile back, then watered too much after i put them in out here to try and save them.. No worries.. Some of the Tropical Sage seedlings i have going in there now.  Running the 1/2" drip line under the concrete edging where the hose/ irrigation valves are also.



Bed up against the house.. Magenta outline is where the different colored " path " grit will go, once i get it cleaned out again.






Side bed between our lawn and the neighbors.. Can see most of the plants in there better now, lol..





Looking at the same from the street by the street light..  False Rhodes Grass ( Leptochloa crinita ) and AZ Milkweed ( Asclepias angustifolia ) just starting to wake up.. twiggy- looking Senna / Cassia wislizenii to the left closest to the street light pole should green up soon. Need to straighten out the border edging. 




Section right around the streetlight.. Beavertails / Echinocereus trigs. are in there, i promise, lol.

Only section left to fill in out front is the open spot marked w/ the yellow X.. Have to clean out the friggin'  Bermuda that re appeared before i fill it in..  Then i start filling in the planting areas out back..




As mentioned, this is step 1.. After the gravel is down, some more plants installed, it should be time for another grit / rock collecting trip. There's an area not far from where the Boulders area is out east of Florence were some blackish / dark brown, lava- type rock is scattered along the roadside i may seek out.