Digging » 2010

May 31, 2010

Laying a stone path

Filed under: 2nd garden--2010, How I did it, Paths — Pam/Digging @ 5:14 am

Having procrastinated on those grass paths in the back garden long enough, this weekend I hauled home two trunkloads of limestone pieces and got to work. Naturally, I ran out of stone while laying the path on Sunday, and I knew the stone yards would be closed through Tuesday. Meanwhile we have company coming over today, and I couldn’t leave it half-finished. So I used some of my leftover stone strips from the sunburst path around the stock-tank pond and made a diamond-shaped insert. A biscuit-like river rock in the middle is the finishing touch.

Making a path like this is pretty easy—meaning it doesn’t require a lot of technical skill, but it does require a strong back and plenty of sweat equity when temperatures are in the upper 90s (35.5 C). After digging out the grass, a chore I hired out, I spread 3-4 inches of paver base and used a tamper to compact it.

Then I put down a couple of inches of sand.

Next I laid the stone. It’s best to use stone that’s at least two inches thick when dry-laying (rather than mortaring) a walk; it’s less likely to lift up on one end when you walk on it. Fitting the stone together takes patience. It’s kind of like putting together a puzzle. I checked to make sure each piece was level with the others as I went along. An existing slope ensured that water won’t pool on the path when it rains; if the space had been flat, I’d have built in a slight slope.

When the stone was laid and level, I swept sand across it and filled the cracks. That’s it.

I’m happy to have a firm, level path from the deck to the garden. Next up: the sloping side-yard path. There’s always another project.

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May 27, 2010

Water lilies & daylilies, the stars of early summer

Filed under: 2nd garden--2010, Daylily, Ponds, Stock tanks, Water gardening — Pam/Digging @ 4:02 pm

If a star fell to earth, I think it would look like Nymphaea, one of the most beautiful flowers ever. This one is called ‘Colorado,’ and it greets me every day with large, rosy apricot flowers that open with the sun and close in late afternoon.

‘Colorado’ water lily grows happily in my two-foot-deep stock-tank pond, even tolerating partial shade.

Of course, it would bloom even better in full sun, but I can’t complain about its performance. It was nearly evergreen for me last winter, even through our hard freezes and occasional ice on the pond, and it bounced back in early spring.

Once a month during the growing season I push a fertilizer tablet into the mucky soil in which it’s potted, and once a year (theoretically) I divide and repot it. No watering or pruning required! Does it get any simpler or more beautiful than that?

Other star-shaped flowers for early summer are the evergreen daylilies. I’ve tried various deciduous daylilies over the years, but they struggled and eventually died away. The evergreen varieties that I brought with me to the new garden include sunny ‘Wilson’s Yellow,’ above…

…and sweet ‘Best of Friends,’ which I’ve shared with a number of gardening friends over the years.

It is unfortunately sharing space with a ‘Radrazz’ Knock Out rose right now, but I’ll move it in the fall to a better spot.

With one last look at ‘Colorado,’ I wish my American readers a star-spangled Memorial Day holiday weekend!

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May 26, 2010

Great summer watering advice

Filed under: Sustainable Gardening, Water conservation — Pam/Digging @ 6:56 pm

As Austin ends the month of May below average in rainfall and above average in temperatures, I wanted to share some great advice about watering your plants and preparing them for summer from Merrideth Jiles, who blogs at Garden Spot for The Great Outdoors nursery.

Please click through the link above to read Merrideth’s excellent suggestions, which will not only save you money on water bills but make your plants healthier. His first tip is about watering deeply and less frequently:

Most plants, even newly planted, should not need to be watered every day, if watered properly. A good watering is long and slow, allowing water to permeate the soil on multiple levels and reach deep into the root ball and surrounding soil. I am often amazed as I watch my neighbors shoot a hose at their flower beds for 20-30 seconds and then tell me they are “watering”. I spend at least 5 minutes watering areas that need it. And by areas, I mean nothing more than about 100 square feet (10’x10’) at a time.

Merrideth offers several other tips, including information about fertilizing, which will prove useful to both new and experienced gardeners.

And speaking of water conservation, local gardeners should remember that Austin is under Stage 1 watering restrictions through the summer:

Beginning Saturday, May 1, residential water customers in Austin will follow the same twice-a-week watering schedule. Depending on the street address, customers may water as needed only before 10 a.m. or after 7 p.m. Odd numbered addresses water on Wednesdays and Saturdays, while even numbered addresses water on Thursdays and Sundays. These restrictions will be in effect until further notice….Watering restrictions help conserve our treated drinking water and preserve water supply in the Highland Lakes.

Our water is a shared and precious resource. By following smart irrigation practices, we not only help the environment but our wallets as well.

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Unfinished garden construction

Filed under: 2nd garden--2010, Agaves, Cactus, Containers, Paths, Stock tanks, Succulents — Pam/Digging @ 6:07 am

I ask you, where are the path-building elves when you need them? My sloping side-yard path still needs doing. And look—the faux garden shed in the background has not constructed itself either.

Better to focus on the plants. They’re looking happy with the sunny, warm weather we’ve been having. Oh no! The unfinished shed is visible from here too.

A macro view will do the trick to banish those unfinished hardscaping projects. And here’s something happy: a variegated sedum mailed to me (along with a couple of other goodies) from the Florida garden of Darla at Family and Flowers. Thanks so much, Darla!

And seeing that my Opuntia ficus-indica has a couple of new leaf buds, I leaned in and noticed that ants were busying themselves on the cactus, each one finding a spot on those spiky protuberances (what are they called, anyway?). I have no idea what they were doing, but it was plain that they were working.

Maybe if I took fewer ambles, shot fewer pictures, and wrote fewer posts I’d get my hardscaping done. Ah, but where would be the fun in that?

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