This is the third and final update post tracking the progress of my large garden project. The next one I write will be to show the finished product all planted out. However, in order to get to the planting phase, I must first do some planter bed preparation. You’ll need to go back to the…
The building of a dry creek bed
I have had a lot going on the last few weeks. As most already know, I am in the process of doing a pretty large landscape remodel and trying to coordinate all that with a busy summer schedule. The concrete work went in last week and next week the topsoil arrives for me to finish…
Massive Garden Project Update #2 – Concrete Work
I love putting in new hardscape. Plants are the wildcard in your garden. You can’t totally control plants, no matter how hard you try. You just never really know how long you will want a plant or just how long it will live. Concrete work is permanent. It brings order to an otherwise shuffled landscape. With…
Massive Garden Project Update #1
It’s about time for a quick update regarding my “Massive Garden Project” I informed readers about two months ago. To be expected, the project was delayed. So for those who were waiting for this garden project update, I apologize. Large-scale projects never start on time and this one was no exception. The concrete guy I…
The excitement that comes from a massive upcoming garden project
It has been 10 years now since I first embarked on a massive garden project. One that involves pouring concrete, bringing in boulders, and that will lead to me planting a whole bunch of palms, cycads, agaves and aloes. I always knew what I wanted to do in the garden, and for many years I had been…
My weekend project: A new rock garden
There has been one particular area in my garden that has bugged me for quite some time now. It is a highly visible spot that receives a lot of sun year round and is occupied by some of my favorite plants. Lately, in an effort to further meet the water restrictions the drought in California has imposed,…
Mass murder in the garden. It’s that time of year.
Spring time in my garden is when I like to make the major changes. Spring is also when I find myself planting 90% of everything I will put into the ground that year. However, before any plantings, time must be dedicated to ripping plants out. We all know that life isn’t fair, and tough choices have to made when building…
The Stainton backyard landscape and plant consultation
One of the things that I really enjoying doing is helping people with their landscape planning or updating. While I have neither the time nor interest to manage full landscape projects past my own yard, I do offer help with landscape and plant consultation. The overwhelming majority of new landscapes that are put in on a new Southern Californian tract…