Project Updates: What's done and what isn't

On April 1st, I published a post on the garden-related projects my husband and I were focused on during the current stay-at-home order.  Within a week, I relocated the Yucca 'Bright Star' I'd identified as my top priority and helped my spouse move the rock we've had stowed behind our garage since our home remodel.  My other projects have proceeded more slowly but my husband completed two of his.  We now have a new path for use in hauling out our garbage bins for pick-up each week and I finally have a new compost bin system to replace the tumbler that literally disintegrated last year.

View of both the new path and, in the background next to my potting bench, my new compost bins

This photo from November 2018 was the best "before" shot I could find.  As you can see, the path we used to haul out our garbage bins was filled with gravel and my composter was a metal and plastic tumbler left behind by a prior owner. 

The new garbage bin path took the most time and was completed first.  When we moved in, the path was grass.  We tried to find someone to extend the stone pad that adjoins the street but we were unable to find anyone to take a job that small so my husband laid railway ties to support the wheels on the garbage bins and filled in between them with gravel.  It worked well enough but, when paving stones were removed from our back patio to allow for the extension of our kitchen during last year's remodel, he envisioned using them to replace the gravel.  Once again, we couldn't find anyone willing to bid on the job so he did it himself.

This photo was taken April 7th after the gravel had been removed.  An extended period of rain delayed work for a couple of weeks.

Rather than just cramming the stones in to fill the space, he lined them up to mirror the layout of the existing paved walkways, which meant cutting a LOT of the concrete pieces to fit

The completed path

I relocated all the gravel we removed.  Most went into my cutting garden.  You can see some color differences in the photo on the right but I imagine those will fade once the gravel is kicked around a bit.

So we recycled a lot of what we had on hand!  My husband also recycled materials to construct my new compost bin system.

The slats that make up the compost bins were created using the bender board used by prior owners to line the large lawn areas that came with the house.  We removed all the lawn, section by section, after we moved in.

The clear tops of the compost bins originally protected a couple of art prints.  We'd replaced them with a product that limits sun damage so these were available for recycling too.

Rather than fill in the narrow space between the bins and the paved path with gravel, my husband cut more of the concrete pieces to fill the gap

I christened the compost bin with the first garden debris yesterday!

Before and after photos of the back of our garage.  Less crap!

For my part, in addition to the Yucca, I moved the concrete paving stones some prior owner had distributed through the front beds adjacent to the house on the north side but I haven't gotten much further in rehabbing those beds.

Before & after (1st area): Even I was surprised at exactly how many of those hexagonal concrete paving stones studded the 2 areas.  There was no plan or logic associated with their placement that I could see.

Before & after (2nd area): As our new air conditioning unit sits just to the left of the areas shown in these photos, I moved 5 paving stones to create a short path here for use when the AC unit requires maintenance.  I've already run out of planting mix to improve the soil in both areas so I'm going to have to arrange another curbside pickup at my local garden center before I can jump into replanting.

I moved the remaining dozen plus paving stones to the back slope, where I dug them into place.  During our rainy season, this area between the planting bed and the hedge bordering my neighbor's chain-link fence can get muddy so the steps, while widely spaced, may help.  I cleared our most of the rampant Centranthus seedlings in the process of laying the stones.

I've also finally finished planting the Dahlia tubers I received in late March.  I ordered 17 new tubers back in late December.  Three tubers have not yet arrived but I've been reassured that these will be shipped in the coming week.  Where I'll put them is another matter altogether, as I've already got 4 sitting in temporary plastic pots until space opens up in the raised planters.  A cold winter and a cooler-than-usual spring delayed most of my cool season blooms, many of which are only now getting started, so there's less room than I need for the Dahlias, not to speak of the Zinnia seeds I want to sow.

Pulling rust-ridden snapdragons and the Ranunculus that didn't do well this year made room for some of the tubers but, when those in the plastic pots shown in this photo begin to grow, I'm going to need to move them somewhere that provides more room for their roots to spread out.  And I haven't even looked at the tubers I saved from last year's crop yet.

For the record, I've made nearly zero progress in removing the Mexican feather grass (Stipa tenuissuma) seedlings running rampant on my garden's south side and, as we're in the midst of our first heat wave of the year (in April!), it may be awhile before I get to that, much less any of the new projects I've recently uncovered that need handling.

Best wishes for a pleasant weekend, whatever weather you're facing.


All material © 2012-2020 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party