Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Home on the Range


A few years back, I had the pleasure of doing some landscape work on a farm in Fayette, Alabama. Fayette, like so many small towns in Alabama, still has vestiges of Andy Griffith's small town America.
Fayette is full of friendly folks that have plenty of time to tell a story to a complete stranger. Even the police wave at you when you drive by. Most of the retail stores close early on Wednesday and are definitely closed on Sunday (except, of course, the Wal-Mart, but at least it's located on the outskirts of town).
I enjoyed working out there, not only because of the town, but because of the farm. I fashioned a greenhouse, planted foundation shrubs around the front of the main home, and planted some large trees (picture at top) around one of the ponds during several trips there. When I was there, I would try to take in and enjoy some of the surroundings. I guess maybe the slower pace rubbed off on me a bit.
This was a cattle farm, but they also had some buffalo. I thought I'd share a picture I took of the buffalo coming up a hill at feeding time and another of a tractor silhouette at the end of an old barn.
Thanks for sitting a spell and reading my blog. Ya'll come back now, ya hear!




Monday, January 28, 2008

Dressing up your mail box



Dressing up your mail box with a raised stone planter can be a do-it-yourself project and it's is a way to: a) create another planting area so you can tinker with a variety of plant material b) enhance the curb appeal of your home c) add the look of stone to your landscape d) put a smile on your mail carrier's face!
Well, let's get on with it...
1) Decide how large and what shape the raised planter should be. Try using an inexpensive can of spray paint, you can paint the actual shapes you are considering to come up with ideas directly on the ground. The painted lines that are left over will fade away within a couple of weeks, but use a green or brown color, if you don't want to be too conspicuous. Think proportion when deciding on the size and stay with simple lines that aren't too busy and avoid straight lines when possible.
2. Remove any vegetation or debris within the confines of the raised bed site (turf, weeds, small stumps, large rock, etc).
3. Use a shovel to edge the outline of the bed. This gives you a place to set the first course stone below soil grade.
4. Pick out stone that appears suitable for stacking. You could mortar the wall, but stacking, for this application, is so much easier and correcting a mistake is not a big hassle.
5. Have all your stone and the soil or soil mix you intend to use as backfill near your work area. Start laying stone, beginning at the lowest elevation. Baffle the stone as you stack them and try to create as few openings as possible in-between stones. There will be small openings between stones by virtue of it being a stacked wall, but this is nothing to worry about as long as they aren't too large. As you are stacking the stone, use a rubber mallet or just your gloved hand to push the soil behind and between the stones to create stability.
Finally, save some of your thinnest stones for the top of your planter wall. They come in handy when trying to even out the top so it doesn't look too ragged. If you are going for a formal look, this may not be the style you want. Stack stone has a more informal, country garden look. Now then, you're ready to plant.....to be continued!


Keep your mail carrier in mind when building your planter. Your mail box should reach out far enough for easy access with a postal vehicle.

Monday, January 21, 2008

Snow Shots





Great snow pictures, Linda! ...from somewhere inbetween Posey's Crossroads and Minooka. The name of the Black Lab enjoying the surroundings is "Scoobie".

Saturday, January 19, 2008

Snow - Nature's Blanket

Snow resting on an Aster plant

It's Friday night here in Alabaster, and the expected snow is slowly creeping from Mississippi into Alabama. Will we get 1 inch, 2 inches, 4...none? The consensus is that we'll get at least 2 inches from Birminghan southward to Montgomery. Snow is a big event in Alabama!
From a gardening standpoint, can we get some kind of benefit from snowfall? Well, aside from the beauty it provides, I can think of two other benefits. One, it is a great way to water our plants. As the snow melts, the soil gets a nice thorough soaking, providing there is a healthy amount of snow. It can take anywhere from 4 to 15 inches of snow, depending on how wet the snow is, to make 1 inch of rain.



Two, snow acts as an insulator for our plants; a blanket if you will. The snow we are expecting today is part of a weather system that includes an artic blast that will reach Alabama in a day or two. We may see low temps in the teens, both Sunday and Monday mornings. Those kinds of temperatures can cause damage to plants like gardenia, camellia, or indian hawthorne. But if there is snow covering the plants, they will be better off for it. There is no reason to worry about snow on your plants. Go ahead and enjoy this rare Alabama delight and know your plants are having an extra good winter!

UPDATE: Saturday night, 8:39PM...The snowfall was fun to watch for about 2 hours, resulting in far less accumulation that predicted. I'd say we got an inch of wet snow that was just about all melted after four or five hours. In the end, we don't have a blanket of snow to protect our plants from the upper teen temperatures we will get tonight. The precipitation was welcomed, though, and it was a treat to touch, taste, and gaze at the rarified white stuff.




The largest known snowman to be built, courtesy of some good friends, in Central Alabama during this recent snow event!

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

You say Cyclamen/I say Cyclamen


In the United States, the usual pronunciation is SIGH-CLUH-MEN, but in the UK, you will hear it pronounced, SICK-LUH-MEN. Either way, there are some varieties of Cyclamen that do well in Alabama and should be considered, especially if you are interested in Winter/Very Early Spring flowers. Cyclamen are tuberous perennials that originate from the Middle East, Cypress and Crete. Said to be an aphrodisiac, much of the folklore of Cyclamen revolves around love and conception. In ancient times, the tubers were roasted, beaten and made into small cakes. Note to the adventurous: Unroasted or uncooked Cyclamen plants can be dangerous if ingested in large quantities by humans, causing gastritis and nervous tension!
Here are a couple of Cyclamen species I recommend for planting in Central Alabama:
Cyclamen coum - Hardy in Central Alabama and much further north, into the Midwest and Northeast United States. Zones 5-8. For our area, consider planting in some shade.
Cyclamen hederifolium - Also hardy in Central Alabama. May bloom earlier than C. coum and has the scent of lemon. Zones 6-9.
Cyclamen are easier to grow than you might think. If you pick the hardy species, you won't have to worry about cold damage. The main problem encountered with Cyclamen is rotting corms/tubers. Be sure to plant your Cyclamen in a well-drained situation with nice, composted soil. Remember, too, that Cyclamen will seed readily and colonize if they are in a preferable growing situation. Finally, don't be alarmed when the pretty foliage you've admired all winter and spring long disappears. Hardy Cyclamen plants do this vanishing act, then reappear in the fall and eventually display their cheerful blooms for all to behold.

Thursday, January 10, 2008

Stone and Brick can work together.



Here is a picture of a job I did out near Vandiver about two years ago. It's a containment wall of stone with a flagstone coping, plus steps and a flagstone walkway. The client I was working with is an excellant gardener and uses stone extensively throughout her planting areas. My stone work, which was needed to make the parking area workable at the front of the house, acts as a "bridge" connecting the beautiful brick work of the home to the stone she has used with her plantings. The combination, I think, is pleasing and adds interest to the overall appeal of this fantastic homesite.


Parking Pad w/ steps and flagstone walk leading to front door














Awesome gardening by the homeowner!

Thursday, January 3, 2008

Stone Bench


I've climbed many a rock pile at nurseries, in Oneonta, etc. and have always noticed and pulled out interesting stone that caught my eye. Lots of times, I'll notice big, 2" thick slabs that look perfect for bench seats. I've started to do some of these benches as part of my job projects.
The formula - Pour a footing for the pedistals. Mortar the pedistals using smaller stone. At the top of the pedistals, add an acrylic adhesive to the mortar and place the slab, level.
These benches fit in well in an informal garden setting, along a pathway, etc.