Wall to Wall - Zig~Zag

renaldo75 · Post by **renaldo75** » Feb 20, 2007 10:30 pm

The weather was like spring today for the 3rd day. Lots of sunshine & lots of snow melting. And my camera decided to cooperate & work today.

This is the north wall I didn't have pictures of when I showed the pics earlier of this bed.

renaldo75 · Post by **renaldo75** » Feb 20, 2007 10:38 pm

A couple more pics from the north side.

Linda P · Post by **Linda P** » Feb 20, 2007 10:59 pm

Whew...I'm glad I decided against that glass of wine before I got online. I have a few balance issues anyway...all that zigging and zagging might cause a bit of vertigo if combined with alchohol.

Seriously..what a LOT of work! It's nice to see it unadorned, but I can't wait to see the spring pics once the hostas start coming up. Looks like you'll be able to start unloading those holding beds!
(and yes, I saw those rebar and chickenwire arbors!!!!)
Linda P

renaldo75 · Post by **renaldo75** » Feb 20, 2007 11:46 pm

Linda - are you saying that you're already a bit tipsy even without the glass of wine??

Actually the bed with all the zigging & zagging going on is already a holding bed.

Do you see my dilemma now??

newtohosta-no more · Post by **newtohosta-no more** » Feb 21, 2007 9:44 am

My goodness...so much work!! But it looks fantastic, Ren.
I don't remember....are you capping the top off on the blocks or are you planning on planting something in each of the holes?

renaldo75 · Post by **renaldo75** » Feb 21, 2007 10:23 am

Thanks, Joan.

I eventually plan to cap some off with the plain gray rectangular paving stones. [One of those is the same size as a block.] But as you can see it's gonna take more than just a couple to do the job.....

I am also going to plant some with 'Acre' sedum since it will grow just about anywhere & I have lots of it to spare. And I think some different thymes would look cool too & maybe even some bacopa eventually. I love it but it's still a little bit too pricey to be replacing every year. [I had never thought about overwintering bacopa before until I saw Hank's post on here or Hostapix saying that's what he did.] But before I cap or plant in them I will be pounding a couple pieces of rebar down thru the openings to make sure that the soil doesn't push the walls out after a couple of years. That's what happened in a couple of places with the block wall I built 6-8 years ago. Looks kinda cool - gardening amongst the ruins & all, but unfortunately the blocks fall down into the walkway under the arch between the 2 gardens.....and we can't have that.

newtohosta-no more · Post by **newtohosta-no more** » Feb 21, 2007 3:05 pm

I'm sure however you decide to "finish it up" is going to look great.

Patrushka · Post by **Patrushka** » Feb 21, 2007 4:53 pm

Wow!!! You've really put a lot of work into this project. It looks great! Love the zig-zag. I can't wait to see it when all of the hostas and plants are up.

renaldo75 · Post by **renaldo75** » Feb 21, 2007 5:26 pm

Thanks, Pat - I can't wait either!!

Linda P · Post by **Linda P** » Feb 22, 2007 10:42 am

Yep, that's what I'm sayin'! It's kind of embarassing to be weaving around like a drunken sailor when the last drink I had was weeks ago. But such is my lot.
I've just finished looking at your latest batch of wall-to-wall
pics, and I can't wait to see the finished beds! I had one thought...are you mowing the grassy pathways between the beds? Looks like you'll be zigging and zagging with the mower, too.
I'd have given anything to watch you filling and tamping those new areas.

It makes me tired to think of how much work that was.
Linda P

renaldo75 · Post by **renaldo75** » Feb 22, 2007 11:28 am

Yep - I'll be mowing the grassy pathways & there will be some zigging & zagging going on, but after years of mowing all of the steep places in this yard, I won't mind a bit. You needed to have some mountain goat genes if you wanted to remain standing upright...

My version of the hit stage show 'Stomp' wasn't nearly as exciting or as noisy, Linda.

Just an overweight, middle-aged guy walking around in 'squares' that got smaller each time around until he was left standing in the middle - and then starting the routine over again.....

But I'm still kinda glad that the big lilac shielded me from view from most of the world that was passing by me. And that the guy who bought the house to the west hadn't started moving in yet.

This spring/summer will be a challenge to get a lot done.

For sure!! I have a feeling that a lot of hostas will be going into holding pots before they find permanent homes though. I'll have to move out the occupants of a holding bed. Then move some of those hostas & others back in. In most of the new beds, I'll have to add more soil & hopefully lots of compost if I can get a couple of truckloads from Oma-Gro this spring. The last walled garden [#5] I showed will be the most difficult. It will require more walls, hosta & perennial removal, and soil/compost added before I can begin planting. Most of the other beds that are new or expanded will just need to have more soil/compost before I can plant.

I took measurements of the new beds late last fall so I would have the dimensions & be able to plan over the winter what hostas I wanted where. And I'll be darned if those dimensions aren't still just laying there on a piece of paper.

I guess if I get at it I still have time to turn them into maps. It really would be a good idea if I had a plan going in rather than staring at the ground visualizing most of the spring.

Jamie · Post by **Jamie** » Feb 22, 2007 11:56 am

Looking good Reldon

.. But that first picture keeps messing with my eyes. Look how the shadow is cast and it looks like a optical illusion. For some reason I see a trench in front of the wall in the first pic

thehostagourmet · Post by **thehostagourmet** » Feb 22, 2007 3:23 pm

Jamie, that's really a moat to deer-proof the beds. A couple dozen Piranha will be in the moat. Have you ever see pictures of what they can do to full grown cattle?

George

renaldo75 · Post by **renaldo75** » Feb 22, 2007 4:24 pm

Jamie - George is right. My Komodo Dragon the deer keep chomping on every spring is inside one of these walls.

Hallson Gardens

Wall to Wall - Zig~Zag

Wall to Wall - Zig~Zag

Shadows