Imminent Collapse

Started to set up the gazebo today. I had been putting it off all spring because I was concerned it was in poor shape. As I suspected, the structure was no longer sound. Years of rust from leaving it up all winter finally took its toll on the roof supports. As I attempted to reinstall the cloth roof, it became apparent that the supports were no longer safe.

The gazebo has been here since before that garden was complete. It even suffered a blow-over during a violent storm. Finally, two years ago I made the mistake of leaving the roof on too long into the snow season. The supports were severely bent, and I bent them back, but it was only a matter of time before they collapsed.

Now that it is down and being recycled, there is a vast expanse of space in the garden.

I looked into having a timber beam structure built, but the coast was starting at $4,500 and quickly rising. Too much for me right now. Instead, I opted to replace the gazebo with another metal structure, one that has a solid roof. Its a bit risky in the northeast, but I can just use my snow rake to remove snow if it gets to heavy (I hope). The replacement I purchased is the Palram Palermo 3000 10 x 10 gazebo.

I got a good sale price on it and was able to acquire it for less than $1,000. It should be here in a week or so. I will need to decide on how to secure it, especially with a solid roof. I might have to install some cement footings ( no easy task). I will wait until it arrives and I complete the initial set up before I decide.

Bamboo Switcheroo

The winter storm 
Hid in the bamboo grove 
And quieted away. 
- Basho

As usual, finding time to work in the garden hasn't been easy. Updating the vegetable garden fencing and water system has taken up all my free time these last two weeks. Today was the first chance I had to practice with a fence panel replacement in the Zen Garden.

Over the winter, the fence started to take a beating. 

I'm replacing the split bamboo with 3/4 diameter bamboo pole panels. They will be more sturdy and should last longer than the split bamboo which was held together by thin wire that has rusted over the years. The split bamboo also had a tendency to bow. It lasted over seven years, but its time for it to go (see the right side of the image below).

The new bamboo poles are solid and held together with two wires that could easily be replaced in the future. 

The test panel looks good. It was easy to come up with a quick routine for changing each panel. I will have to wait a week or more for the rest of the panels to get here.

My plan is to remove all the bamboo panels and raise up the bottom rail about 3.5 inches to accommodate the 3 ft. height of the new panels. It will result in a larger gap at the bottom, but that will make it easier to blow leaves underneath in the fall (see image above). I will then re-stain the fence before putting in the bamboo panels. 

Its been almost 8 years, and the fence needs a new staining - its starting to fade. I built the fence so that I can easily accommodate the new panels. The major task is raising the bottom rail. After the new panels are in, I will coat the bamboo poles with a protective stain. 

Completing the entire fence is going to take some time. I will work on it when I can. I am hoping that I will be finished by mid July - the height of the garden's bloom.