Early Moss

The temperature finally broke the 60 degrees barrier today, the first day in April where it wasn't in the 30s. There was a lot of yard work to be done, mostly gathering up piles of leaves that did not get raked back in the fall. After raking up some leaves, I decided to cut back the Super Blue Liriope (Liriope mascara 'Super Blue') along the edge of the stroll garden. I then moved on to cut back the dead shoots on all of the bamboo plants throughout the garden. In addition, I trimmed the dead wood off the red dwarf maple along the Dragon's Spine.

I was about to finish up, when I realized that the area behind the fence, in the woodlot, had a lot of moss growing about. Being early in the spring, there wasn't a lot of weed growth yet, so, I decided that it would be a good time to harvest up some of the moss and use it within the Zen garden.

When I first built the garden, I had attempted to grow moss along the stone stairway at the center point of the garden. At that time, there were circular granite steps. Unfortunately, the store bought Scotch Moss never took, even after several years of trying. 

Given my success using moss from the wood lot in the stroll garden, I thought it would be worth a try to use the same moss on the steps. 

First, I had to remove all of the pea stone that was in place between the rocks. 

 

Next, I broke up the large sections of the moss I had harvested, and placed it in the spaces between and around the stone steps.

I then gave it a good watering to help it take. So far, I think it looks nice.

 

This area will get plenty of moister once the sprinklers come on later in the season. I will need to keep it under control over time to make sure it doesn't spread too far or cover the rocks. I want to keep the stones visible and I don't want them to become a slippery hazard.

Spring Delayed

It's the first week of April, but it feels more like February. Spring isn't showing up early as hoped and the weather for the next couple of weeks looks like more of the same - cold and wet (with some snow in between).

In the meantime, I am getting ready for the Woodland Gate doors I was planning. First, I located an image of the style I liked:

 Next, I began making detailed plans and drawings for all the measurements:

NOTE: the plans above were altered when it came time to build the gate - 2" cedar boards were used all around and for all the rails except the center, which was a 3" rail. Keep in mind, the actual measurements were 1/4" less than the purchased widths. Making this change kept the final doors in proportion to the actual gate structure (see June 29, 2018 post).

I've already purchased the wood, and the one inch diameter bamboo poles I will be using for the face are ordered and should arrive within two weeks. Here it was I hope it looks like when done:

The plan is to use half-lap joints for the main frame. This should hold it together well, however, I am worried about using screws. I don't want to see them on the frame face and finding a short enough length could be an issue after joining the pieces to together with lap joints. I might use staples instead, combined with glue, that might work. I could also drill out holes for dowels - this might be a more authentic way to proceed since it won't require any screws. I will decide after I get all the pieces cut and dry fitted.