Digging a Well

Today I dug a pit for a water reservoir that will supply the the planned water feature. 

I was concerned about the location due to the size of the reservoir and the close proximity over a very large stone that has resided in this location since pre-2009. The reservoir is an Aquascape AquaBasin 30, a 30 x 30 x 16" reservoir.

I was fortunate because the reservoir fit exactly into the hole that I dug, not an inch to spare. If I had to move that stone, it would have been a challenge. At least 20% of the stone sits below the surface - it is large and heavy.

This reservoir is very sturdy and will hold 500 lbs and 27 gallons of water for the finished water feature. 

I also like that the corner has a removable door that will allow easy access to the pump and water chamber. At $300+ it was not inexpensive, but I want to make sure I do this feature correctly.

Once the hole was dug, I filled in the base of the pit with several inches of drainage stone, then laid weed fabric to sit under and around the reservoir.

The next step will be to install the pump and water spout before I place the granite basin and top-cover of stone. I also need to acquire more stones to create the surrounding border.

It will be a few more days before this project is complete and I am still waiting on the arrival of the electrician to install the electricity (note: the lantern shown above, right will be moved elsewhere).

Trench Digging

Before I can begin work on the planned water feature, I have to dig a trench from the house to a location near the gazebo. This location will allow the water feature pump to be supplied with electricity. The location will also allow for some new lighting in the gazebo and even a small outdoor ceiling fan/light.

Digging the trench was made easier after I purchased an angled trenching spade. 

I can not overstate how useful this shovel was, well worth the $37 I spent.

After moving and covering the bricks and chicken grit within the mini-zen garden, I was ready to dig the first part of the trench along the edge of the back porch.

It was a bit tricky near the rain chain basin, but there was just enough room.

I then angled the trench toward the gazebo post where the outlet would be located.

Initially I planned to dig a straight line from the opposite side of the mini-zen garden along the see-through fence line. 

After consulting with the electrician, it was decided that slight bends in the electrical conduit would not be a problem. By choosing this slightly angled path it eliminated the needs to dig up the large stone, forest grass and the patio bricks at the entrance to the garden.

The soil here is very sandy, so once I got through the first couple of inches of gravel near the top, it was easy to dig the trench 18 inches deep. 

Now that the trench is dug I will need to wait for the electrician to arrive and run the conduit and install the outlets.

In the meantime, I will watch my step.

The Bonsai Gallery

After building my initial bonsai stand, I decided to build three more. 

Once I realized that the stand I designed, and the metal mailbox spike used to hold it, was stable, I took inventory of my leftover cedar posts and boards and determined that I had just enough materials to build three more stands.

After cutting and sanding, the three new stands were built and stained.

I did have to buy some more black stain, and three more mailbox spikes, but the overall costs were within reason - the total for the four stands = $150. Not a bad investment given the improved interest it will add to the garden.

I now have to consider a name change for the passage way from the Middle Gate to the Courtyard. From here on in, I will refer to it as the Bonsai Gallery. 

The Bonsai Garden viewed from the Courtyard

The posts worked well with the existing shrubs within the walkway. Originally, the first stand was placed in the Guanyin bed behind the garage, but I decided to keep them all in one place. Hence, the relocating of the first stand.

Each of the bonsai looks nice on the stands. I kept the size of each box to 12 x 12" so that I could move the plants around if I choose.

 

 

The Bonsai Garden viewed form the Middle Gate entrance

Overall, I am very happy with the outcome. The passageway now has something interesting to see as one passes through. The stand and plants also work well with the large garage wall as a backdrop.

Its now up to me to make sure I do not kill the four bonsai I own.

Sign Language

In preparation for the upcoming 2024 Garden Conservancy Open Days event, I decided to install simple signs within the garden to ensure that visitors stay in designated areas. Actually, it would probably be better to say to keep them out of areas they should not enter.

The Viewing Garden is not supposed to be entered, simply viewed from the driveway or when on the first steps of the stepping stones leading into the Stroll Garden. The field of peastone within is meant to be a metaphor for water, but unfortunately, peastone does not lend itself to raking patterns. Nevertheless, visitors should only view this garden, not enter it.

Once, while visiting the Anderson Gardens in Rockford, Illinois, I had the pleasure of beholding a beautifully raked, patterned garden along side a tea house. 

It was obvious that someone had spent a great deal of time creating the pattern with a rake. However, after returning to admire the sight a few moments later, I was horrified to watch a set of parents and their kids walk right through it, ignoring the bamboo barrier, their footsteps destroying the beauty of the pattern.

I will do my best to educate visitors about the Japanese gardens and the appropriate means by which one can enjoy one first hand without spoiling the experience of others. Hence the signage I have chosen, which simply states "Please Do Not Enter." 

I acquired these small signs via Etsy at a reasonable price. I then attached them to scrap bamboo poles from previous projects. However, my first attempts were not well thought out - they were functional, but unsightly and overly restrictive.

The Viewing Garden barrier/sign in particular was too much. Yes, it would keep people out, but also undermined the esthetic of the garden. Especially when viewed from further along the stepping stones near the East Gate - it simply ruined the view.

The two signs in the Zen Garden were meant to keep people from walking down into into the metaphorical "river bed." In both cases, the stone lined steps can be difficult to navigate. Someone my get hurt if they try to enter.

The bamboo poles were also too tall and ruined the view of the Zen Garden from the courtyard/gazebo area.

Although the first designs were a good start, I needed to modify them so that they were unobtrusive, yet still functional. As a result, I removed the bamboo barrier from the Viewing Garden and replaced it with a tall single bamboo pole and sign. Its still visible, and hopefully visitors will follow its advice.

Along the Zen Garden I simply shortened the two tall bamboo poles. Again, still visible and functional.

In each case, the new approaches do not impact the garden viewing experience. They blend in well, are hidden by greenery when viewed from distant vistas, and should still keep people on the right path.

It should be noted that these sign will only be used during publicly accessible days.

Re-imagination

The plantings within the Dragon's Spine continue to need re-imagination. 

The long-term shrubs, maple, pine, and astilbe are all doing fine. However, most of the plants I planted last fall didn't grow as expected. 

Additionally, many of the hosta were eaten by rabbits and voles early in the spring, leaving them looking a bit distressed.

My plan is to try and fill in most of this area with hosta (I am going to try one more time). To begin, I removed most of the small plantings. I can use them later for filling in gaps. I then removed and transplanted a recovering spirea to another location.

Near the front of the house there were two very large hosta that had become too big for their locations, so I decided to transplant them into the Dragon Spine. 

Since these were two hosta of equal size, I placed them on opposite sides of the maple, in front of the two existing astilbe.

It is safe to say that I like symmetry and balance. Both plants have adjusted to the transplant, even in the midst of blooming. I then traveled around to local nurseries in search of new hosta.

Continuing the trend towards symmetry, I purchased two of each plant, for a total of 16 new hosta, including: 'Prairie Sky', 'Stained Glass', 'Patriot', 'Flavocircinalis', 'Blue Angel', 'Captain Kirk', and Silly String'. Cuttings and transplants from other hosta also were included, bur unfortunately I did not have the names of each handy.

I then spent the next day planting all of the hosta at my disposal, a total of 23 eventually filled the Dragon's Spine (with a total of 67 on property).

I recognize that many of these plants, which were already large, will continue to grow in size next year. My plan is to let them grow into each other and fight amongst themselves for supremacy. I will make adjustments along the way, but I am hoping for one large bed with numerous  and diverse styles of plants (mostly hosta).

So far, the Dragon Spine looks great. I will now have to wait and see how this experiment turns out.

The Dragon's Spine now fits in well with the rest of the garden.

Note: the far left of the Dragon's Spine bed, near the bamboo, lantern, and large stones is off limits - it is going to be the location for a new water feature/basin that I plan to install later in the year - a topic for a later post.

Display the Tray

In an effort to display my recently acquired bonsai, I am embarking on an experiment to build an appropriate bonsai stand on which to rest one of the plants and incorporate it into the greater garden. 

I will be using recycled cedar posts and remnants of cedar boards from previous fence projects. I will also use left over black stain from last year's Dragon Spine fence project to give the stand a distinctive look which will stand out from the surrounding greenery.

To hold the post securely in place, I am using a 4 x 4" black metal mailbox post.

After pounding it into the sandy soil, only the top few inches of the post cup were visible, the surrounding plants helping to hide the stake.

Building the actual stand took some time. I needed to decide on a design, but also make it work with the materials I had. I opted for a design that had a slated box top for drainage (shown below without the slats).

Adding two rails on either side added support, while a central board allowed me to attach the box to the post. I used left over decking screws to hold it together.

The structure has to be strong enough to hold the weight of the plant, it's ceramic pot, and water. 

The box top is 12 x 12", while the post height is 38.5". Note that two of the side rails are recessed .25" to accommodate the slats when attached, making the top of the box flush.

After constructing the box and post, I stained it with the black stain.

I also stained the 8 slats that sit on top with a .25' gap between each. The slats were they attached with a nail gun.

The location I chose for this experimental stand was near the center of the bed along the back of the garage, near Guanyin.

I think it looks terrific, especially with the Large Trained Rock Juniper resting on the tray.

Keeping it centered on the bed works well - its not too close to Guanyin, nor too close to the bamboo.

Now I have to wait and see how it holds up. If the structure remains stable, I will start building several more (I have plenty of recyclable posts and cedar). The passageway between the house and garage (the Middle Gate) is in need of some more interesting features. Perhaps it will become an outdoor bonsai garden.