Happy Juneteenth
Today is Juneteenth, the celebration of Black Americans gaining their freedom from slavery. It comes from the proclamation in Texas some two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. It is a strange situation yet somewhat emblematatic of how things have gone in this country's history. We didn't really restore freedom to a large part of this country's population until the end of the Civil War and the bureaucratic communications are procedures were put in place.
While it started getting hot around by 3 p.m., I managed to complete the restoration of the flower bed border and connect it to the border I started earlier from the fence line! When everything is complete we will have this great curvy border of LBT and the flower bed/cat cemetary, curvy ground cover, triangular rocks and curvy walkway and patio. LBT will be open initially but I will put Byron Shed 1 between and add more plants which like shade and don't need water around the edges...along with rock features (Byron Shed 2 will be a tool shed where many of my garden tools area now and I will also create storage under the stoop).
Also I added another 25 square feet of restored ground cover land to the "lawn" area.
To do this restoration I shovel through the clay and remove the plastic grid that came with the turf added in 2012 by the landscaper. Along the way I also remove rocks, concrete pieces, glass, and nails. In this area, along the border, I found seveal black hewn rocks which I used as a border more than two decades ago. Somehow I did not keep up the area and "lost" them...then the landscaper buried them. I will use these to border my walkway in the back yard.
The restored 30 square feet I did on Saturday is already sprouting thanks to the rain we have had and the sunny conditions right there. I am hoping the same for the additional 50 square feet from Monday and today: just need to keep the area moist. I didn't do that in the area between LBT and the back driveway, so nothing has sprouted there ( I will water again).
Two rose campion flowers are now out in Squeakers' Bend, also the white and yellow flower (fever few?).
What's next?
[] restore the area between the border and the restored area: about 30 square feet.
[] remove the remaining scalloped pieces from LBT to the area at the end of the flower bed.
[] dig out the area for the back driveway restoration: 5 inches down.
[] add landscape fabric, four inches of gravel, one inch of sand, then flatten.
[] put back pavers
[] hammer plastic border to keep pavers in place, but not where bricks will go.
[] dig area for concrete pieces and add landscape fabric to foundation, then gravel, concrete pieces.
[] dig out area between concrete pieces to driveway, add landscape fabric, then gravel and bricks.
[] finish bricks to initial ten foot walkway.
[] add walkway turn by digging down, adding fabric, then gravel and border.
[] rainbarrel 2 and 3 pedestals installed.
[] put in concrete patio pieces around pedestals and to walkway.
[] complete walkway.
[] complete scalloped border.
[] create river rock drainage but don't connect.
[] remove gravel/weeds from window well, add drainage, landscape fabric, white rock and select river rock.
While it started getting hot around by 3 p.m., I managed to complete the restoration of the flower bed border and connect it to the border I started earlier from the fence line! When everything is complete we will have this great curvy border of LBT and the flower bed/cat cemetary, curvy ground cover, triangular rocks and curvy walkway and patio. LBT will be open initially but I will put Byron Shed 1 between and add more plants which like shade and don't need water around the edges...along with rock features (Byron Shed 2 will be a tool shed where many of my garden tools area now and I will also create storage under the stoop).
Also I added another 25 square feet of restored ground cover land to the "lawn" area.
To do this restoration I shovel through the clay and remove the plastic grid that came with the turf added in 2012 by the landscaper. Along the way I also remove rocks, concrete pieces, glass, and nails. In this area, along the border, I found seveal black hewn rocks which I used as a border more than two decades ago. Somehow I did not keep up the area and "lost" them...then the landscaper buried them. I will use these to border my walkway in the back yard.
The restored 30 square feet I did on Saturday is already sprouting thanks to the rain we have had and the sunny conditions right there. I am hoping the same for the additional 50 square feet from Monday and today: just need to keep the area moist. I didn't do that in the area between LBT and the back driveway, so nothing has sprouted there ( I will water again).
Two rose campion flowers are now out in Squeakers' Bend, also the white and yellow flower (fever few?).
What's next?
[] restore the area between the border and the restored area: about 30 square feet.
[] remove the remaining scalloped pieces from LBT to the area at the end of the flower bed.
[] dig out the area for the back driveway restoration: 5 inches down.
[] add landscape fabric, four inches of gravel, one inch of sand, then flatten.
[] put back pavers
[] hammer plastic border to keep pavers in place, but not where bricks will go.
[] dig area for concrete pieces and add landscape fabric to foundation, then gravel, concrete pieces.
[] dig out area between concrete pieces to driveway, add landscape fabric, then gravel and bricks.
[] finish bricks to initial ten foot walkway.
[] add walkway turn by digging down, adding fabric, then gravel and border.
[] rainbarrel 2 and 3 pedestals installed.
[] put in concrete patio pieces around pedestals and to walkway.
[] complete walkway.
[] complete scalloped border.
[] create river rock drainage but don't connect.
[] remove gravel/weeds from window well, add drainage, landscape fabric, white rock and select river rock.