Help with new back yard, straight or curved edges?
Kathy Hilliard
last month
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Gailan -
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Stihl curved vs straight edger???
Comments (3)I have both and using the curved shaft trimmer makes by back hurt. It is just too short so I go around the yard hunched over while using it. Also, it is very difficult to get the curved shaft trimmer under low hanging trees such as oranges and limes....See MoreNew house, new yard. Yard needs help!
Comments (7)I was thinking about that 165gallon pond... You might want to make it above grade for two reasons - having an edge to sit on thankfully while trailing your fingers; and not having to hack through a bazillion tree roots to install it. You may need to think about either a leaf net or a cover for autumn when the leaves come down in bulk. I have a pool cover of wire netting over mine - to keep out the swamp hens and hedgehogs - and it also catches most of the trees' leaves as well. I agree about the chain link fence - and it does seem to have attractive uprights. However - can you easily get behind it to weed? Or are you going to pay the 'fibro price' for pulling and tugging in an awkward position? Thinking of bee-friendly plants for dappled light - forget-me-not (Myosotis)is great in spring (and an oh dear! if your dog has a long coat but they are easily combed out), Dicentra, Heuchera, Hosta, Clematis - which could do well in one of the lower trees, Prunella. And the simpler forms of Dahlia are much-visited, as are Buddleias. My old dog was always fond of shady 'scrapes' under shrubs or ornamental grasses. Or the middle of the Iris innominata...:-( The wooden decking was popular, too. If you find your tree roots rapidly colonising any garden beds you make you may have to either make raised beds with a barrier layer and above ground drainage points - or move to container growing. They might be why your yard has hungry sandy soil and weeds. The tree looks a bit like a birch of some kind. (Secondary guess would be a flowering cherry.)...See MorePool coping - how do I best set straight stone on slight curves?
Comments (17)Thanks for all the input! I had already read about the leveling method before and am glad to see it confirmed here. I probably will have to play with the mortar thickness in places, because the coping pieces are not all of uniform thickness. We dragged them into the backyard this past Saturday and layed out a couple of pieces in the most curviest part of the pool. My pool is of an odd shape but actually somewhat rectangular, if that makes any sense without drawing... Is a heavy-duty tile saw something I could use to cut the stone? I have cut both cement and tile with both a circular saw as well as a tile saw respectively before and I would love to be able to avoid dust or getting shocked or cut while trying to use the circular saw with a wet sponge ;) @renovxpt: no worries about your first response! I am both determined and foolish enough to tackle this myself and I really appreciate the feedback. You can email me at sunkid @ iminurnetz . com (no spaces, obviously) and I would be happy to post the images here. If you want to post them yourself, upload them to a free hosting service (e.g. imgur.com or Google's picasa) and then add a link to your post's text like so: <img src="url of your image">...See MoreStraight lines vs curved lines in gardens
Comments (79)Here are some paths and designs that I like... obviously very large gardens, but I think you can take these ideas and place them in a smaller garden... ..in this photo the shingled path is straight but softened with edging plants, and the path is tapered towards to end, which draws the visitor to it, I think... ..the same view 10 days later..... I like the way the blue Geraniums have now been replaced by the pink ones... but the yellows still draw me to the end of the path... ..another garden, another example of how I like to be drawn forward.... the very straight path narrowing in the distance to what appears to be a pair of dark green pillars.. ..but it is in fact a Hop covered archway, the path softened and the gazebo enticing the visitor forward... I like this one very much... and I think could be replicated in a small garden... ..with a grass path, I like to see curves with plantings that hide the view ahead... and absolutely no spillage onto the paths... I don't like to see that with grass... preferring a nice clean sharp edge.. ..with high straight walls, I think it's important to bring the borders outwards towards the centre... but I don't like these island beds here... although they serve a purpose in this particular garden... ..finally, I rather like the way the hedges here have been shaped to invite the visitor to take a turn right or left... it flows and I find it relaxing... and I wouldn't like it if it was sharp... ...hope you found something of interest in those......See Morelaceyvail 6A, WV
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28 days ago
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