That's a good point Yard. Neither my wife nor I are very happy with how the end of it turned out, so I very well might be re-doing it at some point when I'm not so tired. The cutting of stones was a bit of a learning curve. I ended up redoing quite a few of them my second time round. I was just manually measuring with a straight edge ruler and getting a little creative with my curves to help lock it in. There were sadly a ton of curves to cut. We rented the saw the first day late for 24 hours. So I worked from 4pm or so until 8pm on them. By the end it was going much better. Sure enough the next morning I woke up at 7 am to finish up and it was sprinkling. Started cutting in the rain until about 11am when it started pouring. We realized how slow it was going and that I would have to rent the saw again, so my wife convinced me to stop working in the rain and return it. Sure enough as soon as it was back, the rain stopped. I doubt I would have finished either way though, never expected it to take that long to cut so much. I ended up working a full day from 7am to 8pm to finish the pavestone and capstone.

It always amazes me when newbies, having never attempted a given task before, insist upon 'reinventing the wheel' -- as if experienced professionals have not learned to use proven methods. Why in the world would you choose an inappropriate material such as solid PVC pipe sections that require gluing? ...and 6-inch pipe, no less! YIKES! What are you draining? A lake? I would really encourage you to consider ways of retaining the water on your property long enough to allow it to infiltrate. There are many ways to do this; a number of which were mentioned by Laag: "or leaching it out in drywells, leach pits, or leaching trenches". There are other methods as well; perhaps a rain garden or taking other steps to improve permeability. As responsible citizens, we need to begin to assume responsibility for the storm water that we generate from our own impenetrable surfaces (roofs, driveways, patios, etc.). Out of sight - Out of mind is simply not a responsible ploy. Rapidly dumping your water off site simply forces someone else (or a governmental body) to deal with it. This common practice has to stop. As the old saying goes: If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem. Think about it: With all of the dire water shortages Georgia has been dealing with the last few years, here you are getting rid of this precious resource as fast as you can. Am I missing something here? IronBelly

Thanks very much for your response. The gravel is actually a mixture of course gravel, sand and clay. I'm hoping there's enough clay to provide adequate wicking drainage. Any thoughts? Assuming there's not enough clay, I'll need to somehow provide artificial wick material like a nylon rope or fabric. Does the wick need to be lower than the container to drain properly? Can it extend sideways from the container bottom, for example?

Junipers and other small needled evergreens make ideal specimens for beginners and experts alike. My only advice might be to allow the plant's natural form guide you, to a certain extent. Have you researched appropriate planting mediums for bonsai as well as types of containers? Remember, you are training a root system, too. Another reminder, your yew and juniper are both outdoor plants. They won't thrive inside. Have you investigated the numerous catalogs for bonsai enthusiasts? You will find inexpensive bonsai pottery, potting mixes, soft brown aluminum bonsai wire and other accoutrements. I'll suggest availing yourself of the many Youtube videos (some great, some are terrible), and maybe pick up a book or two.