Kids Play Stream/Creek ~ Advice Please !!
Pixiefeather
10 years ago
Featured Answer
Sort by:Oldest
Comments (14)
catherinet
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agochas045
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agoRelated Discussions
New Kid On The Block Needs Advice!!!
Comments (9)Glad to have you here, Tracy! You don't have to just wait - that's why you get annuals and pots. View this year as a prep year that will make the remainder of your gardening years in this house more successful and rewarding. One other thing you can do this summer besides annuals & pots is to work on improving your soil. Once we are well into summer and you know what you have (& you may want an experienced gardener to walk around your garden with you to help figure out what are weeds and what are plants worth keeping) you can plant a cover crop to turn in come fall or start working in compost (does your town have a composting program where you can pick up finished compost free or cheap?) or even just top dressing with compost. I really think that the best thing you can do to have a successful garden is to start with good soil, and that's always easier before you plant, amending whole beds with organic matter rather than just adding it to planting holes which tends to restrict root growth. If you can't get compost, look up lasagna gardening or sheet composting. Any organic matter added will be to the good, particularly in your sandy soil. Watching your garden for a season while planting temporary plants (that's where annuals and pots come in) will help you get a feel for light levels, moisture levels (are there areas that stay damp to gooey all year or other areas that are powder dry in high summer?) while giving you time to decide what you want from a garden as others have suggested along with knowing a bit about how you will use the yard. Where will the BBQ be? Do you want a patio in sun or shade? Do you need a play space for kids? Do your pets have favorite places to run, sleep or dump? (Not good places for plants!) Where do folks take short cuts around the yard (don't try to plant there or else give them stepping stones to cross the garden.) Around here early fall is the best time to plant since warm soil and cooler air coupled with regular rain make it easier for the plants to settle in. You can spend your summer like KPaquette, visiting other gardens and deciding on plants and styles you like. (Take a camera and a notebook so that if photos are allowed you can have records of plants you like, & be sure to take good notes &/or make sketches to keep track of ideas and plant names.) Another good source of ideas is your local public library and book stores, as they often have great eye candy that will get your creative juices flowing. Finally, there are frequently sales in the fall, so you'll get more bang for your buck as long as the plants are healthy. Some ideas for this year's dappling - Coleus comes with red or green or yellow leaves (usually some combination) and likes shady areas. Outdoors, it makes a great pot plant that you can then cut back before the first frost and keep it all winter as a sunny window sill plant. There are many Salvias that may or may not be hardy for you (but aren't for me) like Salvia guaranitica 'Black and Blue' which grows well in a large pot and attracts humming birds. Scarlet runner beans are an annual vine that will twine up a trellis or strings. They have screaming red flowers that the hummers love and you can eat the beans as green beans if picked young or harvest the mature pods for dried beans. Nicotiana in a self-seeding annual that has red, pink, white, or chartreuse flowers with heavenly late afternoon and night-time scent....See MoreKids - Robin- not returned advice please
Comments (47)Anna & Debbie Thank you so very much, Meg received her Kid Robin yesterday afternoon, and seriously.......... ..it was like Christmas before Halloween around here!!!!!!! You made my youngest daughter a very happy little girl! Hats off to the both of you, there was obvious thoughtful planning into it. Meg is a very appreciative one at 9yrs old---and is in the process of sending a 'thank you' your way. Erica, Jessie's robin is left to arrive...then your robin will be at the end of her journey....yes? Tina** Jessie, James & Meg...See MoreAdvice Needed: Kids keep farming my yard
Comments (15)I had a lot of this, and it is actually just one neighbor and his guests doing this, one actually drove over my Princess Di Cannas, needless to say I was not thrilled, and they were doing this in day light as well as at night, using my yard to turn around in. I did the only thing I could think of with the supplies I had handy (and yes I did think about putting spikes in the ground, but there are way too many kids running around to do that, but it was a nice daydream) I actually used landscaping timbers with blocks, not pretty by any means, and yes they get knocked over, but everytime I see a chunk taken out of one of the blocks I get some satisfaction over the thought of what kind of damage was done to the car. I would not do this to nice neighbors by any means but it is so apparent they are running a drug operation out of their house that I really don't care, the owner of the house is actually the one that normally knocks the blocks over but since he had the accident that turned his vehicle into 4 ft. high kids toy (he tested positive for drugs and almost killed a passenger in the other car) I have not had to pick up the fence once....See MoreDo your kids play video games, and if so---
Comments (8)Mine were where yours is at back in the day. The sticker shock was worse because I really did not believe my three would spend the time playing these games that the price warranted. I was correct. Ours was minimally used. My son chose ping pong, disc golf and learning to juggle over time "gaming". We chose gamebox--My students would say it was the wrong choice. My students who play, play NON STOP in their non school time. These games have become their lives. They play with never seen strangers alone in their rooms and tell us they were not alone. The games they play are "Call Of Duty" and all its versions --all violent and ugly. If I taught a parenting class and if I thought anyone would listen the #1 mistake parents make is buying into the video/social media device purchases. Technology is dumbing down, making social outcasts, ruining our kids. These Gamers will never be captains of industry!!!...See Moresleeplessinftwayne
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agoHolly_ON
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agofrankielynnsie
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agoPixiefeather
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agoEssieG
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agoatokadawn
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agosteiconi
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agoboulderguy
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agoEssieG
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agofrugalgardener
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agowaterbug_guy
9 years agolast modified: 9 years ago
Related Stories
SUMMER GARDENINGHouzz Call: Please Show Us Your Summer Garden!
Share pictures of your home and yard this summer — we’d love to feature them in an upcoming story
Full StoryLIFEGet the Family to Pitch In: A Mom’s Advice on Chores
Foster teamwork and a sense of ownership about housekeeping to lighten your load and even boost togetherness
Full StoryTHE ART OF ARCHITECTURESound Advice for Designing a Home Music Studio
How to unleash your inner guitar hero without antagonizing the neighbors
Full StoryHEALTHY HOMEHow to Childproof Your Home: Expert Advice
Safety strategies, Part 1: Get the lowdown from the pros on which areas of the home need locks, lids, gates and more
Full StoryKITCHEN STORAGEKnife Shopping and Storage: Advice From a Kitchen Pro
Get your kitchen holiday ready by choosing the right knives and storing them safely and efficiently
Full StoryREMODELING GUIDESContractor Tips: Advice for Laundry Room Design
Thinking ahead when installing or moving a washer and dryer can prevent frustration and damage down the road
Full StoryKITCHEN DESIGNSmart Investments in Kitchen Cabinetry — a Realtor's Advice
Get expert info on what cabinet features are worth the money, for both you and potential buyers of your home
Full StoryBATHROOM DESIGNDreaming of a Spa Tub at Home? Read This Pro Advice First
Before you float away on visions of jets and bubbles and the steamiest water around, consider these very real spa tub issues
Full StoryDECORATING GUIDES10 Design Tips Learned From the Worst Advice Ever
If these Houzzers’ tales don’t bolster the courage of your design convictions, nothing will
Full StoryFARM YOUR YARDAdvice on Canyon Farming From L.A.'s Vegetable Whisperer
See how a screened garden house and raised beds help an edible garden in a Los Angeles canyon thrive
Full Story
waterbug_guy