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The Kitchen Table

DH gave me BIG rocks...big Granite rocks! 4 photos

17 years ago

They're every girl's dream, big, colorful, sparkly rocks. Big granite rocks that range about 18-24" across. How many carats would that be?

I've been ill for several months and was unable to work in the yard like normal until very recently.

I did manage to get the 10'x14' garden dug (with rototiller help), weeded, enriched with compost, and shaped. A couple weeks ago I set in a few annuals that will hopefully fill out enough to look nice before the first killing frost.

I'll fill the bed with perennials this fall and next spring.

This is the first step in our front yard landscaping. Next will be evergreen plantings to hide the ugly house foundataion.

Yesterday Wes brought home these huge rocks to edge the garden. He has brusises on both arms from moving them in and out of the truck. It was all he could do to lift them, and he's a strong guy. He got them from the edge of a generous farmer's field ~ for free!

I LOVE my rock border.

I wanted to take out the scrawny white spruce tree, but it's perfect for the bird feeders. Right now it holds oriole nectar, jelly, and orange feeders, an upside-down thistle feeder, a caged suet feeder, and a hopper and tube feeder for BOSS.

It's in the perfectly location. I can see the feeders from both the livingroom and sewing room windows so, scrawny or not, it stays.

Rocks in shades of yellow, pink, grey, and blue. I love the orange spots on this pink one. The dark grey stones are full of sparkly white quartz (?) crystals.

I call this one my "Northern Cross." Yes; I'm one of those people that name their rocks.

Looking at the rock garden through the hazy livingroom window. The Purple Martin pole is just out of the frame at the upper left.

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Comments (14)

linda_in_iowa
17 years ago
Beautiful.
socks
17 years ago
How beautiful. I love the natural beauty of a rock border. I'm a rock lover too and have a rock border for my shade garden. Every few years I have to lift them up a bit as they begin to sink into the ground too much.

Tell DH he gets the much-coveted KT Seal of Approval!! LOL! So sorry to hear you've been sick and hope you are better.

Susan
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joan_mn
17 years ago
I love those rocks, too. They're the perfect edging! Your yard is so pretty. I hope you are feeling better, Caroline!
glenda_al
17 years ago
Very very pretty!
marilyn_c
17 years ago
Well, we would get along fine...you name your rocks and I name my trees. ;)

Very nice rocks! I love the one with the "northern cross".
kathi_mdgd
17 years ago
I love it also,i love pretty and different rocks,guess that's from growing up in the country!! LOL,LOL

Your garden is lovely.What is Oriole nectar,don't think i've ever seen that.I ask because for the first time in 42 years at this house,last year we got orioles,not too often,but..............This year a pair is back and they've taken over my hummingbird feeders,and they chase the hummers away.I tried putting out oranges for them~~~~~~~~they didn't even touch them!!

I have a yard full of flowers as well so the hummers are getting something,but i'd like to see them use their feeders.Any thoughts on this problem?????
Kathi
dotmom
17 years ago
Now, thats what i call a mighty-fine man. Very thoughtful.
My late, best friend always wanted a big boulder in her front yard. One day her DH stopped by a road construction crew who were removing big rocks from the area they were putting in anew road. He asked one of the guys if he could have one of the big boulders and how much would it cost him to have it hauled to his home. The guy told him he could have the rock for free and it would cost him a bottle of whiskey for the guy to haul it to Ray's home. To Dee's delight, there was a 4 x 5 foot boulder in her front yard.

Caroline, your rocks are pretty and I think naming them is charming. Hope your feeling better. Dottie
heatherinohio
17 years ago
WOW! I love your garden!! It is very very beautiful!!
barbara3
17 years ago
What a guy!! My DH gave me a pickup load of aged manure for my birthday one year. One of the best presents he ever gave me!!
patti43
17 years ago
If that isn't love, I don't know what is. How sweet that he remembered how much you wanted them. They sure are pretty--so are your flowers. Sorry you've been ill and hope you're feeling perky now!!
donna37
17 years ago
Gorgeous and how sweet of him to get you rocks. I love rocks too. That's a beautiful bed with the rock border.

Yes, leave the scrawny spruce alone, it's serving a purpose and shouldn't be be denied that.
caroline94535
Original Author
17 years ago
Thanks folks, for the kind comments. I do love by birds and gardening.

Kathi-MDGD..."Oriole" nectar is just hummingbird nectar (4 parts water, one part white sugar) served in a larger "Oriole" feeder.

The way to prevent feeder dominance is to put out more feeders and spread them out as much as possible. Perhaps put one on the east side of the house and one on the north. Or put two or three feeders out but have several feet between them. The more feeders there are, the harder it is for a dominant oriole or hummer to claim them all.

I rarely fill my feeders all the way, since I empty and replace the nectar two to three times a week. Sour or fermented sugar water will do more harm than good to the birds. So I normally fill them maybe 1/4 full.

My oriole feeders are the older style with rubber plugs over the feeding ports. I remove the port plugs on at least two sides and the orioles, hummingbirds, finches, woodpeckers, and all the other birds can all drink the sugar water. If you have the larger nectar feeder, with larger ports, nearly all the feeder birds will drink it.

Once the yellow jackets arrive, usually mid- to late-August here, I replace the port covers to slow down the YJs. The orioles and hummers can continue drinking.

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A male oriole at the feeder.

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Mr. and Mrs. House Finch at the oriole feeder.

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A hummingbird at the oriole feeder

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And the oriole feeder here in Larimore with an oriole. You can't prove it by these photos, LOL, but I normally only color the water in the early spring for the first filling. After that it's usually clear. It seem like every photo I had shows colored water. I'll have to fix that. I don't want to set a bad example. LOL
hayjud_mn
17 years ago
Wow! Those are beautiful rocks! Did you know that granite is the heavest kind of rock -- I bet Wes will vouch for that!

Your flower bed looks wonderful! I like those cute little white flowers in the grass too ;o)

That big pink rock reminds me of one we had to leave behind at our former house.

Not trying to out-do you, but one year my DH gave me 14 loads of black dirt for my birthday! Actually someone needed a place to get rid of it to build a building of some sort. We put it to better use.
lydia1959
17 years ago
Lovely rocks!!! Our subdivison is built on an old quarry, which is why we have lots of lakes and LOTS of rocks! Not pretty rocks like yours though.

My Orioles and Hummingbirds do a good job sharing nectar from 1 hummingbird feeder. I leave the bee guards off that one and will even get woodpeckers taking a drink.

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