Single-again, clueless man needs help
John
5 years ago
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John
5 years ago
drdeb1234
5 years agoRelated Discussions
started backyard and clueless...help needed!
Comments (11)Keystone paving would look cool and "Floridian" as a new pool coping, and if you have your heart set on new concrete, a rock-salt finish with some integral color pigment to tone down the glare can come close to replicating the look of Keystone. Large 2 or 4 foot square travertine tile pavers could also look quite elegant around the pool. The points made about glare off a lighter surface are valid, and something you should consider carefully as there is no shade over the pool deck. I wonder if the straight and rigid rows of single file Podocarpus are really the look you want, or whether you might prefer to loosen it up with a less architectural layout of shrubs or more trees over a wider border to soften the look. They probably are way over-planted, I usually would plant these as minimum 3 to 4 foot on center spacing for a hedge. Personally I wouldn't worry too much about the expressed concerns of Podocarpus being a messy choice; they actually hold on to their foliage better than most evergreen shrubs, but will require regular trimming if you intend them as a hedge. I'd be tempted to add some landscape interest by way of some low walls mixed with plantings to back the pool, and give a bit of privacy from golfers, and the street view in the direction of the air conditioner looks like it could use more layers of planting to make the pool less on view from the street. Maybe the open and uncluttered sight lines with the palms and the new border plantings of hedges is exactly what you prefer, but it looks rigid and sterile to me. I might suggest you look into some of the books published on the work of Florida landscape architect Raymond Jungles to see what high end south Florida landscaping around pools can achieve, there are two books on his body of work in my own personal library, and I really enjoy his sense of style and design principles in a Florida setting. Given all that hot sun in Florida, I'd probably also look into incorporating some sort of open shade pergola/arbor at one side or other of the pool, with some flowering vines to soften it. My landscape vision for your setting would continue the palms theme with more tropical foliage and flowers such as Heliconias, some flowering trees such as Tabebuias argentea, Xanthostemon chrysanthus or Delonix regia or similar, and masses of flowering shrubs with lots of flower or foliage color, bromeliads such as Aechmea blanchetiana, Neoregelias, Hohenbergias or Portea petropoliteana planted in mass with contrasting ground covers such as Setcreasea pallida or Euphorbia milli. On the other hand, water use is also a concern in Florida, and you may want to concentrate on converting your existing landscape to one that uses more drought tolerant plantings and Florida native plants, rather than more water loving tropicals....See MorePlease Help, clueless and need advice
Comments (2)Check my response in this thread. It's the response that begins with "Seed recommendation" so scroll down to locate it. Some of the links in that thread direct the poster to help in her area. For you in your area, specific information for soil testing, sampling, and test kits can be found at the following links....... Soil Testing information PennState Cooperative Extension Offices or County Directory A soil test will let you know if you need to add lime, sulfur, or other nutrients (that are not in Step 6) and will tell you how much to apply and at what intervals. My suggestion is to follow steps 2-9 in the fall. If you don't want to kill off the lawn to start over, then skip Step 2 and gradually mow the grass down to 1.5 inches before proceeding with Step 3. Here is a maintenance schedule to follow through the year. It's the 9th or 10th response from the top. For now, clean up the yard and lightly rake when the soil is dry. Apply a pre-emergent herbicide like Halts (without fertilizer) to prevent crabgrass. All other info is in the link to the maintenance schedule. Always mow high at 3 inches or higher. Irrigate 1 inch a week. The tuna cans test for measuring 1 inch is also explained in the maintenance schedule. The best way to remove weeds is to pull them, roots and all. If there are just too many to pull, a Weed Hound is very, very helpful. If still too many, an herbicide can be applied when weeds are actively growing. The link contains suggestions and there is a suggestion for broadleaf (dandelions and such) weed prevention....See MoreRecipe 911 for a single man & diabetic
Comments (15)Daisyinga, wow! Thanks for the run-down on all you are doing! You offered some wonderful suggestions. I hope he can go to a nutritionist for some help. DD plans to go with him to his next few appointments. The only issue there is he has a cochlear implant and still has some hearing difficulties, so he needs more demonstration type or written instruction I think. However, I can pass the recipe tips along to DD. And I think he can use a crock pot which would be great! Bbstx, thanks for the reminder about the American Diabetes Assn link. I'll also make sure DD knows about that one. Sometimes the most obvious things escape your attention, and she has been so busy. She shopped for him yesterday and made him a big pot of taco soup made with ground turkey. Kswl, you are sweet to say that about DD, and yes, I will pass on your comments. Are your DH and mine brothers? I love your suggestion about adding the bouillon powder or Knorr's to the rinsed ground beef! I have rinsed ground beef often but you are so right, the flavor goes right down the drain. Another great hint I'll pass on to DD. She can cook up a large batch of ground beef for him to use for chili, taco salad, spaghetti, etc as you all have suggested. Thank you all for responding. As soon as I have a few more minutes, I will go over to the cooking forum and ask for some input over there. I just knew there had been some good souls here who probably had faced this at one time or another....See MoreSingle guy needs help with an oddly shaped living room !
Comments (14)How about using something like this wireless device to have the TV on that wall without cables/outlets? https://techforluddites.com/wireless-cable-tv/ http://www.ebay.com/gds/How-to-Connect-Cable-to-a-TV-Wirelessly-/10000000205177691/g.html Also, from the pics it looks like that wet bar area is only 30 inches wide more or less. You would need to leave that much room between the chairs (or sofa) to the windows. That's why I said to ignore it. You and others wouldn't even see it with the doors closed and the furniture layout as shown. It would look natural. I'm sure other posters and also pros will stop in with their solutions. You have a beautiful place with which to work....See More
vandar
5 years agoJohn
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Ellen Tracy
5 years agoEllen Tracy
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Seajay Sparkles
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groveraxle
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katinparadise
5 years agoJohn
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5 years agoCrate & Barrel staged the table perfectly. The thing that really makes it is the big bowl with the spider plant.
You can do this, John.
Seajay Sparkles
5 years ago
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