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Sarah, what a nice and peaceful pond! Are you planning an actual seating area? You mentioned sitting and enjoying it, and believe me, it is soooo relaxing. Let DH have the remote, what you have is better by far!


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blush I'm a little embarrassed to admit it, but I use an overturned bucket. The one I mix my fish emulsion in and put all the weeds I pull in. We'd like to put something in there, just haven't found the right thing yet. We haven't done anything in the area either because of lots of rain and mud and now DH has got a little 4x4 patch of blistering (and oddly, still spreading after a week) of poison ivy, so we aren't getting much done. Will keep you all posted.


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i'm so sorry to hear about the posion ivy. Ouchie.

I hate to say it but I like the colorful toadstool seats. I know it's hinky but there you are. That's what I would have.

Take care, I look forward to hearing more about this project.


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#84359 Jul 7th, 2007 at 08:56 PM
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sarah, i use an empty cat litter bucket myself blush it's cheap, constantly renewable (i have indoor cats) and light enough to move where i want it!

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Tammy, we're looking for something small like that. I'd love to put one of those benches for little kids, just for effect. I know my weight would break it and I certainly don't want my kids in there, but it would be the right scale. I like your toadstool idea, too.

Penny, yeah, he's milking it for all it's worth. For some reason I keep seeing his sly smile and "oh, I don't want to get this hot" and he gestures to his wrist (where the poison ivy is) and watches me, too see if I'll buy it. lol He's ornery just like the kids!

Well, I'm glad I'm not the only one using an improvised seat, Jiffy. I like the bucket because it is the perfect height to lean forward on and because it's short.



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Well, this weekend the poison ivy cleared up and DH got something done. bop (I need that little woohoo gremlin, that runs back and forth, lol) Completely unasked, he finished the rock border around the garden and put mulch on it. We're going to get some store-bought pine bark mulch to spread over the entire thing, to help it all look uniform.
Pond Pic:
[Linked Image]

From the front:
[Linked Image]

Waterlily bloom:
[Linked Image]


Last edited by LandOfOz; Jul 19th, 2007 at 08:52 AM.

Sarah - Zone 5b/6
#93364 Jul 19th, 2007 at 05:53 PM
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thumbup i'm very impressed! you give me hope lol

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I'm glad I could give you hope, Jiffy. We're hoping to get some mulch this weekend and DH is just dying to get a bird bath. He has to take the truck and since there aren't enough seats for all of us, I'm going to stay home while he gets the mulch and the bird bath and he had the audacity to tell me that if the small one we compromised on is gone, he's going to get the one he "really wants". Which was huge! But, I guess, since he just might actually finish this project (first time for everything, folks!!), that I'll concede and let him have his birdbath. I'll be sure to post pics once we've gotten it filled in.

AND, before I forget, I bought some geraniums? I think. And they stink. They smell horrible and I didn't know that until my daughter goes, "mommy, smell them! They smell 'licious!" Ummm, no, they smell like skunk butt. lol lol She sure thought it was funny.


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lol Sarah


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We were not able to find pine bark mulch like in the first area, so we settled for pine mulch. It is a lot finer and seems to track onto everything and everywhere. It's a little darker than the other stuff but I'm sure it will bleach out to a similiar color. Next year, we'll put a layer on top of everything to make it all match. I planted a geranium next to the tree stump, and a pink foliage begonia on the left, between the sun-scorched bloodleaf and the shriveling larkspur. Boy, that makes my gardening skills sound great, sun-scorched and shriveling. lol

Oh, yes, and now for the birdbath story, I almost forgot! Have I ever mentioned that I hate Home Depot? Well, they had the smaller-sized birdbaths that we were after and when we were there last, the associate who price checked the birdbath swore that they were 14.97. "for the whole thing or just each piece?" we asked. "The whole thing," he assured us. So we went to get it on Saturday and Adam hemmed and hawed over which one to get (he was changing his mind, wanting a 39.99 one instead), after about 3 price checks on other ones, he decided he was, really and truly, a cheapo at heart and off he drags this huge, heavy, 14.97, piece of concrete to the cashier who couldn't possibly be further away. Only when we get there, does the cashier take the top off, scan a barcode on the pedestal, and then put the top back on and scan it's barcode. I was pretty annoyed and told the lady what the associate had told us earlier and her excellent customer service response was "guess he was wrong 'cause it ain't that." :mad: But Adam, who would rather die than make a scene (or argue with a stranger in public), paid for it and we left. I'm still halfway tempted to call a manager and let them know what exceptionally poor service their store perpetually provides.


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Okay, got too distracted with the Hate HD that I forgot my pics, here they are:
This is the view from the driveway:
[Linked Image]

This is the view from the front:
[Linked Image]

And this is the fishpond and the back area:
[Linked Image]


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I love your fish pond, it is very pretty. And I reeeeaaalllyy like that birdbath. I know how you feel about the customer service, but here we get the same treatment no matter whether it is HD or Lowe's. So we just go to both and see which is cheaper on the item we want and get it and leave, never asking questions. Saves a lot of headaches for us.

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Sarah: WOW you have really been working--your space looks really nice.
I love your pond--that stone is so unique--I have never seen it before.
and about the bird bath--Very nice choice--it is a quality BB.--it will last you a long time--I would know because my MIL had one in front of her Apt. for many years--it always looked great.

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Very nice Sarah, those are the exact same birdbaths they have here at Zellers. They are heavy... and sharp at the seams.



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Uni, that is sad to hear. The Lowe's here has some of the best CS I think I've ever had.

I'm so pleased to hear that this is a good BB. I was so annoyed with the HD lady that I kinda refrained from forming an opinion on how it looks.

Junie, I'm glad you like the rock, everyone really seems to like it. We dug it out of a pasture. I kinda wish we could chemically color the BB some sort of terra cotta color, so it would match everything.


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You can get concrete coloured powder for steps and then use a special sealer to top it off, wonder if it would work?


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#99041 Jul 28th, 2007 at 05:49 PM
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I picked up some plants on clearance at lowes. I'd guess around 3/4 of the entire plant selection was on clearance, everything at least half off. I got a proteus clematis (to help shade the other clematis that is slowly burning up) for $5, a pot of 3 tiny todd Asiatic lilies for $2 (max height 15 inches), another geranium that almost matches the other one I've already got for 80 cents, and another clematis, HF Young, for somewhere else, for only $2.50. I was pretty pleased. My only problem is after googling the proteus clematis, it looks like it is a light purple one. THe pic on the plant is quite pink. I find that annoying. We'll plant it and hope it's pink. And I found a big bushy burgundy mum at walmart. I think the garden is pretty much fully planted. Woohoo! Will get pics on Monday.


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Great to hear. I am a bargain plant shopper as well. Sometimes by the end of the season the tag has been mixed up and you didn't even get the plant you thought it was. lol Maybe it will be pink after all grin


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The birdbath does look great there, Sarah. It was worth it. Check around for concrete stains. HGTV site might have some suggestions for DIY stains. They had one for giving concrete an aged look.

Our HD and Lowes seem to vie for customer service since Lowes opened a new store RIGHT ACROSS FROM HD! And then sometimes you can't find anyone for nothing. I hate it when the plants aren't tagged correctly or not at all. Especially when I don't know the plant. Grrrrrr!

Lowes seems to be the one to go to for 50% off plants,though. I am so wanting to go plant shopping! I must exercise control. I must exercise control. We just bought 16 crepe myrtle trees at a community sale for $3.50 each and still have a dozen to plant...and it's raining!


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Julianne, I understand your mantra. My problem was DH gave me the Debit card and said "don't go over seventy dollars." And THEN he volunteered to stay home with BOTH kids. I think he must've been sick. lol I only spent $20 all together so he was pleased. I still haven't planted them yet. It poured yesterday and it's raining again today. More thunder and lightning than rain, though.

I'm going over to HGTV today to check out what they have about staining concrete. Thanks for the tipoff!


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Here are some overdue pics of the garden. And I have baby snails. 3 of them are the "trapdoor" snails that only eat algae and then I have this weirdo, maybe a baby mystery snail? I have no idea. Last night, I showed Dh the garden and the sky above our house was covered in dragonflies. I bet there was 30-40 of them up there. Then this morning a gorgeous blue metallic one kept buzzing me while I was taking pics of the pond. I know they lay eggs in water, so I'm hoping that's what they're doing.
[Linked Image]
[Linked Image]
[Linked Image]



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That looks so cool. I hope you are getting dragonfly babies! I don't know what kind of snail that is..I just one kind eats my plants, and the pointy ones eat other snails!!


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I am hoping to avoid cannibalistic snails. Especially since I paid for 2 of these snails! lol

I went back to the water store today. I got some fertilizer tabs for my waterlilies and a bucket/soil to put them in. While talking with the lady, I mentioned that I keep getting these long, firm, clear, slimey lines (about 1/4 inch wide) on the bottoms of my waterlily leaves. She said that they are fish eggs. I was surprised, because just about every leaf has one of these lines on them. I'm not sure that I want a ton of baby fish but she said that they probably won't last the winter, since they would still be so young. I don't know if that makes me happy or sad. lol


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if you ever mess around in the bottom of your pond and come across some horrible, scary, thick, fat worms.....kind of grub like......don't do what i did and smash them, later i found out they were probably dragonfly nymphs! boohoo nervous i thought it was something horrible in the bottom that my fish would eat and then die! some much for any future dragonflies that summer! :mad:


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Hopefully I don't have to mess with the bottom of the pond, it's 3 feet deep. I'd have to stick my whole head and shoulders in there to reach the bottom. I'm sure my family would find it entertaining though. But it's been mentally noted: fat, ugly, scary water worms are dragonflies.


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Just wanted to share my current stepping stone project.

I came across a how-to on HGTV on making stepping stones that suggested using large dog food bowls for forms. Couldn't find one cheap enough.

Then, at HD I saw plastic plant trays whose indentations were in the form of two fern fronds! I could afford to get several. I picked up some concrete and concrete dye and ta-da! I did double-up some trusy duct tape around the top edge to allow for a thicker stone. But the one I didn't put tape around looks like it will do well enough.

My girlfriends spent the afternoon making stepping stones and enjoying ice cold watermelon and drinks! I have shells, those flat marble-y stones in different shapes, tiles all manner of adornment for our next batch.

[Linked Image]

[Linked Image]


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Very nice Julianne.

I've made them as well for my grandmother using rhubarb leaves in the bottom on a pan. Should of made a few for myself as well.


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Those are neat! It's so cool to see how crafty and inventive everyone is. Good work, Julianne!


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Great pond and great shot I really like it alot so
pretty thank you for sharing with us

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[Linked Image]
[Linked Image]

A few more recent pics of the water garden with everything a little more established.


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Just beautiful, what a great outcome for your hard work.


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Thanks. We're rather proud of it. I just love sitting on my overturned compost bucket and watching the snails and fish swim around. Believe it or not but my snails are very active. And I think snails are related to bunnies genetically because the snails are giving live births, very frequently! I went from 2 snails (on severely injured, the other not) to having somewhere around 13 that I can easily count at any given moment. If anyone wants snails just let me know, I've got them coming out my ears and I think it's only gonna get worse!


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