A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2005 The Gazebo Is Here!

The gazebo is here!!! Finally, after putting us off for weeks, the wedding house made its way to our back yard yesterday. I am so excited.

[img]http://www.imagestation.com/album/pictures.html?id=2128087321&idx=3[/img]

And a view from the back deck....

[img]http://www.imagestation.com/album/pictures.html?id=2128087321&idx=2[/img]

Looks small in the pictures, but the gazebo is 12'x12'. I just wish my tulip bed would be blooming on our day.

[img]http://www.imagestation.com/album/pictures.html?id=2128087321&idx=1[/img]

Well, guess I will have to figure out how to landscape my aisle to walk down now. I am going out in a few minutes to put my azaleas in the ground around the gazebo.

I would like to put some kind of wood chip mulch from the deck steps to the gazebo as my "aisle". My future husband says that we would have to make "beds" lined with something to hold the mulch in place if we were planning on mowing over it, instead of around it. Any suggestions out there for something to hold it in place besides landscape timbers?

Dianna

Oh, Biiilll (in a singsong voice)! I can't figure out what I did wrong again. Please, help me. I can't see my pictures.

Dianna

Apparently imagestation no longer allows you to link to your photos. I went to your imagestation page to find the URL and got this message...
Sorry!

Ohhh, poop-doo! Thanks for trying, Bill. I will figure out how to post them somewhere other than imagestation and see if I can work it out. Thanks, again.

Dianna

If you dug the bed just alittle deeper than you needed it for the wood chips could the thatch keep it in place without you having to actually put anything there? That way you could mow over without any problem.

That is a great idea, Tammy! I think that is exactly what I need to do. I didn't like the idea of anything on the sides to hold it in place because I wanted it to look natural and that is the perfect solution. Thank you!

Dianna

Glad I could help. Hope it works!!!

I want your day to be perfect...in fact I want all of your days to be perfect.

Let's try this one more time. I think I figured out what I did wrong.







I hope this works!

Dianna

Dianna, I'm soooooo excited and happy for you.....I would so much love to have a gazebo....what are you going to do inside it? Chairs and such, or hang a swing in it????? How fantastic for you.....no wonder you're excited, I'd be bouncing off the walls with excitement.!

Haven't thought about a swing, Loz. That is a great idea! I have been wanting one, but the deck wouldn't support it. No roof on it. Our front porch is just a tiny little thing and if we put one there it would block the front door.

I have thought about building a bench in there and adding a small table with a couple of chairs. We are planning on putting a ceiling fan light out there, too. Now you have got me thinking swing!

I just came in a few minutes ago. I have planted the azaleas in the ground now. I had a little "help" from my jack russell. Angel loves the water hose.

Dianna

<img border="0" alt="[perplexed]" title="" src="graemlins/confused.gif" /> I don't know why...

but I was quite sure it was going to be white with a cowgirl hat on top.

j/k couldn't help myself, sorry.

That is a great gazebo. Are you thinking about an annual vine that will climb up the posts? I say annual because I'm thinking you will want to paint on wood protector every few years to keep it nice. And are you going to add window boxes on the railings? And are you going to eventually put up screens so the bugs don't get in when you turn on your fanlight? And, and, and, I want one do you think I can put one in my livingroom?

One of my old neighbors had a swing in theirs and it was really nice....but heck, whatever you put in there will be nice! I'm excited for you, and it's not even mine.....

Like Tammy said an annual vine would be great to have growing on it and window boxes too.....A ceiling fan light out there will be a nice addition too--oooooo and screens are a nice idea too especially for sitting out there in the evening....If I ever get back down to Myrtle Beach I'm swinging over to wherever your house is to come and relax in your gazebo!!!

One last thing????? What kind of path are you going to put down there to it???? A little windy path with solar lights along it would be soooo cute......you could even do beds on each side of the path winding down to it and getting bigger at the base of it, maybe encircling it......see I'm getting carried away....can you tell how much I'd love one!!!LOL

ME TOO LOZ

ME TOO. I loved your idea of making the path curvy and doing beds on each side widening into a circle around the gazebo. With flowers blooming everywhere what a sight that would be.

Oooooooooooooooooooooh, I want one too!!!!
So pretty!!!
*I'd like a hot tub in mine though *

That wedding's going to be alot of fun!!!
Can't wait to see when it's all done....

NO THERE

Weezie

woohoo Weezie

Hot tub = Big Humidifier? j/k

Are you going to skinny dip?

OOOHHHHH Dianna...we are all coming to your wedding!!! Beautiful gazebo...and in a PERFECT spot! I have been doing some landscaping to make our yard weed-eating free. I can't use a weed-eater and now (because of the back surgery)hubby wont be able to do it this year either...so...what I did is like TK was saying. I dig the edges of my beds a little deeper, then lay newspaper down (to keep the grass out of my wood chips)water the newspaper and then (I use cedar chips everywhere) pour on the chips. When I mow, I can mow right up the edge of the mulching...it throws a little of the chips out but not enough that you can even tell. It has worked great for me. I am also doing a lot of bordering with my lambs ear. It grows like crazy here and then I prett much have a self edger.
Ivy would be really pretty vining on your gazebo. Man, now you have made everyone want a gazebo!!!!! We excited about your wedding!!!! It is going to be just beautiful...and you will have such beautiful memories of your special day!

I can see I have been missing a lot of posting here. Let's see if I can get everything straight now.

Tammy, have you got a big livingroom? You'd have to have a great big one to get a gazebo of this size in it!

Loz, swing on by if you can. I think we are about an hour and a half from Myrtle Beach. When are you going? Reckon I could get you to dig the pathway out?


Weezie, I don't think I would like a sauna. I hate the heat. I am allergic to the sun. It makes me break out. I am going to have lots of fun trying to landscape before the wedding. You ought to see the sunburn I got from mowing last Sunday without sunscreen. Itchy bumps all over.

Vanessa, it is good to know that I won't lose all of my chips when we mow. Jim (FH) has been worried about that. I told him I would deal with that problem when it happened.

Dianna

Oh, my aching back!

Started digging up the sod yesterday to make the path between the deck and the gazebo. I don't believe it is going to be a winding, curvy path because the shortest route will be straight! That's a lot of distance to cover in itself!

Jim tried to use the box blade on the tractor to remove the sod, but he wasn't able to figure out how to get it going right. I told him I would go ahead and take the sod out and he could till it for me before I removed the dirt. We are using the sod to fill in bare and low spots on our septic field. I am planning on using the plain dirt to fill in holes in Angel's little yard.

My aunt said I would never get everything done before the wedding, but I will prove her wrong. Still have a week-end left that I will not be working with karaoke so landscaping will take that time.

Dianna

You are packing a lot into the time remaining. But I think you have the determination to get it done. You will link to your wedding album after the honeymoon won't you?

Sounds like you have a lot of hard work ahead of you, but it will be beautiful when it's all finished.....I can't wait to see pictures of it when you have done it all! Are you using pavers for the path, or gravel, or something else????

Off topic: one thing to remember, your wedding day will go sooooo fast....all that planning for one day and then it's gone--make sure you try to really enjoy every second of it without worrying over the small details. Ex: My sis forgot the flowers for on my wedding cake....so it was 3 tiers with a topper, but no flowers.....instead of worrying to death, I thought oh well...it's been a great day and who cares in the long run if it had flowers or not. Got married 6 years ago this year--and wow how the time has flown.

laura

Tammy, I will be posting pictures of the wedding as soon as I get the chance after the wedding. We will have company until the following Monday and I think Jim has taken that Tuesday off, too, so I will try to get them on-line on Wednesday.

Laura, I am planning on using a cypress mulch on the pathway. My aunt says I should use the red-colored, but I sort of like the natural look.

I didn't know I am supposed to have flowers on the wedding cake, too. I am sure my aunt and I can rig something up if we need to. We have bought some miniature cowboy hats, black and white, to put on the cake. We will add whatever we need to.

Dianna

Don't stress yourself out Dianna!!!
If it gets done, it gets done...
It won't effect the out come of how
you two will be... and it'll stress you to death
if you let it..
Be calm mmmmmm~ohmmmmmm mmmmmmmmmm!
Breath in , Exhale !!!

Weezie

Dianna, I happen to really like the natural cypress....that's what we use in our flowerbeds, and I actually prefer it to the red.....go with what you like-because you are going to be the one looking at it and walking on it everyday!

And like Weezie said stay calm, and don't stress out.....you don't have to have flowers on your cake at all.....it's just we'd planned on having them, and then my sister forgot to bring them. So I freaked out about it for about 2 seconds, then thought--who cares, the wedding was beautiful and meaningful--and that's all that really matters.

Natural cypress is what I want for the pathway. I think it will look more natural than the red-dyed stuff. I, also, was thinking the dye on the red might would fade onto my white boots when I do the walk. Can't have that!

I am very nervous this go round. I am trying not to stress out. The little things like the pathway, renting chairs, getting the decorations in place, etc... aren't bothering me at all. It is just knowing I will be married at the end of it all that is getting to me.

Jim is a wonderful man. He worships the ground I walk on and there is no one else who would ever come close to being so perfect for me. I will be glad when it is all over and done with so that our lives can get back to normal.

Only 19 days to go!

Dianna

Bill, I just noticed that you had to fix it the second time I tried to post the pics. I'm sorry. Thank you so much.

Dianna

This is what the pathway looks like thus far:



Jim got a big blister in the palm of his hand yesterday trying to help me when the box blade didn't work. He was doing the edging for me.

Jim said it is 60' from the deck to the gazebo. Feels more like 150'!

Dianna

Tell me you are getting the soil good and wet before you dig in, yes?

It had rained a little the day before, Tammy, so it wasn't like brick. The back yard and surrounding area does not have all that red clay close to the top, so it is not that bad. If it had been that kind, Jim would have had to till it before I could move the dirt.

With all the projects I have in mind for him, Jim is still trying to help me with the things I want done. What a sweetheart!

It is supposed to rain today. I didn't get anything done on the pathway yesterday because I was trying to rest my back. I have to take Angel back to the vet today. Maybe tomorrow I will be able to get back to it.

Dianna

What's that old saying? "Slow and steady wins the race." I so wish there was something I could do to help. But it looks like you've come quite a ways. Isn't there a 'sod cutter' that you can rent at one of those rental places. I'm thinking I saw something like that on one of those gardening channels. It made taking up the sod really easy and it came up in lanes that you could either take out as squares or rolls. I wish I knew more and had a better memory.

There is such a thing as a sod cutter, Tammy, but we wouldn't want to rent one for this size job. Now if we were putting in paths all over the property, that would be a different story.

Jim is going to till my little pathway for me when I get the rest of the sod up. That way all I will have to do is scoop the dirt out instead of pushing, pulling, and shoving the shovel.

Yep, slow and steady wins the race and I am about the slowest there is! I am a procrastinator so time doesn't bother me until it gets down to the last bit of time. Then I am like a whirlwind trying to complete whatever project I am on. It drives Jim crazy because he is such a planner, but he says it seems like I do better under pressure. I am trying to do better on this.

Dianna

You'll get it done!!!

laura

I dug two wheelbarrows full of sod yesterday. My back was saying, "Two is enough. Tomorrow you can start again"!

Now that tomorrow is today, my back is wanting a little more rest before it gets out there! It rained some yesterday evening, so the sod ought to be a little bit more agreeable with the shovel. I am determined that this path will be complete by next week-end. It would be this week-end, but I have to work (karaoke booking for the club's customer appreciation day) for eight hours.

Dianna

TaDa! Finished the path and added mulch to the irises and azaleas around it. One less job to worry about.





I am glad that part of the preparations is finished. Jim will be working on the hitching post tomorrow evening. He had to build me a step into the gazebo tonight!

I sure hope the grass grows in that bare area around it. I was playing with the editing program to see how it would look filled in on the first pic. There is a big difference.

Dianna

Hey Dianna,

I think it needs to be moved a little to the
left...

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Justtttttttt kidding you!!!! :p

Weezie

P/S Looks GREAT!!!
Wish I had one too!

Thank you, Weezie! There is a lot of work in between



and the above. I am so glad that the really physical part of that is done now.

Weezie, it really does need to be turned a little. I am surprised that the guys that delivered it got it as straight as they did. At least we can live with it. I never realized how crooked it was until we dug the path in. Oh, well... I still love it!

Dianna

It is fantastic. Did you reseed that area? I know you don't want to dig it up and put some of your sod there. There's only so much shoveling that is permissable. Have a wonderful day.

I threw out seed, but I have no hopes for it to be greened up for the wedding.

I am through, T-H-R-O-U-G-H

I threw out seed, but I have no hopes for it to be greened up for the wedding. The place that is bare is where the vegetable garden was last year. I spotted some lettuce out there last night! Wonder if it will make a good salad before the wedding?

I am through, T-H-R-O-U-G-H, digging! My back and side was screaming for mercy. They will not give me permission to dig another shovelful!

Dianna

Hi Dianna, Just wanted to say I like your Gazebo you and Jim have done a great job.
Can I just ask you is that your garden in the background? If so, I thought mine was big enough.
WOW!!!

Thank you, Princess! Jim and I worked really hard on getting it just like I wanted it.

Our garden is not shown in any of the above pictures. Here is one of this years garden.



And here is last year's garden. The gazebo is now located at the end of the last year's garden.




We went a little bigger this year. Last year's was 16' x 40'. This year it is 20' x 80'. Must be a glutton for punishment. I got so tired of canning tomatoes and shelling peas last year. And trying to give away all the extra cucumbers to neighbors who were tired of free vegetables.

Dianna

lol I have dibs on the extra lettuce. j/k

It looks fantastic. I'm envious.

Hey, Tammy! The funny thing is that the lettuce didn't do like it was supposed to last year. It is a cool weather crop and we didn't know that. It was warm here when we planted it. It started doing that "bolting" thing that I have read about before we got to harvest it.

With the cool weather that we have been having, I guess some seeds that didn't sprout last year are sprouting now. In the old garden. Next to the gazebo where I don't want it! Figures!

Dianna

What's bolting? I want to grow lettuce but I can't figure out how to get past the temperature thing.

Maybe this will explain it better than I can!

I ain't got the sense God gave a grasshopper when it comes to explaining things.

Dianna

Thanks Dianna,

I'm beginning to think lettuce just isn't going to happen for me.

Dianna...it is looking awesome...you have a beautiful place to work with! We will be waiting for wedding pictures...that is unless we ALL show up at the wedding!...it's getting close!

Dianna, it really looks fantastic......when you sit in there sipping some lemonade, or iced tea you can be proud of your accomplishment with it, and all of the sweat and hard work you did!

It all looks so awesome!! I am so excited for you and the wedding coming up so soon!! I can't wait to see some photos of you in that wedding dress.

I love the gazebo.. I always wanted one. Steve's not a gazebo freak like me tho. But he did like the screeened in kind that was like a little room, with a jacuzzi in it..lol.

Meg

Hey, Gang! I tried to make a post yesterday, but lost it somewhere in cyber-space. I didn't have time to re-do it.

Vanessa, are you here yet? I thought you were on your way.

Laura, I am too busy to get nervous, I think. Today I will be steam-cleaning the carpet. Jim's parents will be here tomorrow night and I told them not to even think about staying in the motel. I want them here so we will be able to spend some time with them.

Meg, I am sure we will be thinking about how to screen the gazebo in by the time the mosquitos start eating dinner. I have plenty of citronella candles to put out there with us, and a citronella plant, but I don't know how well they will work. We may end up buying stock with the "skeeter" products people.

Yesterday I washed all the outdoor cushions and some tables that have been loaned to us. Jim is bringing home 20 bales of hay today after work. We are renting some more tables and chairs if we can't beg or borrow what we think we will need.

Saturday, my aunt came down so we could decorate the gazebo and make sure everything will be as we want it. On the gazebo we are putting wildflowers since they are my favorite. On the deck will be my mother's favorite (yellow roses). We had Jim nail white rope around the deck, too.

Jim built the "hitching post" for me, but I still haven't decorated it with my stick ponies, hay bales, and wheat straw. I still have to paint my little sign for it, too.

We stayed up til 3:00 Sunday morning. My aunt was trying to get used to the sound system we will be using for karaoke. It's not quite as big as the one we use at the club, and the controls are way different. We didn't want to have to drag the big one out in case it rains. We could get my personal system broken down and in the house in a skinny minute if need be.

Jim took us out to eat at Sticky Fingers (rib house) on Mother's Day. I think I gained a pound or two!

I will try to up-date about the wedding progress if I can during the week. If I don't find time, though, remember it is not because I have forgotten my Garden Helper friends.



Dianna

dianna,
if the squitos are really bad, brrokstone or sharper image stores have a "mosquito trap"
i don't know if you have seen them. what they do is ... you place the unit(it looks like a small grill) at one end of your yard,preferably where most of the squitos are,and the unit "puts out" a scent that draws the nasty buggers into the unit and they get trapped inside and suffocate. there are some on the market that are very expensive,but some are much less. hope your special day is EXTRA special and filled with magic and wonder

Thanks for the well-wishes, Phoenix, and the advice about the skeeter grills.

Jim and I looked at some at the end of last year but never did buy one of those contraptions. Seemed like a lot of money for them. Do they work really well? We have skeeters big enough to tote Angel (my pup child) off! We definitely have to keep her on heartworm medicine year round.

Dianna

Dianna,
Take a deep breath in and say, if it gets done, it gets done....if it doesn't, it doesn't!!!
NO BIG DEAL!!!
NO one will notice what you were planning
and didn't get to it..Don't stress over it,

And my favorite, think of the clean~up later,
if you don't get to putting something up, you
don't have to take it down and take care of it later...

Relax, it's supposed to be your day to have fun..

Weezie

P/S I've been thinkin' of you and the wedding coming up, I have to work this weekend and I won't have a chance on the big day to say a few well wishes, Friday and Saturday, 13 hour day on Saturday, but I'll be thinkin' of you all, alllllllllll day!!
And have funnnnnnnnnnnn!! Reallllllly!!!

Weezie