I should have never done it...it's all Bills fault. lol I decided to get a detailed list written of everything I want/need for the garden and get prices. I wouldn't have come up with the idea if the forum hadn't have taken so long to move. (Bills fault...j/k) It's 400.00 between now and next spring OMG. Maybe I'll just grow dandilions instead.

I know I'm fiarly new here but um......is EVERYTHING Bill's fault??

:-)

Of course it is!!!

I always thought it was my fault?????
LOL!!!!

Weezie

LOL.

Sorry Bill I couldn't resist.

The list really is up to 400.00 dollars though. I'm definitely going to have to rethink some things lol. That works out to 1.00 per square foot.

What is on your list curious????????????????

Weezie

Garden Supply List (collect between now and next spring)

(8) 20 ft rolls of 6" garden edging March 3st 2006
(32) 8" garden spikes for holding up the edging. March 3st 2006
120 cubic ft of topsoil (-) 8 cubic ft of compost. March 4nd 2006
33 cubic ft of mulch. April 3rd 2006
(1) 24" bulb auger. August 3rd 2005
(1) 1/2" battery operated drill black & decker. August 3rd 2005
(1) rake for getting the green compost I need. July 3rd 2005
(60) jiffy pots. September 3rd 2005
(2) seed packages of dwarf snapdragons for interplanting with cannas and gladiolus. August 3rd 2005
(1) box epsom salt for roses. June 3rd 2005
(1) rose fertilizer
(1) rose potting soil
(1) red columbine March 3rd 2006
(1) yellow columbine March 3rd 2006
(1) Chives September 3rd 2005
(1) Parsley September 3rd 2005
(1) Sage September 3rd 2005
(1) Vadalia(sp) Onions
(1) Corydalis flexuosa 'Blue Dragon' September 3rd 2005
(3) Mukdenia rossii 'Crimson Fans' September 3rd 2005
(1) orange columbine March 3rd 2006
(1) blue columbine March 3rd 2006
38 ft weed block material to fend off the blackberries and keep the barberry in place.
boric acid for the ants

Now remember you asked lol.

Go to your local place that builds houses/homes,
and get yourself some cinderblocks??
**(concret blocks)*** *Foundation blocks??*

They're .84 a piece up here... and put them upright, so you can fill the big holes with dirt too.

I got more ideas, but I have to go to bed,
I have to be up really early tomorrow,
oh, what am I saying, today!!!

Weezie

can you register at a gardening center for your birthday and Christmas?????? Ask for your inheritance early? Beg on street corners? I don't even want to know what all the stuff I want/need costs all together. It would be too scary.

Just purchase stuff a little here & there until you accumulate what you want...then it doesn't take such a big chunk out of your wallet all at once.You also might want to think about lay-a-way...you can put a lot of that stuff on layaway at wal-mart and be making little payments on it. You could also do some babysitting, typing, ironing...whatever you can do to earn a little extra money...but tag that income for garden supplies only.

tk, I don't keep track of what I spend on garden stuff now. I lost track, quite a bit of $$ ago. But you've got the right idea.. make a timeline of when to buy it. Spread it out, and buy 1-2 things at a time. My problem is, being impatient and end up wanting it all, all at once! LOL. I have a new project I want to start..

I want to make this entire area into a flower/shrub/something other than what it is bed. I have those wooden rails up in front of it now, but I want to take those and get rid of them, and put up bricks/blocks to go around this entire "patch" in the front/side of my house..


Meg

Weeszie .84 per center block would be much more expensive than what I found and it wouldn't dig down into the dirt. Remember my weed patch is on a very steep slope. I'm hoping 2 inches down will be sufficient to hold it in place but if not I am be buying heavy gage wire instead of stakes and going down alot father Also it would take up garden room and I want to save every inch I can.

Fernie & Vanessa, Any additional income I make has to be reported to the SSA and Social Services so that they can cut back what they give me, plus if I could work for it. I would be. I do my gardening in 15 minute increments because that's about all I can handle.

Hey Meg, that's one expensive project. Are we talking bricks 4 ft high like the railing is or something alot lower. Say to the height of your foundation? If you plant to go all the way up to the house with it there are lots of things to consider first.

For me the first one I think of is being able to put a ladder up when it is time to paint lol. If you have the siding that doesn't need to be painted that isn't a concern. But make sure you have the bed slope slightly away from the house so the runoff, rain, watering doesn't head for the basement/foundation. Next remember that for the plants closest to the house you need shallow roots again to protect the foundation.

Although I love brick work. You need to know what you are doing if you attempt it or you could end up with it leaning like my landlords retaining wall does. And working with mortar and keeping every thing even takes alittle work. Remember you have to dig down and create a foundation for it just not start laying it on the ground. I'm probably telling you all kinds of things you already know sorry.

Personally I would do vines over the railing you have until I created my own little private arbor like space and then add a small table to the chairs that are there. I think that would be great.

tk, I'm talking about filling in the "triangle" portion of my yard there in the photo. The edgeing I have now, is just those long wooden things you buy at walmart, stacked 2 high, only about 4-6" or so tall. I want to remove that, and build a border around the entire triangle, with some kind of bricks, stacked 2-3 bricks high.. similar to these-
retaining wall blocks . I haven't decided what kind of brick I want to use.. those are kinda pricey, over 1$ each. I imagine I'll need quite a few to do the job.

Also, the yard is pretty sloped down already, and we have siding, so no worries there.

Meg

Here's 2 views to give you a better idea of what things look like now..





The part I want to change, is that little triangle, icky area, between the porch & the cars, that is a nuisance to mow, and would look much nicer with my rose of sharon, I think (that is still in stick form from the ADF.), and some other flowers, color, something. It's so... BLAH right now.

Meg

I can send you some blue columbine seeds. I don't know if this would be cheaper than boric acid but,grits work great for getting rid of ants. They eat the grits and when they drink water the grits swell and kills them.

Let me think some on the rest of your list

The rose of sharon my dad had was tall. But he may not have been pruning it right or something. If they do get tall maybe put near the center of the bed as a focal point and them smaller plantings as you move in all directions from it? I love knot garden styled areas for flowerbeds. I think it looks great. That way you could use a small hedge instead of brick for the border. I want to describe my idea but I'm not to great with words so I'm going to try my paint program. Cross your fingers lol.

[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v660/TKHooper/Designs%20and%20Ideas/megsknotgardenidea.bmp[/img]

light grey - Miniature roses
dark grey - 10 to 18 inch variety of snapdragons
Orange - Panicum virgatum 'Haenes Hermes' (Switch grass)
Red - day lilies
Blue green - rose of sharon
Green border - boxwood or one of those small evergreen bushes

Anyway it is just an idea.

That's pretty cool tk. I still like the idea of an actual brick border.. just because it defines the area from foot traffic more (kids, hubby, ya know?) than just plantings. Plus, it'll hold in my mulch better too. I am so not good at actual planning/layout, so that was a neat idea. And that's about the shape of my little space too! I just measured, and to border the area, I need about 32 feet of bricks, and that's just a single layer.. I wanted 2-3 layers high. *sigh* (really, want 3 layers, so I can get the "staggered" look from the bricks.)

Meg

Tammy,
Did you know that if you mix ants from two different hills they will kill each other out and the ones that are left will move. Its what I do when I don't have anything else. I always keep my shovel handy and when I'm walking around the yard and find a new bed I dig down a little bit and carry them over and mix them in with the next hill by the next day or so both of them are pretty much gone. There are a few persistent little buggers but they go in time as well. Inexpensive bleach will deter them also.
As for the weed block material, if you go oline and request a catalog in the mail from gardensalive you may get a coupon along with it; they usually do for your fist order and its usually around $20 or $25; you could purchase the material from them. I used mine and got my strawberry netting for free!! It even covered the s&h.(item #1990 is 3ft x 50ft weed block for $29.95...)
Just a couple of thoughts for the list. I live in an area where there aren't a lot of stores so I don't have a variety of places to find stuff I guess that's why I do a lot of mail order.
BTW--if you plan to use weed barrier underneath soil did you know that Magnolia leaves make a great all-natural barrier. The ones we have here(like our state tree) are great for the job because they take FOREVER to decompose. but when they do it just turns to compost!!Do you have any close by??
Like I said -- just a few thoughts... Good Luck...

Great ideas Tricia. I don't have a magnolia tree close by but I wish I did that would be really good. I will definitely look into getting a garden alive catalog.

Sounds like that's going to cost a bunch of pennies there Meg. But when I want a particular thing I know it is better to wait and get it than try to make do with an alternative. And you are very right you do need at least three layers of bricks to get the "look". There are other looks you can do with brick that might be just as pretty though. One that I am thinking of is placing the bricks at a 45 degree angle in the ground that way you get the 6 inches in one layer. Do 5 to 8 bricks in one direction and then 5 to 8 bricks in the other direction and continue that on around. Where the "V" is use a half brick to form the peak. It's just another idea.

Tammy,
About the epsom salt-- I noticed that WM now has a special pkged epsom salt in the garden center but they used to the same stuff that they sell in the pharmacy. I'm sure its all the same but I don't know the prices because i don't buy it. Compare the two before you buy, you may save a little. And here's a (probably dumb-

Yikes, I just did the math.. I'll need like 150 of those size bricks to get 3 layers.. at nearly $1.20 each, that's a lotta mooolaaaaa. And here I sit, still not at work. :rolleyes:

Meg

Tammy, actually I was just joking. I know begging on street corners isn't actually feasible. But could you give hints to people who give you gifts for whatever reasons? Gift certificates are not income and SS doesn't need to know.

It will be interesting to see what you come up with Meg. Do show us the the completed project ok?

MEG, GO TO WORK!!!!!!!!! lol

I was thinking about restocking my sage bottle so I think I need sage. Don't know what kind of sage but some kind I think. I will definitely compare the different epsome salts. Thank you for telling me. Of course the garden center is very dangerous territory for me. Spend all kinds of money in there that I can't afford. lol

God Bless you Fernie. I don't have anyone in my life to exchange presents with but it's a nice thought.

psssst, tk, I'm at work now. hehehe. shhhh.

I have grits. I will sprinkle some over the garden as soon as the rain drys up. The birds are ok with the grits?

I would love to have some of your blue columbine seeds. Can I send you anything? I have been watching the hosta closely and I'm wondering if I should dig it up and divide it now so I can send you the baby. Do you know what I should do?

Oh meg, you are so cute. Don't you let the boss catch you at it though. Hard to buy plants on unemployment. And hubby would probably refuse to buy the bricks. Take care.

I know.. I'd be in big twubble if I got fired. But, I only work a couple hours a week, helping out some friends with their ebay business. It's pretty much grocery/gas/extra spending money. I don't spend much time on the puter for playtime when I'm there.. I'm usually busy running charges or emailing folks, or making labels for the packages I got ready, or on the phone with/for a customer.

But, I'm home now. Time to play!
It's raining outside today.
Meg

it's raining here too. Which is good because the soil will be softened up so I can get the garlic in the ground and the tomatoes too.

The landlords buds opened before mine but that's ok at least I have some. the bad news is that the tallest tomato plant broke in half. Do they die when that happens?

tk, I'm not sure.. if it were *my* tomato plants, yea, they'd be dead if that happened. But, that's just me.

Meg

Tammy sounds like your going into construction bussiness. If you have an Freecycle.com in your arera you could probably get a lot of it free on there. I got some 6"by12" circleular bricks that way also got some super tomato cages actually they are metal waist paper racks that fold up got them around my tomato's Your just planting you Tomato's I am eatinmg mine as well as peppers. Meg I have some Zebrina seeds I will be glad to send I have them posted on my photo bucket trhey are kinda purplr and white striped mine are 6' tall and about 4'wide. Also like Tammy said Rose of Sharon get about 10' and 4 to 8 foot wide as tree could be trimmed to be a bush that would go in your triangle.
Jimmy

I've decided what I'm going to do. Since I didn't win the lottery lol. The drill and auger are getting crossed off the list. And i'm going to only do two rows a year. That should put everything else in reach with the wonderful suggestions and help I have received with my list.

Hey, Megs house looks like mine except mine is white with grey shutters and trim.