In article ,
David J Bockman wrote:
Bill,

I'm prinnting your description out and will answer when I can. I'm a
Landscape Architect, I'd be happy to comsult with you on this if you'd
like-- I love the residual elements from the historic owners of the space--
priceless stuff.

Dave


Thanks, but this is being done on a *very* limited budget. This is one of
those "the joy is in the building as much as in the product" kind of efforts.
That's one of the reasons I'm breaking it into small chunks, so that each
will be manageable in time and resources.

billo

In article 51Qmc.8762$Lm3.1298@lakeread04,
Suja wrote:

Brush clearing is a slow, difficult, and painstaking process, unless you
enlist help. Every year, I go around and start cutting down the stuff
closest to the clearing. If you can get a mower in there at that point,
it is easy to maintain control. Otherwise, it becomes an ongoing
battle.

Heh. I've already found that. I was talking to my neighbor recently,
who told me that the previous owner had spent most of his time of
ownership just trying to clear the land. The problem is magnified
because either he or the first owner seems to have dumped all the
old wood from the clearing right at the edge -- so I not only
have to fight all the brush, but have what seems like hundreds
of old dead trunks lying right out of sight on the other side
of the visual barrier of the first layer of brush.



The one exception to this approach has been what I've done with
the vines that were strangling the trees. Some of these things were a
good 50 or 60 ft. tall with trunks as big around as my arm, and they had
to go so the trees could be salvaged. Although I am not a big fan of
herbicides, I've resorted to them, in order to keep the vines from
regrowing as if nothing has happened. After 4 years of doing this, it
still looks like a jungle in there, but it is becoming more passable.
Unless you are really handy with the chainsaw, get someone to come in
and take out the dead/diseased trees. You'll have a better sense of how
much space you're dealing with.


It's a problem. The one good thing is that the county dump here
welcomes brush and old tree trunks, if they are sawed down small enough
to fit in the back of a pickup. The county grinds it all and then
gives away the result as free mulch. You can come on Saturday
mornings; they have a frontloader that will fill a pickup with
mulch for you. Thus, if I can cut things down to a reasonable
size, I can at least get rid of it.

Although I have approached gardening on this property in a piecemeal
fashion, my one regret is that I didn't get around to putting in the
backbones (trees and shrubs) sooner. I am just now getting to it, after
4 years of being here and of course, doing this while brood X is about
to emerge may not be the smartest idea.


Right. I am concentrating on the basic hardscape -- paths, trellises,
fences, retaining walls, etc. as well as the larger borders first,
mostly because it will define the space and the border and focus plants
take longest to mature.

I am holding out on some of the
major ornamental trees, and probably won't plant them until after the
cicadas are gone, or maybe next year. Although the brush you have is
supporting a lot of wildlife, you can add ornamental shrubs that will
also be able to support them, and won't attempt to run away with the
property.

That's what I'm hoping. It's also another one of the reasons I'm
working with small spaces -- I hope that when people aren't in one of
the spaces, being in a nearby one will not disrupt wildlife nearby.


Take time to do things right. Amend the soil if you have to, for your
perennial beds (if any). It may mean that you won't do much by the way
of planting this year, but you won't regret it later.


Yes, I already made that mistake and learned from it. I started with a
few beds right next to the house -- the space between the garage and
front porch, etc. -- and planted some perennials and groundcover just
to keep the grass and clover out. The clay was so hard I had to turn
it with a pick before I could use a tiller on it. I didn't have any
sand handy, and didn't have money to buy any that week, so I mixed it
with topsoil and some mulch I had on hand. It has already settled and
is hard as rock again (though the plants are doing fine). The next
area I did later and I added sand to it; it is doing better.

Good luck,
Suja


Thanks!

billo

Bill Oliver wrote:

It's a problem. The one good thing is that the county dump here
welcomes brush and old tree trunks, if they are sawed down small enough
to fit in the back of a pickup. The county grinds it all and then
gives away the result as free mulch. You can come on Saturday
mornings; they have a frontloader that will fill a pickup with
mulch for you. Thus, if I can cut things down to a reasonable
size, I can at least get rid of it.

Get as much of that mulch as you can. It's great for your garden. The
county gives away free mulch and free leaf mold (fall-early spring), and
I've basically been using these for building my flower beds out of icky,
clay soil. You won't believe the difference between the mulched areas
and the unmulched areas after a couple of years.

That's what I'm hoping. It's also another one of the reasons I'm
working with small spaces -- I hope that when people aren't in one of
the spaces, being in a nearby one will not disrupt wildlife nearby.

I am going through my ForestFarm catalog, crosschecking the plants
against my Sunset Gardening Guide, and making lists of plants that are
wildlife friendly. It's a slow process, but I'm enjoying it, and
learning a lot.

with topsoil and some mulch I had on hand. It has already settled and
is hard as rock again (though the plants are doing fine). The next
area I did later and I added sand to it; it is doing better.

Keep topdressing the beds with compost, and use mulch for weed
suppression. The quality of the soil will improve greatly over time.
I've basically been building the flower beds by laying down layers of
newspaper, putting down leaf mold on top of it, and leaving the whole
thing alone for at least 6 months, generally a year. Between the
freeze-thaw and all the earthworm activity, this stuff gets down fairly
deep, and improves the soil. You can plant right into the top layer,
and it saves an awful lot of work.

Suja