BackyardBonsai
Shohin
Am impressed guys. Time to show the yard man the doors and get my hand dirty.
Yard maintenance - Show us your yard/garden
- Thread starter BackyardBonsai
- Start date
I do everything but the mowing. My neighbor does it for 20 bucks a week while I'm away playing every weekend in season. He weed eats every other week. I did it once last year and after mowing around all the obstacles, decided 20 bucks was a bargain. Also his mower and gas. I don't even have a mower anymore.
He also keeps an eye on the place while I'm away and I trust him very much.
I have a landscaper friend who is a good customer of my motorcycle shop and we barter for materials and sometimes work. He dug the pond, I laid the sandstone. He laid the flagstone, I did the bench. Fortunately, he has about 20 motorcycles, so I've not spent any cash on this stuff as well as many trees.
I work in my small backyard shop and really enjoy the garden daily. I often go a week and not leave the property.
If I get frustrated with a job, I walk out and trim a tree or wire something for a while.
He also keeps an eye on the place while I'm away and I trust him very much.
I have a landscaper friend who is a good customer of my motorcycle shop and we barter for materials and sometimes work. He dug the pond, I laid the sandstone. He laid the flagstone, I did the bench. Fortunately, he has about 20 motorcycles, so I've not spent any cash on this stuff as well as many trees.
I work in my small backyard shop and really enjoy the garden daily. I often go a week and not leave the property.
If I get frustrated with a job, I walk out and trim a tree or wire something for a while.
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BackyardBonsai
Shohin
I think I see the common theme from most posts here. You do the landscaping work yourself but leave the mowing to someone else. My dreaded issue with them is they don't do a very good job. Lately they don't even blow the clipped grass on the back yard and it look a war zone when I got home.... Part of the problem is I have too many trees so the walking path is not well defined. I guess time to re-work the yard. I seen so many clean and neat looking yard here. Am still trying to justify on the cost to do it right. @Adair M - do you mind tell us how much you pay to get your garden so I don't feel so bad coughing up a few grands?
Cadillactaste
Neagari Gal
Anyone with disregard to my property...would not last to see another day working towards a paycheck. Shoot even our propane guy comes to the door and asks me to assist in making sure he doesn't mess anything up. We "left" a strategic path for his hose. I do my own landscaping...and my husband mows the grass. (I can't because of allergies and I'm a mess for days afterwards.)
Anyways...it's why I have no benches in my yard. They are on my patio and deck. Where I can view them...and not distract from my landscape I've worked on since before my bonsai passion kicked in. I love my yard. It means more to me than some would imagine. You see...I grew up really poor which many do, nothing significant there. What is...was my mom's husband was lazy. He would go to the landfill to find himself projects, and dragging them home. None ever getting done. Just made it impossible to mow the yard. So I grew up with the kids on the bus, not being so understanding. Oh how I hated the bus stopping at my house...the cruelty of ones. When I met my husband...He commented once on a date...about one who tossed litter out their car window. And I knew right then...he would never litter up his yard. That was HUGE in my book. I think that's why I need clean lines...to bring me a sense of control over an area. Another reason why I have focused on quality than quantity in bonsai.
Side of the house heading to the backyard.
Hidden back patio that no one seems to know about. lol that's a 10 foot pergola.
A few examples how I display my trees. The old chimney cap...and a bench for the back patio.
My Weeping Ryusen Maple on the stone wall. Some of the perennials are just popping up through the hardscape behind the stone bench.
I took this photo this winter...with the waterfall dry. The moss green, the sedum with his winter colors looking so pretty. Along with my frog of course.
Last photo...Winter with the lights on the waterfall before it got so cold we had to turn it off and winterize it
.
Trust me... you don’t want to know!
Installing the pond was a major expense. Then, the paver patio and other yards cape work was more. There was a bit of a drainage issue due to the topography that I had to get corrected that was incorporated into the project that contributed to the cost, and I wanted to make the patio, pond, bonsai garden area as liw maintenance a possible.
The grass gets mowed by contractors hired by our HOA. They do a good job, but I didn’t want them getting anywhere close to the bonsai or the pond, so I’ve created large mulch areas that I keep up with pulling the occasional weed, and careful application of roundup. Maybe salt!
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namnhi
Masterpiece
Come on Adair. Am curious too.
namnhi
Masterpiece
Gorgeous, period!
Haven't seen the Tesla in while................Come on Adair. Am curious too.
BackyardBonsai
Shohin
who need a vacation when you have all that to look at.
BackyardBonsai
Shohin
Probably somewhere in that ballpark.
Cadillactaste
Neagari Gal
Thank you... It's been a process. Never done...I still have areas I wish to tweak. But...It's becoming a settled in landscape finally.
Cadillactaste
Neagari Gal
Thank you...I'm quite the homebody. Lake front,out front of the house. Love our little piece of tranquility. We did senior photos at the lake with my son. The photographer even commented on the quiet...you can't hear the traffic from the main road even a 1/4 mile from our lake maybe. Even in fall...It's like God's blessed me for being patient for the circumstances out of my control as a child. You can't help feel blessed.
>>>>Come on Adair. Am curious too.
I ain't skeered to admit I had $150 in the pump and 300 in the rubber roof used as a liner. Another big motor got the pond dug and waterfall built. LOL The dump truck full of sandstone was 200 delivered which I bartered for a little motor work. I did the heavy lifting/arranging. 600 for flag stone traded for a bike rebuild. LOL We have a brick manufacture about 20 miles away where the crushed red brick comes from cheap. I sift out the smalls to use as a soil additive
I also rebuilt a 4 wheeler for another guy in exchange for new water and sewer lines installed
I ain't skeered to admit I had $150 in the pump and 300 in the rubber roof used as a liner. Another big motor got the pond dug and waterfall built. LOL The dump truck full of sandstone was 200 delivered which I bartered for a little motor work. I did the heavy lifting/arranging. 600 for flag stone traded for a bike rebuild. LOL We have a brick manufacture about 20 miles away where the crushed red brick comes from cheap. I sift out the smalls to use as a soil additive
I also rebuilt a 4 wheeler for another guy in exchange for new water and sewer lines installed
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Cadillactaste
Neagari Gal
Your trees are spectacular. The larch forest...I believe I see a small ginkgo down on the lower stoop. Nice.
We have a permanent camping spot which we've only used a few times in the last year because I don't want to leave the back yard
But when it looks like this, Florida looks good.
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Cadillactaste
Neagari Gal
Florida had lizards falling from trees from the cold. I say enjoy your lovely view and stay clear of falling lizards!We have a permanent camping spot which we've only used a few times in the last year because I don't want to leave the back yard
Bolero
Omono
I'm thinking Adair has $28000.00 tied up in his Bonsai-Koi Pond Garden....
Forsoothe!
Imperial Masterpiece
Thank you! Chi Chi is undergoing a transition to a smaller size. Actually for many years since ~2003.
Next spring I expect it to be pretty nice. I have a 'Chase Manhattan' too, which is just coming into its own, but no pictures.
Atom#28
Chumono
This yard was a vacant lot when I moved in. Planted 75 arbor vitae and a bunch of landscaping plantings. Then I dug a 3,500 gallon koi pond with a shovel one summer. Then we moved to the other side of town. I miss my pond.
I did all my own maintenance:
I did all my own maintenance:
