As if I don't have enough projects that I'm working on.........but heck, life is short. I want to do the things I want to do! So here's what is developing---
With all the rain we've been having, everything is in a runaway growth spurt, including the guava saplings, ferns, vines, and grasses. They are creating quite a formidable tangle that not even the horse can bust through. This tangle is invading my pastures, killing the grass. Thus armed with weedwacker and machete, I decided to rid the farm of the worse of the tangle. In the process I opened up a pretty area that wasn't part of a pasture that would be ideal for making a secret garden. Gee, wouldn't it be neat to have my own special garden hideaway? Sure!
This is what I started with..........
And this is what it looks like minus the tangle.........
A chainsaw quickly eliminated the saplings, crowded young growth, deformed and diseased trees.......
I ended up with multiple piles of small trees that I delimbed. Lots of poles...........
I decided to use those bigger poles to make a fence. Nothing fancy or complicated. The fence will outline the perimeter of the secret garden. Sure, it's not all so secret yet, but give it time.
But the fence looked too "incomplete" to me. So I decided to add rocks. I've got plenty of rock around here that needs to be stored for some possible future use. I thought I could use it for the fence and thus store it at the same time. So the fence is ending up looking like this......
The rock part can be as thick or thin as I have rocks for storing. This is what I've done so far......
I've started planting some of my excess plant starts -- pineapples, ti, succulents, and whatever else. I'm also starting to plant bananas, which will form part of the visual screen around the area .......ah-ha! Yes, to make the garden hidden from outsiders.
This is a project that will come along slowly because it doesn't have high priority. But I'm looking forward to making it a peaceful hideaway. Perhaps a nice place for a gazebo?
That is wonderful! Can you show pictures of your biceps in the next post? KIDDING. But I bet you are rather strong now with all that chopping. Such a good result! I keep thinking of Frank Lloyd Wright who was really into using natural materials from the local area. You did that in spades! I know you said you thought a bulldozer would have been better in hindsight but then you wouldn't have this lovely secret garden option.
ReplyDeleteHow true with that bulldozer comment. If I had a dozer come in and flatten the area, I'd just have a new pasture spot. This is one case where hand clearing was the way to go. I'm going to have fun creating a special hideaway spot.
DeleteThe rock walls will stand literally for ages. My former house in SoCal still has a nice thick wall that was made from the stones unearthed when I screened the dirt for the front lawn. I was planning on building a mini-heiau in Maui, but that's pau.
ReplyDeleteI never considered a heiau. I think I'll stick with the rock wall. I'm not much of a stone mason, but so far the rocks are still standing. We shall wait and see what happens during the next earthquake test.
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