When Nigel and I first started discussing changes to the front yard, I thought maybe we could do it ourselves over the course of a year or two. Maybe we could put in lasagna beds across the front by the street and down the side of the driveway. Or, we could rent a sod cutter to put in beds, right? And then eventually make further changes. But I've done a bit of lasagna bed-making in the front, and discovered that the sod has a plastic mesh under it that makes digging in it difficult.
Then, with the addition of a promised greenhouse (my reward for losing 40 pounds), the plans got too big for us. So I called the contractor -- Chris Gilliam of Gilliam Construction -- who did all the work on our back garden when we first moved in, and who put in my gravel garden two years ago.
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| The chariot awaits its driver |
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| Way faster than lasagna, or a sod cutter |
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| Already working near the street |
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| Tearing a strip off the nasty old lawn |
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| Mountain o' sod |
The plans now include a raised bed along the street with a wall made of repurposed broken concrete, a driveway bed, a gravel patio with a small water feature (a fountain from Glass Gardens Northwest), and covered by a simple copper pipe pavilion, as well as a greenhouse with a gravel floor. Chris says most of the work should be done before Christmas, except for building the greenhouse, which probably won't arrive till mid-January.
Not only is this my reward for weight loss, but it's also my Christmas and birthday presents for this year.
And probably next year too.
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I wanted to thank everyone who left such kind messages of sympathy on my last post, about my kitty Lightning. I appreciate it so much. There was a possibility this work on the front garden was going to begin last week, on the Monday before Thanksgiving. I'm actually glad that it didn't. Although having work done like this is exciting, it's also stressful to be making so many changes. Last week I was stressed enough already.
So...thank you.