Going to start a thread for my pond. Since it's slowly changing over the years. Started about 3 years ago, 4ft deep, ledge width makes it about 13x13 foot, but inner sunken area is more like 10x10 foot. Bog was added early last year, I believe. 4x8ft or so and 1ft deep. Pump goes to 35gal bin filter, then spills into the bog, which them falls into the pond. Several Koi and 1 Fantail and 1 Shubunkin. Pond and Bog pics from this week. 2013 koi fry and visitors from... Read more ..read more

Yesterday I was given 2 crepe myrtles. I just had to go dig them up. They were in a friends flower bed, next to her house. She said they are a bright pink color. It took awhile, but I got them dug up. One is about 4 feet tall, the other was over my head. I cut that one back a little. I decided to plant them in the front yard. I still have 9 sheep in the front yard. I’m going to move them, so I took down their round hay bale cover. This is when I first put it up. Grass is gone now... Read more ..read more

I have an area under 2 walnut trees where the old rabbit hutch was and I want to plant grass there so that next year I can put some things out there for the kids to play with and have grass. Can I plant grass seed now or should I and what happens when the leaves fall? Should i rake the leaves or will it mess up the seed when I rake? The amount of leaves from these 2 trees will be very deep ..read more

Having a green and lush lawn is something that many homeowners desire. However, maintaining a healthy lawn can be challenging, especially when it comes to minimizing the use of harmful chemicals and reducing water usage. In this article, we will discuss some practical tips that you can implement to maintain a healthy and eco-friendly lawn. Tip 1: Choose the right grass type​The type of grass you choose can have a significant impact on the health and sustainability of your lawn. Some... Read more ..read more

At the south side of our garden, there is a terrace where we originally put a plastic tool shed. There are a lot of these stone plates underneath. Due to the lack of maintenance, this area (half belongs to us, and half belongs to the neighbor) was damaged throughout the years. The neighbor and we decided to renovate this area, and the first step is redoing the waterproofing work. We have to remove these heavy plates first, but we are not going to put them back. Really heavy! Maybe it's... Read more ..read more

Not sure if any of you have this pest where you live, but European Chafer Beetles showed up in our area about 20 years ago and they have been reeking havoc ever since. The adults look like small brown flying humbug candies, resembling a moth when in flight. In June they swarm around our Ginkgo tree, or along the edge of our roof. If there are a lot of them it can be quite creepy to hear their wings flapping against the Ginkgo leaves. They lay eggs in lawns, and then in September when... Read more ..read more

Brussels Peeing boy a very famous fountain. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manneken_Pis ..read more

I like no dig, but there are some areas in my garden where the "cardboard+ a thick layer of compost" method is not practical or need too much effort. Do you think regular chop-and-drop is a good enough solution? For example, around a two or 3-year-old fruit tree, I tried to temporarily cover the area with cardboard+compost to block the weeds/grasses. But in my opinion, it takes too much effort to maintain "weed-free" status. So, eventually, the weeds/grasses always claimed the territories... Read more ..read more

I wanted to start a thread on this very interesting topic. I have some pictures and details of my experience thus far: http://www.nifty-stuff.com/lawn-top-dressing.php Anybody have more experience, thoughts, questions on Top Dressing for you lawn ..read more

Not sure if any of you have this pest where you live, but European Chafer Beetles showed up in our area about 20 years ago and they have been reeking havoc ever since. The adults look like small brown flying humbug candies, resembling a moth when in flight. In June they swarm around our Ginkgo tree, or along the edge of our roof. If there are a lot of them it can be quite creepy to hear their wings flapping against the Ginkgo leaves. They lay eggs in lawns, and then in September when... Read more ..read more