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Articles / Information / Listing Page The Hardscape ~ The Gardener ~ In this Issue: Publishers Notes Diversion The Hardscape Computer Tip ~ Publisher's Notes ~ This week's article continues our series on Design, and we'll be
talking about the hardscaping- timber walls,
patios, walks- things
that need to be done first, or at least considered in
the overall scheme.
Some quick notes on spring sales-
Golden ferns were accidentally left IN the catalog, but
we won't have
them this year. Sorry about that...
Outdoor lighting kits are going to have to go up in
price. If you are
considering one, this would be a good time. Also
some of the
water garden supplies. We will hold off on any
price increases
until May, for the benefit of our newsletter readers.
(You).
Thank you all for making this a busy and early spring.
~ Diversion ~ Respectfully Cheating
Jack and Betty are celebrating their 50th wedding
anniversary.
"Betty, I was wondering -- have you ever cheated on me?"
"Oh Jack, why would you ask such a question now? You
don't want to ask
that question..."
"Yes, Betty, I really want to know. Please."
"Well, all right. Yes, 3 times."
"Three? When were they?"
"Well, Jack, remember when you were 35 years old and you
really
wanted to start the business on your own and no bank would give you a loan? Remember how one day the bank president himself came over to the house and signed the loan papers, no questions asked?"
"Oh, Betty, you did that for me! I respect you even more
than ever,
that you would do such a thing for me! So, when was number 2?"
"Well, Jack, remember when you had that last heart
attack and you
were needing that very tricky operation, and no surgeon would touch you? Remember how Dr. DeBakey came all the way up here, to do the surgery himself, and then you were in good shape again?"
"I can't believe it! Betty, I love that you should do
such a thing for me,
to save my life! I couldn't have a more wonderful wife. To do such a thing, you must really love me darling. I couldn't be more moved. When was number 3?"
"Well, Jack, remember a few years ago, when you really
wanted to
be president of the golf club and you were 17 votes short?" ~ Hardscaping ~
Now the real fun begins. The 'hardscape' is the
construction part of
landscaping. Things to consider- ponds, rock or
brick retaining walls,
patios and walks, to name a few.
They usually need to be done first, and after your
landscape is
complete, it's darn hard to add them later...
Retaining walls- If you have a steep slope on your lot,
a retaining
wall will stop erosion, and give you flat planting areas
above the wall.
Several shorter walls traversing a slope will always
look better then
one or two taller walls, and use about the same amount
of stone.
We've been using less and less field stone, (rocks) and
more of the
block cement. Home Depot style blocks are fine, and
cheap. Most
cement / concrete yards have much better styles to
choose from,
and will usually deliver them to your home cheaply.
Some of the
neat styles are a little pricey, though. If you
have a flat yard, but like
the blocks, you can make a complete raised bed out of a
short block
wall, that runs continuously around the bed. We
like to put water
gardens in the raised beds, too. Having raised
beds will add 'depth'
to your yard just as slopes will... Also your
plantings will be more
protected. Fill the beds with topsoil, and things
will grow like crazy.
Walks- Brick patios and walks are easy to
construct, though also
a little expensive. Wood decks are also
expensive, but usually
you can get a complete plan for a simple deck at most
lumber
yards. If you are going to spend a lot of time in
your yard, you will
need some kind of patio or deck. The walks leading
to and from
it should match it in some way. Wood chip paths
match decking,
etc. IMPORTANT- Your other hardscape items,
raised beds,
water gardens, barbecues, etc., should be near your
patio. Your
water garden should be close enough so you can sit on
your deck
or patio and see the fish. If possible, extend
your patio out into your
yard a little, so it is sitting "in" your landscaping,
and you can sit with
trees, flowers, ponds, all around you.
That's living...
Remember to imagine every possible thing you might want,
from
fountains to barbecues, and plan for them early!
It's very difficult to add
hardscaping after the irrigation and sod are done...
Next issue: Adding 'dimensions' to your 'scape.
~ Computer Tip ~ Cool Sticky Keys We do a lot of copy and pasting in our computer work. Highlighting
with the mouse, then pasting with Ctrl + v. But
that means taking
your hand off the mouse to hold the Ctrl key AND the v
at the same
time. Did you know you can set your modifier keys
to be "sticky"?
That way you can hit Ctrl THEN the v key, and not have
to take your
hand off the mouse. Here's how-
Head over to the Control Panel (Click Start / Settings / Control Panel) and select "Accessibility Options". On the "Keyboard" Tab, place a check in the checkbox next to "Use Sticky Keys".
Next click the "Settings" button right next to it, and
set it to turn on by
hitting the Shift key 5 times, and to go off hitting two
keys at the same
time. (So you needn't go back to the control panel
to turn it on and off).
You may want to select "show icon in tray" so you can
look and see if
it's on. By default it will shut itself off in 5
minutes, if idle. You can
increase this by clicking on the "General Tab" and
selecting your
desired idle time.
Click APPLY then
Click OK to close the Accessibility Options window. Thanks for reading!
Spike
Contact me here ~ http://www.greatlakeslandscaping.net/question.htm Check out flowers, irrigation, fountains, water gardens and more: Web Site: http://www.greatlakeslandscaping.net * Water Garden Kits * Vista Outdoor Lighting * * OASE Fountains * Wholesale Plant Center * |
