Information and Resouces for the Do-it-Yourselfer - Great Lakes Landscaping

~ The Gardener ~

In this Issue:

Publishers Notes

       Diversion
       Patios 101
       Computer Tip

~ Publisher's Notes ~

If anyone has trouble with our online shopping cart, email us right away,

from the "contact us" page. LinkPointCart has been doing some upgrading

and sometimes they are not connected to our gateway... (I'm not sure what

that means, just passing it on...)

Can you tell the difference between a Tennessee Ostrich fern and a true

Ostrich fern? Only a botanical expert could, and he'd need the 'book'

in his hand.

~ Diversion ~

Stumpy Legged Pink Dog

A guy walks into a bar with his dog on a leash the barman says, “Geez that's

a weird dog: he's stumpy-legged, pink, and doesn't have a tail, but I bet my

rottweiler would beat the heck out of it.”

50 bucks is laid down. Out in the yard the rottweiler gets mauled to pieces.

Another drinker says his pit bull will win but the bet is 100 bucks.

Another trip to the yard and when it's finished there are bits of pit-bull terrier

all over the place. The drinker pays up and says, “Say what breed is that anyway?”

The owner says, “Until I cut his tail off and painted it pink it was the same breed

as every other alligator.”

~ Patios 101 ~

So you find you need a patio... TIP: Home Depot bricks are great

for backyard patios, but for a walk that leads from your driveway,

get better bricks at a concrete supply store. Cars are heavy, and it

really makes a difference to have better bricks... (Use your yellow pages).

1) Determine the TOP of your patio. Be just above grade, so water

runs off, and doesn't stand on it.

2) Dig. If your bricks are 2" thick, dig out about 7" from the top of your

patio. TIP: Fill holes in your yard, or create a berm around an edge

of your patio for interesting landscaping, using the soil you are digging.

Just make sure its a couple of feet back so dirt won't wash onto patio.

3) Fill your hole with 4" of crushed limestone, or any crushed stone.

Paver base is good, but expensive. Don't use driveway gravel, as the

clay in it will prevent water from soaking in. The crushed stones above

should have the 'dust' and small particles still in them.

4) Compact it with a compactor from a rental store, (about $40 for an

afternoon). Make sure you have raked it as flat as you can before

you compact it.

5) Add 1" of clean sand. Screed it flat with a board. You can get

elaborate, and set edging around your patio, and use your edging

to screed with. Or just use a long board, and screed (scrape) it

flat from both directions, and you'll be pretty flat.

6) You can now lay your bricks (or stones) about as fast as you can

carry them. Set bricks an eighth to a quarter inch apart, and sweep

sand between them, repeatedly. You can hose a little water on them

to get the sand in easier, but be easy with the water until you are

done.

7) Either put edging around the bricks, (recommended) or fill good

topsoil around them. Pack it in really good. Now compact the top

of your bricks to really 'set' them. Use the compactor again, or if you

had to run it back to the rental center, just take an extra brick, and

bang along the joints making sure they are flat and well set. Your bricks

might seem a little 'soft' at first, but after a few rains and a few weeks,

they will be set hard as can be. If you are running a walk to a driveway,

use 6" of gravel, and you could drive on them after a few weeks.

~ Computer Tip / Reading Small Emails ~

Ever have trouble reading emails in Outlook Express? I'm fine in the

morning, but by afternoon, the prints getting pretty small. You can change

the size of text in both your incoming and outgoing mail. When Outlook is

open, select OPTIONS from the TOOLS menu (it's that button at the top

of your window). In the 'read' tab look at the bottom where it says "default"

fonts. Click on that "fonts" button. Change the font size from small to medium,

or your desired size. (I changed the font to 'ariel', too.) Now your fonts will

look larger in emails. On the "compose" tab, select "fonts" and set your fonts

to 12 pt. Your friends will appreciate it!

Thanks for reading,
Spike

Contact me here ~
http://www.greatlakeslandscaping.net/question.htm

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