Gardening As Therapy...seriously...i've Been Trying It Out....

[reddevil1111]

Nice berm, your rocks are not painted white and your fighting hole is full of water!

 

[JennyMac]

Sludge, that looks so inviting...wow, really nice yard. I have just bought a book on landscaping with stone....can't wait till I have my own home someday and get to use it :)

 

[Sludge]

You should have seen the mess back there before I started. This house had been a rental since the late '80s...so the rock walls were not even visible under the thick brush and weeds. I literally had to rip everything out by hand, take it down to bare earth, and start over from scratch. It took me two years to dig out and rebuild all of the rock walls. (By hand, turns out digging in the dirt and moving 20+ kilos per rock by hand is a good stress reliever...) The patio took another 11 months total, as I had to move all the dirt in one wheelbarrow at a time to prevent harming the huge trees I have back there. Just this growing season have I started to replant grass and move in hostas and ferns.

 

[Sludge]

Nice berm, your rocks are not painted white and your fighting hole is full of water!

Aye, but there are little "surprises" buried throughout to keep the zombies...errm...deer and bunnies out. Not pictured is the outdoor fireplace and "Pugcatraz Mark 3 Mod 5" to keep the dogs in. Who would have thought pugs are escape artists.

Didn't need to paint white as there is a single strand, non barbed wire hooked up to a cattle fence electrifier a meter high along the inward angled pug fencing. Keeps the deer AND the neighbor kids out. LOL

My fox hole filled up during our wonderful tornado season last year and somhow a bunch of koi carp moved in, so we use it for hillbilly handfishing now...

 

[Sludge]

Sludge, that looks so inviting...wow, really nice yard. I have just bought a book on landscaping with stone....can't wait till I have my own home someday and get to use it :)

Be ready to work. And, take your time! I learned the hard way, if you truy to rush a project like this you set yourself up to rip it out and start over after the first downpour.

I tell ya, working with stone and hardscape produces amazing results...and sore muscles...and blisters...and lots of cracked fingernails. The sweat and blood was worth it though. I hate living in the suburbs, but this is my own private outdoor oasis.

Also, landscaping leads to gardening...just warning ya...;)

 

[JennyMac]

lol...just your description makes me want to go out and start tearing up my rented yard lol....seriously, I could spend my summer doing that :)

 

[matt_764]

In my experience, anything that allows you to meditate is a great thing. Some people find this while gardening, and some people find this while folding luandry. It is a way to relax your mind and dissolve into the creative act that you are performing. :) whatever that act might be. I have picked up painting and gardening. both of which help me find a much needed balance.