TierramadreLandscape.com

My husband and I would like to make our yard and the area around our front porch look nicer, but neither of us know much at all about landscaping and need the advice of good "green thumbers." We would like to spend an upcoming weekend making simple improvements that make a big difference in the overall look, and want to see how much we could do with $200 as a budget. A little more info: we have a LOT of mulched areas with NO "ground cover" (I think that's what you call it) and so weeds can get out of control (there is no "edging" either). Any recommended plants that would look nice and be easy to maintain? Or can we somehow make grass there? Any good flowers that would be durable? Our front yard has a good amount of sun during the day. Any help and ideas about spending the $200 to make a NICE improvement are GREATLY appreciated! :o)

remove the mulch yourself-$0
border the yard with used bricks ( if u are lucky you will get it for free sometimes)-$0
get soil or dirt from home depot or lowes -$25( $5 each).
go to your nursery and tell them ur light and wheather conditions they will suggest you some plants.Good thing is you get sun. Marigolds, and other seeds can make a very inexpensive garden.($10 max)
You are a little late for bulbs but u can plant them in fall by then you garden will be well prepared for them.

Ferns , palms are very less maintainnace (ferns -$5each, palms need lot of research if u want to save money ).Impatients, pansies, begonias are shade loving plants and less maintiance.since you get sun you should be fine with any plant.However your challenge will be leveling, making the soil ready to plant.Good luck you can do a lot in $200 spent wisely and with patience.Dont hurry take your time.

2007-03-29 08:05:32 by skeeteranne

Learn how to install Permaloc#39;s easy-to-use, professional aluminum landscape edgings.

I want to plant perennials, shrubs, and a tree. I have two areas: one in the open grass on a hill and the other by the fence. What is the easiest way to rip up the grass and put the soil, and mulch on top of that. How do you edge to separate where the grass will stop and where the landscaping starts? Any charts, youtube videos, or links would be appreciated.

Thank-you!

When you want to move existing grass, you can rent a machine that will help to cut under the root system and bring up the grass. It is expensive and you have to be able to get the equipment to your home.

Last year I ended up roto tilling up a large portion of my yard to create a vegetable garden. The roto tiller had no problem ripping up clumps - the back breaking work comes when you have to get down on your knees and shake out the clumps and haul them away.

There is different types of edging that you can put around a garden - I have never used any of them. My neighbor uses the black plastic edging, but since he put it in it has popped up out of the ground over the winter time. I usually take my shovel every spring and go around the edging to create a line between the dirt and the existing grass. You have to do it every year, otherwise the grass will end up growing back into your dirt. My neighbors have commented on how nice my border looks, so it does provide a clean looking edge.

This link shows exactly how I do it:

http://www.expertvillage.com/video/26102 _perennial-garden-edging.htm

I also go to gardenweb.com and get many great tips from professional gardeners. Some can be very arrogant due to knowing so much, but many are friendly and love to help:

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/ iowa/msg0822222824362.html

Happy Gardening!

2009-02-07 09:25:08 by shotsofnature

I used a plain old (thick) steel bar I found in the bushes at the park - it appeared to have fallen off a piece of landscaping equipment (had a couple small holes drilled in it). Pretty sure it is low carbon steel. It sparks bright yellow and can easily be polished with sand paper.

I've been working on the knife it since October - grinding wheel and mill files. It came out really nice. I am afraid to try case-hardening because it might mess it up.

It will take a very sharp edge now, but it is so soft it is very very easy to dull it.

I want to put a razor edge on it. It is going to be an ornamental knife only, but still, I want it to look and feel right.

I've read lots of stuff on the internet. Seems like the most practical thing to do is to heat it up red hot (forced air charcoal fire) and quench it in used motor oil?

Think that will harden up the blade so that I can hone it to a razor edge?

You are right, one way to make it hard is to heat it up red hot (forced air charcoal fire) and quench it in used motor oil. However, quenching red hot steel in used motor oil would produce poisonous chemicals and is harmful to you. One better way is to heat it up red hot (forced air charcoal fire) and quench it in clean water (the quench rate is even faster). What you need to do after quenching is to sharp it as a final touch WITHOUT making it hot - grinding wheel will not be a good idea at all.

2008-06-09 20:08:00 by dave h

Sounds great so far. You should try joining a writing community. You may inspire some other writers. I've been using chapteread.com and really like it. They have a great writing area and posting features. Hope to see you there.

2008-07-10 17:04:18 by Aman

I'm just a normal girl.

But sometimes things that you can't explain happen. I'm not into the occult or anything like that but these things just happen.

The first time I remember it happening I was about 6. My gran was coming on the train to visit me later that day, so to pass the time I made little animals with some play dough. I made a yellow dog, a purple rabbit standing on its hind legs and a siamese cat.
When my gran arrived she gave me three soft toys from a brand I loved called Beanie Babies. They were three animals: a yellow and white dog, a purple rabbit standing on its hind and a siamese cat. I decided to give my gran the little play dough animals I made earlier that day. She still has them.
Whenever I forget about the weird things that have happened, they just happen again. For example, a few weeks ago my maths teacher handed out new exercise books. I usually keep my books tidy, but I just started to think about black and white lines and I started to draw some on the cover of my new exercise book. Then I doodled a zebra. Later in the lesson, the teacher handed out the new text books. The first picture in the whole book was of a zebra.

They've never bothered me until recently. It isn't about cuddly toys and zebras anymore.


I've been having dreams of a man standing in the middle of a featureless landscape. It don't sound so bad but when it happens it so disturbing. I don't know how the man got to the middle of no where or who he is, but he is definately a soldier. In the back of my mind I knew exactly who it was. I even woke up in the middle of the night and wrote a scrawled a few sentences:

Alone in the barren land.
A tear wiped on dusty hand.

Felt his life was almost over
For miles around there was no cover.

War between a mass of nations
Had made a mess of God's creations.

The END!

Then this boy, who is an amazing idiot, told his best friend (who then told me) that he is trying to make his parents let him be a paratrooper when he leaves school. A paratrooper is a soldier specially trained in parachuting. The army uses them to reach inaccessible areas.

Then one Religion class we were given an task of during the lesson producing a poster that encourages people to donate their organs after they die for transplants. You can just go online, fill in your details and in two weeks they'll send you a donor card. Easy.
Then the amazing idiot put his hand up to say something. The teacher sighed (cos he's always putting his hand up) and told him to say whatever he wanted to say. But the idiot said, "Er...AWW I've forgotten!" (As you have probably gathered already, he isn't the brightest person alive)
Then I went into this really wierd mood. The teacher said we could start making the posters, but I had already started drawing. I felt very stange: anxious, on edge, hysterical and queasy. I had this mental image in my head. At first it was something shiny rapidly glinting in a bright light. Then I realised it was a knife and there was a body opened up by the knife. I felt like I would be sick but I just kept on drawing. The the amazing idiot boy put his hand up and said he had remembered what he had wanted to say:
"Miss, I have one of those, organ taking card things. I filled one out on the internet!" he said proudly to the classroom, throughly overjoyed with his accomplishment.
My heart skipped a beat. I looked down at what I had drawn. He was older, but that large upturned nose was horribly familiar. There was no denying who I had drawn having their organs removed.

Yes, this makes me sound mental. I just want someone's opinion. I haven't dared tell anyone.


UPDATE
I've done some reasearch.
Seems like there's a lot of different things it could be:

1) Not real. A coincidence.
2) Real. But not necessarily going to happen as I could be foretelling one possible future.
3)Not real. Go and see a doctor.
4)Real. Still go and see a docter.
5)Tell friends or relatives.
6)Keep it to myself.
7)God has chosen me to save this boys life.

This is just stuff that I've been told to do by people online.
What do you make of it?

I believe you. We only use a small portion of our minds, so there's no telling what abilities that we have that haven't been unleashed. I myself sometimes dream things, and certain scenes from the dream will happen, word for word. So I totally believe you. Don't ever let anyone tell you that you're crazy, because you're not. You very well could know about this boy's death. Talk to your parents. Tell them everything you've told us. They'll know more what to do. It seems like you are genuinely worried about this guy. The reason why I would tell my parents is because you don't want to tell the guy this and then freak him out, ya know? Whatever you do, I know you'll make the choice that is right for YOU, and no one else. And just know there are people out there who do believe you.

2008-11-13 15:15:12 by ruiz de lara