TABULA RASA will be my last garden. And my masterpiece. The property size is 90 x 121.5. The forest community is beech/magnolia. (no pine). Fagus caroliniana (beech) should be present here (on my property) , but it isn't. It's all around the area, though. Hardwoods present are southern magnolia, southern red oak, water oak, hickory, sweetgum, Aralia spinosa, eastern redbud, and sassafras. There are also palmetto, about a dozen. The topsoil is a sandy acid clay loam, about a foot deep. There are also natural elevation changes, which are rare here. Also, the remnants of a small stream bottom. Ideas are swirling. For sure I'll have extensive plantings of agave. And besides Aloe saponaria, I want to trial several other species of aloe. And I've planted Cercis canadensis, Erythrina herbacea, Aralia spinosa, and Aesculus pavia. There is still some cleaning up to do on the property, but considering what it looked like a year ago, I can live with it. "I, who know what discipline, what effort, what tension of mind, what unrelenting strain upon one's power of clarity are needed to produce a work of art-I, who knows that it requires a labor which makes a chain-gang look like rest and a severity no army-drilling sadist could impose...." Richard Halley speech/Atlas Shrugged (1957)
A lot of work to be done there,..thinking garden wise,..i can imagine turning that drain or stream into something more flowing and deeper with little dams to have oxygen created from the turbulance,..it would be a full time face lift but very enjoyable despite the invitation to backpain,..yes great potential there to create a place of beauty.
Hoover Dam Funny you should mention a dam. That thought crossed my mind. I've never fooled around with the hydraulics of a stream, and I would have to do a lot of research on it. But it sounds like fun; afterall, I'm really still a child who loves to play.
The water in your picture seems to run under the road,..it would be interesting to trace it back a bit further just out of curiosity. I lived on a Victorian Estate and there was a similar water flow,..myself and a friend made a dam,..then several smaller dams to create air bubbles,..now there are small brown trout coming up that waterway,..pan size as well. Before we started there was just a trickle and the waterway was full of Briars and Flag Iris. ( photo / image / picture from Philip Nulty's Garden )
Mississippi River It's the remnant of a stream bottom. It flows under the road to a drainage system (natural) and empties into a cypress/tupelo swamp on the Calcasieu River. Its source now is from an aeration pond for a small apartment complex behind my property. I think there's a small leak in this pond. At first, I wanted to contact the owner and have him stop the water flow. But after seeing a turtle walking to it from my property, and thinking about having a permanent wet area at the back of my property, I then reconsidered and now view it as an incredible asset. It will dry up in drought (in-between rains), and the water flow is neglible. I don't know if the water flow is enough that a small dam would do anything. So I'm thinking of using it for fern, cardinal flower, Pontedera, and other plants adapted to wet roots. I think the only way I'll have more water is to deepen it. Or maybe dig out a large basin. All I know for sure is that I sure am going to have fun doing it.
Wow... what an undertaking! I bet you can hardly sleep at night thinking and planning. I sure hope you show us all your progress.
for member Kay I was in Lincoln about 8 yrs. ago. Went and saw the buffalo on the west side of town. Went by Nebraska State. Saw the Capital bldg. (our's is taller, but not as attractive). Went to a nursery (the big one with the lake on the S.E. side). The plant selection was sparse, as the employee said gardening conditions were brutal there. Overall, I found Lincoln to be modern and clean. I just don't know how you can take those winters. The house we stayed in had a basement. First time I had ever been down in one. And a huge oak tree.
Blissful photons: Enjoyed reading about your visit to my city. The buffalo is a landmark at Pioneer's Park. Did you also see the Indian on the hill? I hope so, he is pretty cool. The capital building is a beauty. Did you go inside? It is fantastic. The big nursery you went to is the one I worked at about 8 yrs. ago. I never found the selection of plants sparse, but you may be used to a wider selection of plants that grow in your area that don't here. I don't know how I stand the winter here either! This past one wasn't bad, but they can be awful! I was glad we had a basement Sat. when the tornado sirens went off!!! [/quote]
