Time for A Refresh!

Time to redo the lakeside. For those who have followed along with our move to South Carolina thirteen years ago, some of these photos might be familiar. We built the house, dock and lakeside patio while in Virginia. We documented the progress each time we visited.

2010 

The bank of the lake was river rocks as riprap. The elevation in the backyard went from lake level of 440 feet above sea level to 450 feet above sea level near the trees to about 460 where the house is located.

Flagstone patio 2013

The flagstone patio was a nice spot to sit and enjoy lake views. Our brightly colored chairs stand out, allowing those on the water to know where our place is. 

2014

Over the years the gardens evolved. The slope about killed me when trying to pull weeds or even walk on the pine straw.  In 2019 we decided to do a makeover and streamline the plant material. Ferns, Panicum virgatum 'Shenandoah',  Illicium parviflorum 'Florida Sunshine' and a few Podocarpus macrophyllus 'Pringles Dwarf' lined the shoreline. Looked good for a while....

2019

Winter water levels are lower, so you see some of the sandy shoreline. Ferns and some of the Panicum filled in, the deer kept eating the Podocarpus, and about half of the Illicium failed.

2020

Midway through the thirteen years we had some heavy rains that over the years created a washout under the patio near the stone steps to the dock. The patio was in a slow collapse. The weeds grew up through the spaces between the stones. Some of the weeds were trees with long tap roots or wild hibiscus that reseed all along the shoreline with large root systems, both tough to pull out.

2022

Fast forward to this winter- the decision was made to get a seawall to replace the riprap, semi-level out the slope of the yard in the lower area, remove the patio and sod it to create an easier area to maintain. Permits were obtained, then the sequencing of removing the electric line from the house to the dock and back to the irrigation pump, removing the irrigation lines and pump, disconnect the fresh water line from the house to a spigot near the pump, then wait for the seawall work to begin. Heavy equipment came in and made quick work of the yard and seawall installation. 

2023

2023

Getting things put back wasn't as easy, nor timely. The irrigation and electric guys sort of coordinated their work, wet weather delayed a good bit of it. (Short story- we installed a new pump in the late summer. When it was time to disconnect it for the winter, it went quite easily. After patting ourselves on our backs, we forgot to turn off the power to the pump at the house. The pump was scheduled to run that night... oops. Not sure if the pump has an automatic shut-off but we worried that the pump burned out. Since it was already drained, we just waited until reconnection in the spring to see if we needed to buy another new pump.) Once the electric was back connected we tested the pump. Hooray!! The pump wasn't burned out, works well. After the electricians finished, then we waited for irrigation to be put back in. After installation, I tested the valves and all were working! 

Because of the rain and no sod in the lower part of the yard, I had no need to run the sprinklers until a few days ago. A couple sprinkler heads are no longer connected, so until they come back out I have some hoses and sprinklers to get the areas where needed.

Sod time. The guys came and prepped the yard for two days to level out the ravines where rain had worn ruts in the raw soil. There were a lot of large rocks that needed to be removed, you can't grow grass on a rock. Sod was put down today. Once it is rooted in and growing this lower part of the yard will be a great spot to play with the grandkids when they visit and the dog(s).

2023 June

The yard is a lot bigger!! Thanks for reading!

©Copyright 2023 Janet. All rights reserved. Content created by Janet for The Queen of Seaford. words and photos by Janet,The Queen of Seaford.

More Spring Chores

I have written and rewritten this post a number of times. Train of thought gets interrupted and the flow of my words seems to be stilted, so I put it down for a while...again and again. I started this in April, so much of the beginning text is mute- mostly comments about weather and chiggers and wanting to get this done before the really hot weather kicks in. So without further procrastination, here is my irrigation project.--

One of the items I wanted to have done this past winter was to get some irrigation up to the street for the garden. I had someone lined up and it fell through sadly. The method he was going to install the water was pretty straight forward. I Googled a bunch of YouTubes and decided it was something I could do myself. 

After getting the mulch done (see last post) and having some sunny days ahead I went about ordering the needed items. 

Disclaimer: I am going to show a specific product. I have not been compensated in any way for use of this item. My thoughts are my own, positive and negative.

Ordering online for pick-up at the store is a nice way to shop for irrigation parts and accessories. I ordered Mr. Landscaper Premium kit at Lowe's. The water source is to be my spigot at the well, about one hundred feet from the street. The kit came with 100 feet of tubing and after figuring out the distance involved, I ordered two more bundles of 100 feet of 1/2 inch tubing to carry the water from the well to the garden at the street. I also ordered more stakes to hold the tubing at ground level, more couplers to connect tubing, and an elbow connector. I went back to get more ground stakes and a Y-connector for the spigot and a few more sprinklers and sprayer heads. Seems like every task or homeowner improvement project needs multiple trips to the store. This project is no different.  

The installation is pretty straight forward and I am writing / photographing this is to show others that it is almost foolproof. Follow the photos and the captions to a quick and easy project.

Tubing and details for installation on box, don't pitch the box right away!

Sprayer heads, timer, puncture tool and assorted pieces

 

Because the tubing was had been rolled in a bundle, I stretched it out along the driveway to relax the plastic. 

Multiple sprinkler stakes with connector lines

The orange sprinkler head shoots almost a full circle of water, but also has a 180 degree capability. To change it you take off the orange head, turn it upside down and replace it. 

Ground stakes 

End crimper, feed the hose through the hole and back through again.

Basic timer that attaches to the spigot 

Assembly to the spigot- timer, 50 PSI flow regulator, and hose coupler

Hole puncher

The hose and sprayer stake- ready to make my connection

To connect the sprayers you take the hole punch, make your hole and insert the tip from the sprayer stake into the hole. It is self sealing and if you make an error in placement of the hole- the kit comes with a hole plug! I placed my hose along the edge of the driveway and made note of the plants that I wanted. Placing the stake into the ground I then adjusted the connector line to the hose, made the hole and connected the sprayer. 

Once I got to the top of the driveway I needed to get the hose line to the other side. There is a culvert under the driveway near the street, so I had a clear path to use! I have a brush and multiple 18 inch rods that screw together for cleaning the dryer vent. I used my flexible rods, pushed them through the culvert, tied a line to the rod, pulled it back through, and tied the hose to the line and pulled it under the driveway.

The hose is almost hidden through the rocks 

The garden now has water! 

After I was pleased with the placement of the stakes and the hose I covered exposed black hose with pine straw. Adjustments were easy, just pull up the ground stakes and the sprayers and move according to where you want the water. 

Spray of water

The water spray is not far, maybe a five foot diameter, so more sprayers were needed in some areas. I think I can add two more sprayers to reach the capacity of sprayers per hose to spigot. The garden is filling in now that there is water. Much of what is planted up at the street, in full sun, is drought tolerant but the added water allows me to add some other plants. 

Winterizing this is easy. Just take the hose off the end crimper (the black thing with the two holes) and drain the water. If there are issues after a cold winter I will update. 

My assessment of this type of irrigation -- I like it, I might add another to the other side of the driveway to benefit some of my azaleas and dogwoods that are on the high side of the driveway. The water connection has to be figured out for this one. If I didn't have in ground irrigation for the rest of the yard, fed from the lake, I would think about adding something like this to specific spots that need the extra water. 

Do you have projects that you are pleased with?  

 

©Copyright 2021 Janet. All rights reserved. Content created by Janet for The Queen of Seaford. words and photos by Janet,The Queen of Seaford.