A Gardener's Notebook » Design

Project: Steel pipe garden edging

Douglas E. Welch — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 21:09:24 +0000

You have probably seen my photos and videos of our wine bottle garden edging project. This photo shows a similar approach using an entirely different material. I am not sure where you would source enough of this pipe cheaply, but obviously this person did.

One issue with using unique items for your garden edging is that their small diameter means you need A LOT of them. The wine bottles are probably 4″-5″ in diameter but that is still much smaller than a brick, a stone or using some bender-board edging. This also means it takes more time to install, as you have to lay each piece separately.

I like that the gardener filled each pipe with soil and stones and then planted small succulents. I think this is a great use of otherwise wasted space in the edging.

Still, I really like the look of our wine bottles and these steel pipes. Click through on this Pinterest link for more garden photos and ideas from the original blog.

Source: floradoragardens.blogspot.com via Douglas on Pinterest

Project: Steel pipe garden edging is a post from: A Gardener's Notebook

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Elsewhere: DIY shade finder tool takes the tedium out of solar surveys

Douglas E. Welch — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 19:33:47 +0000

Nothing like applying a little science and technical ingenuity to make an onerus task easier and faster. I could see this being very useful to a gardener who is trying to site a new plot, tree or home plantings. I have toyed around with using video or time-lapse to accomplish this task, but this is certainly easier and much more accurate.

DIY shade finder tool takes the tedium out of solar surveys

[Steven Dufresne] does a lot of tinkering with solar-powered applications, a hobby which can be very time consuming if done right. One process he carries out whenever building a solar installation is creating a sun chartto determine how much (or little) sun the target area will get.

The process requires [Steven] to take elevation and Azimuth measurements of many different points, which often consumes about half an hour of his time. While taking measurements recently, he started thinking about how he could improve the process, and came up with a stellar solution that reduces the process down to a one-minute task.

Read the entire article

Elsewhere: DIY shade finder tool takes the tedium out of solar surveys is a post from: A Gardener's Notebook

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Elsewhere: Video: TedTalks: A Garden in My Apartment

Douglas E. Welch — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 23:51:00 +0000

A great talk on a system to building a garden anywhere you have available space and light. Does it give you some thought? It sure does that for me. Check it out! and let me know what you think in the comments.

Could you use this in your house or apartment?

Would you try it out?

How could you make it better?

What would you grow using a system like this?

Watch “Britta Riley: A garden in my apartment” on YouTube

Elsewhere: Video: TedTalks: A Garden in My Apartment is a post from: A Gardener's Notebook

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Elsewhere: Teapot Garden Fountain/Waterfall

Douglas E. Welch — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 04:01:13 +0000

This looks like it would take a lot of work, but the impact of something like this in your garden is undeniable. I imagine the sound would be enjoyable, too.

From greenwellies,tumblr.com and Pinterest user Robin Johnston

Elsewhere: Teapot Garden Fountain/Waterfall is a post from: A Gardener's Notebook

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Project: Bottle Garden Bed Edging

Douglas E. Welch — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 18:32:30 +0000

While I was out on a computer consulting call, my wife and son started in on this project. We had seen edging like this in the past and I also did some Google Image searches to see how others had used empty glass bottles in their garden.There are a variety of ways to do it, but I think this is one of the most traditional. For the last 5-7 years these beds had been edged with limbs from the numerous small trees that needed to be removed due to over-planting. It has taken quite a long time for those limbs to decompose, but it was now evident that something else had to be done.

(You can click each photo for a larger version from my Flickr Photostream)

As avid wine drinkers, we knew we would have a certain number of bottles to start with and we also put out the call to our friends and family to start saving their bottles as well. I am sure we will have plenty to finish the small bed in no time.

After seeing how they had placed a few bottles I realized they needed to be buried much deeper to keep them stable. We could have gone a bit deeper still, but the ground around these beds is very hard and I think this makes the best match between stability and design. You need to have some part of the bottle shoulder embedded in the dirt or the bottle will be too easy to tip as people walk by.

Some might have elected to remove all the labels from the bottles first, but I think nature will take care of that over time. The sun will bleach them and the rain and watering will loosen them. Depending on how this first batch fares, we might decide to “plant” them a bit lower or hill up around the bottles more. It will also be interesting to see how they effect our raking of leaves within these beds. It will probably make it a bit more difficult as they are quite high compared to the edging we had there.

We noticed immediately how the glass catches the sunlight as it plays across the garden. I think it will add a very nice look and add another point of interest to the garden.

Project: Bottle Garden Bed Edging is a post from: A Gardener's Notebook

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Question: Would you use recycled wine bottle edging around your garden beds?

Douglas E. Welch — Mon, 23 May 2011 05:40:58 +0000

Click to answer on the AGN Facebook Page…

Examples of wine bottle edging from Google Images

Question: Would you use recycled wine bottle edging around your garden beds? is a post from: A Gardener's Notebook

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Project: Altoids Tin Mini Garden from Instructables

Douglas E. Welch — Tue, 17 May 2011 16:00:00 +0000

For those of you who simply can’t be without a little green space, no matter where you may be, here is a neat method of growing sprouts, or any small seeds, in an altoid tin. This could turn out to be a great kids project, too.

Altoids Tin Mini Garden

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by mischka

You dont have an own garden, but like to live in a green environment? Why dont you make an Altoids Tin Mini Garden for your desktop? Use an empty Altoids tin. Put in a piece of tissue, add garden cress seeds and water and wait 3 days. Dont forget to keep your seeds wet.

Project: Altoids Tin Mini Garden from Instructables is a post from: A Gardener's Notebook

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Video: Women in the Dirt Landscape Architecture Documentary Trailer

Douglas E. Welch — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 16:00:00 +0000

This documentary looks quite good from this trailer and I look forward to seeing it whenever I can.

Women in the Dirt Trailer 1 from Wind Media Productions on Vimeo.

“Women in the Dirt is about the groundbreaking work of seven landscape architects. Their projects combine awareness of architectural and landscape principles, concern with sustainability, safety and beauty. The scope of their work ranges from private homes to vast public projects.

Through conversations with the landscape architects in their offices, or in the stunning spaces they’ve designed, the film explores each woman’s personal aesthetics and approach to their discipline. Women in the Dirt shows how these “masters of the obvious” create the sublime.”

Elsewhere Online: Branch: A Cool New LED Garden Light Styled to Look Like a Twig

Douglas E. Welch — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 08:18:11 +0000

These lights do indeed look cool, as described on Inhabitat…

“We’re big fans of all of the futuristic new LED lights that have been popping up, but sometimes their shiny, modern looks distract from an outdoor space’s natural beauty. That’s why we were delighted when Modular Lighting Instruments introduced us to Branch. Branch is a series of LED lights encased in a twig-like structure that is sure to blend right into your garden or patio. It’s also a modular modular system with universal connectors that make it possible to construct “branches” with or without a light source. -- Inhabitat via Branch: A Cool New LED Garden Light Styled to Look Like a Twig.“

I have several of the standard modern looking solar lights in the garden, but this would bring a neat change, especially in a Japanese themed garden. I am not sure they would had much interest at night, though as the dark structure would just disappear in to the garden darkness.

Elsewhere Online: Branch: A Cool New LED Garden Light Styled to Look Like a Twig is a post from: A Gardener's Notebook

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Elsewhere Online: Before & After: From Rustic Barn to Zen Garden

Building a Native Bee Box

Douglas E. Welch — Sun, 19 Dec 2010 21:03:01 +0000

My friend, Keri, has created an excellent “Bee Box” for her garden. Read the entire article at her site.

“I’ve been wanting to do this for over a year, build a nesting box for native bees and other insects. My friend Doug Welch from A Gardener’s Notebook had sent me various plans and ideas. I had a wooden wine box with a sliding lid and it seemed perfect.”

Read Building a Native Bee Box via AnimalBytes

Building a Native Bee Box is a post from: A Gardener's Notebook

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