Project: Steel pipe garden edging

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


Video: Vertical Garden Installation at Descanso Gardens, La Cañada Flintridge, CA

We haven’t made a trip out to Descanso recently, but this would certainly be cool to see in person. There is a lot of interest in vertical gardening lately and this does it on a grand scale.

Link: Descanso Gardens Web Site

Vertical Garden Installation at Descanso Gardens from Descanso Gardens on Vimeo.

 

DIY: PVC Pipe Strawberry Planter

Vertical growing, whether upside down (tomatoes) or right side up (the strawberries below) has been a big trend of late. The fact is though, vertical growing has long been a way to make the most of small space. Espalier is a way of pruning fruit trees to have them grow in a flat plane i.e. against a wall and yet still produce abundant fruit. I have recently seen pallet gardens — shipping pallets filled with soil and place vertically — for growing on apartment balconies, too.

This creative idea builds on the concept of the traditional strawberry pot, but allows you to plant as tall as you might wish. This picture I found on Pinterest links to a Flickr set of photos, but it seems pretty clear that they have taken a length of PVC drainage pipe, cut out holes for the plants and then filled it with soil. I could see 3 or 4 of these in a row along a sunny fence. Water is probably added from the top and allowed to flow down each tube.

Source: flickr.com via Ananda on Pinterest

 


A Gardener’s Notebook Facebook page reaches 100 “Likes”

Today, Becka was the 100th person to “like” our page on Facebook. I maintain that page for those people whom use Facebook more than any other service. The more readers, the merrier, no matter where they might be. It is also another space for use to share pictures and talk gardening.

If you know someone is a Facebook homebody, share the AGN page with them. I would love to see them there.

Elsewhere: Recycled Garden Tool Organization

Sometimes the simplest ideas are the best. Here a recycled rake head is used as a hand tool holder in the garden. Garden frugality at its best.

Source: diyideas.com via Kathleen on Pinterest

Education: Southwest Yard and Garden Series – Season 1 from iTunes U

There is a host of great information available from universities and organizations around the world via iTunes U. Over the next several weeks, I will be highlighting some of the more interesting shows and classes that I find there. You can check out the entire catalog at the iTunes U information page ordirectly in iTunes.

Sw yard garden

Southwest Yard and Garden Series – Season 1
by New Mexico State University, Media Productions

Description

Each episode features a travel destination with two gardens and a public garden from elsewhere in the Southwest. Innovative gardeners and basic how-to information will be part of each show, which will have segments from several states.

NEWS: Bonsai stamps released in the US

Despite the problems facing the US Post Office, it is nice to see them still producing some pretty nice stamps. Here are some of the most recent examples, dedicated to bonsai. Click through to the article for larger images.

Bonsai stamps

Bonsai

With these five stamps, the U.S. Postal Service celebrates the beauty of bonsai. The word “bonsai” (Japanese for “plant in a pot”) refers to the art of cultivating plants — usually trees — in trays, pots, or other containers. Favorite bonsai plants include evergreens, maples, and azaleas, but many other trees and shrubs are also suitable.

Read the entire article

Project: One Board Birdhouse

I made a few of these with my son and they are a great project to do with kids or with any group. You could even make a fundraiser out of this where the kids build and then paint/augment the design.

Due to its design you don’t really need any power tools at all, although a jigsaw and electric screwdriver make the job easier.

Birdhouse for Beginners

With its classic good looks, this one-board birdhouse will fit anywhere.

 

While this birdhouse is as simple as it gets, it has a lot going for it. It can be made very quickly…uses minimal materials and tools…and boasts a sleek look that will make any budding woodworker proud to say, “I built it all by myself!”.

Read the entire article at Birds & Blooms

News: UCLA’s plans to sell Japenese garden stirs un-Zen-like uproar

I would hope that some arrangement could be developed, but the property is worth so much money that it is difficult to see how it can be maintained in its current state. A great loss after so many years brought on by the governmental stalemate but state wide and nationally.

UCLA’s plans to sell Japenese garden stirs un-Zen-like uproar

The decision by UCLA to sell the Hannah Carter Japanese Garden in Bel-Air stirs anger by garden conservancy groups and Carter’s family, although the sell could net $15 million for the university.

Read the entire article

Photos: Today in the neighborhood

Whenever we take our usual walk through the neighborhood I the my camera with me, just in case we see something interesting. Today turned up the fruit and plants below including grapefruit, figs, and a couple of neat looking trees.

Fig

Pepper tree (not culinary pepper, though) Figs Fig Love the shape of this pine tree Grapefruit Grapefruit

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