I was up early this morning to haul in rocks from the lake. There is an abundance of rocks along the shore, larger rocks that I will need for the stone border to build up the the lawn at the down slope edge of the back yard.
I moved the large crape myrtle five feet so that it is centered in the three by three box. We left one side of the box open to accommodate the move; Mike will finish it later. I pounded in a large stake to support the crape myrtle until it establishes new roots, expecting heavy winds with another winter storm next week. I cut two large tap roots in moving myrtle, a source of concern. I applied the Quick Start in accordance with the instructions: dig the hole for the transplant and fill with enriched water, tamp in the plant and apply more enriched water on top. Due to the height of the box I was able to bury the root ball under six inches of topsoil with soil amendment. I also left the hose on a drip overnight and expect to benefit from more rain next week. Hope for the best.
I cut and buried the black plastic tubes that used to run under the flagstones and that connected to the downspouts now pouring into the 90 gallon barrels in the back yard. The smaller barrels have filled to the upper spigot, approximately 30 gallons of rain water, all within one week of winter storms.
I leveled out the new topsoil in front of and to each side of the three by six box. I applied Turf Builder to the entire area. According to the instructions, the weed killer in the seed needs 24 hours to work before the grass seed can be watered. The forecast is for rain on Sunday. I also scattered Turf Builder to the dead spots next to the flagstones. I cast the seed by hand in accordance with Del’s recommendation. Hand sowing feels almost biblical.
A Year at the Snake 