Retaining Wall Rock Garden

        In order to keep with the natural forest look, even outside of the actual 'forest', we decided to put a rock garden in the front of the house. When we first moved here ten years ago, we put a flower garden in that exact spot. But flowers really aren't the look we're going for, plus they didn't grow so well in our awful soil. So after letting nature reclaim that section of yard for years, late last fall we made it a rock garden. Then the weeds took over before it was even finished. This year's goal was to build a retaining wall around it using flat stones that match the walkway.

       When building a retaining wall with stones, your best bet is to stick with flat ones. It is possible to do with rounded rocks but much trickier to get them to stack properly. With flat rocks you can obviously layer them without much difficulty. But, this doesn't means it's easy.

      The first step, well aside from figuring out where your retaining wall is going to go, is to actually find your flat stones. Seems easy, that is until you go out there and try to find enough to complete your project. As always, get more than you think you'll need. The fatter the better. Remember, you want some height here because over time your wall will sink into the ground so grab the thickest flat stones you can find. Get all sizes but lean more towards the larger ones. How large, as large as you can carry.

      Once you have enough rocks, you don't, go get more. Start with the biggest rocks you have, both in length, width and height, and lay them in their proper places. These are the base stones and need to be sturdy in order to make your wall stable. Most of the rocks I used for the base stack were roughly 4 inches thick, some even thicker. This will give the rest of your wall more support. (Note: I started on the right and worked my way to the left, doing all three layers at once, rather than laying the base stack first. However, I don't recommend doing it this way. It was easier for us because of the rocks that were in our way from the pre-existing setup.)

      Now that your base layer is in place, you're going to want to put your longer rocks down next. Bridge them across the gaps in the first layer, much like a brick wall. This will make it sturdy whereas putting them directly on top of your first layer without off setting them over their neighbors will make your wall much more susceptible to toppling over.

Where necessary, slide small flat rocks under your main rocks to keep them from wiggling. Odds are your flat stones are not completely flat, at least not all of them, and sometimes they need a little boost. And then sometimes they'll need to be trimmed down, a hammer or large solid rock will come in handy here. But always try to exhaust all your options before adding or taking away, this is why we got so many rocks to begin with. It's a trial and error process and eventually one of your stones will fit perfectly, you just have to turn and flip them a lot. Don't worry, rocks don't get dizzy. At least I don't think they do.

      Two or three layers should complete your wall. Anything taller might require two rows for each layer and some much larger rocks. So if you need to go higher, keep in mind that you'll need larger stones for your lower layers and making the wall sturdier becomes a necessity. Make sure none of your rocks are wiggling at all, on shorter walls a little wiggling isn't the end of the world. It's not like you're going to be walking on it. Unless you are, in which case you will need some super flat and thick rocks. But the average retaining wall is great for sitting on if you've constructed it correctly.

      Here's where our paths may diverge, depending on what your wall is for. Mine is for more rocks to go inside, the wall is simply to keep them from spilling over into the yard. So I start with flat rocks for the base layer inside, see, those extra rocks are really coming in handy now. Cover as much of the ground with flat rocks as possible, the more layers like this the better, it'll stop the weeds from bursting through. Then throw a bunch of other rocks over your flat ones, preferably ugly ones you don't mind burying. I don't want my pile of rocks inside to come up to the top of the wall so I'll use just a few inches of stones, topped off by the prettier ones I want to be seen. I'll even throw some big ones on top to be prominently displayed. And your retaining wall is complete.

Forest Update

      A week ago I planted two new trees, both of them Cedars, they are my first. Both trees were in the middle of a hiking trail I'm working on in the woods and rather than simply rip them out or trample them, I transplanted them into my ever expanding forest. The soil was extremely sandy and rocky which means the roots pluck out of the ground more easily, the problem is that this makes them harder to transport. Roots can't be exposed to the air for long at all or they dry out so it's important to cover them up with dirt as quickly as possible. It's also good to have some of the original soil in its new transplanted destination, it seems to help them reestablish their root system. So when transplanting it's a good idea to throw some of the tree's native soil over its roots in the bucket or wheel barrow you're transporting it in.

      A few weeks ago I grabbed a couple green pine cones from the forest floor, a real forest, not my backyard one. I've had success growing trees from pine cones before but they never make it once I put them outside. So this time around I put them in a flower pot with soil and left them in the sun until they turned brown and opened up, allowing their seeds to fall out. I covered them with a very thin layer of topsoil and sprinkle some water on them every couple days. Since it's getting so late in the summer I may need to bring them inside for the winter and put them in the greenhouse until Spring. But we'll see how big they get come Fall. With any luck I'll be able to plant them outdoors. I like to grab pine cones from gorgeous areas in the woods, I suppose I'm hoping they'll grow trees in my yard that will one day be equally as beautiful.

      Not a single one of the trees has died this year, other than the transplant that lost its taproot during the uprooting process. I was a little iffy on some of the trees in the new cluster part of the forest but they're all doing great with new shoots and the oak tree even producing a new batch of healthy leaves bigger than the ones originally there at the time of transplant. The ants were attracted to the largest pine tree in the cluster which worried me because last year this happened in almost the same location and the ants ended up ruining a similar pine tree's root system. This time around their presence doesn't seem to be hurting the tree or its neighbors which are all in very close proximity. The trees are too close to one another to make it as healthy adults but it's more of an experiment really. The goal is to make the forest look as natural as possible and in nature trees grow practically on top of one another, some make it, some don't. We'll have to wait and see how they weed themselves out

      Speaking of weeds, it appears to be a losing battle. The layer of cardboard from last year helped considerably but the persistent weeds are still making it through. Unfortunately, there are a lot of persistent ones, and they're the ones with the giant prickers, naturally. What seems to help the most are the tiny pine needles that fall around the base of the trees. The long needles of the Eastern White Pines help a little but not enough, it's the small needles that seem to make the ground too acidic for weeds to grow. I'm thinking about laying another batch of cardboard and covering it with pine needles and leaves again but it's a lot of work being so late in the season, so that might be a Spring task next year.

      The Maple tree we weren't so sure about after severing two of its three main roots while digging it up is doing excellent. It actually is two main trunks wrapped around each other which gives it a very interesting appearance, both of which have new leaves, lots of them. Most of the old ones died and fell off but that one root must have been enough because it kept the rest of its old leaves as well. The first maple has survived.

      In other news, First Tree, which I'm pretty sure is a Birch, is now easily taller than me, and still growing rapidly. That makes one tree in the forest that is actually human height. I may need to rake its leaves up this autumn. Okay never mind I won't rake them up, but there may be leaves on the ground, oooh, my first fall foliage. While on the subject of pretty things, the rosebush grew like crazy over the course of a month and actually produced multiple roses. Then the Japanese beetles devoured them, but not before I snapped a photo or two. All of the Eastern White Pines are really fluffing out and looking beautiful, they however do grow a bit slower than the birches as far as height goes. And if you were wondering, Zombie Tree is still alive and sprouting new shoots, but, the new leaves develop the same fungus on them. We'll see what next year brings for him.

Is Your Tree Dead Or Alive

      One of the aspects of transplanting trees I find most difficult to deal with is the fact that only time will tell if you've done it successfully. But how long does it take? When I planted my first tree I was pretty sure it would die over the winter and that'd be that. If transplanting trees were easy I suppose everyone would be doing it. There's no way to really tell if your tree will make it but in my experience you pretty much know within a couple weeks.

      There's two things to look for, is your tree alive or is it dead? The problem is, it'll usually be somewhere in between with no definitive answer. But here are the best signs to look for.

      When you first transplant your tree, you'll notice it will begin to droop, no matter what kind of tree it is. Once you get enough water to its roots, within a couple days it will perk back up but it does take a day or two. If it doesn't perk up, it's not going to make it. Dead. (notice the way the ends of the branches are all sagging, this pine didn't make it)

July 11, 2014

July 15, 2014

The best way to tell if the tree has survived the transplant and will continue to grow as it had before you dug it up is new growth. On trees with leaves it's easy to spot because the buds will burst open and turn into little reddish pink leaves, a day or two later they'll take on their proper green color and shape. It's a quick process from bud to small leaf so make sure you check on your tree everyday and remember what it looked like the day before. New buds and new leaves are what we want to see. Alive.

      If no new leaves appear it doesn't necessarily mean the tree is dead, if it has a harder time adjusting it will use all its energy to simply survive and won't produce any new growth until the next growing season. Sometimes Spring is too early, it might be a little behind the other trees so give it a chance. But if Summer hits and still nothing, it's time to call it quits. Dead. (This River Birch appeared dead until mid-June, days before I was going to dig it up. It was over a month behind the new shoots on the other trees.)

      Immediately after transplanting, the leaves or needles should look and feel like they did before you dug up the tree. If they start changing color or wilting and becoming brittle, it's a sure sign the tree didn't make it. Sometimes it can take a few days for this to happen but it means you've got a chance. What you really want to see are those leaves and needles turn a deeper shade of green and keep their soft texture. If they do it days, weeks and months after the transplant, you did it. Alive.

      If the leaves or needles turn brown or orange shortly after planting or anytime in the tree's life, it's certainly not a good thing and almost guarantees death. But, if it's only some of them, the tree can bounce back. I've done it on more than one occasion despite being told by professional gardeners it would be impossible. If you give the tree what it needs, odd are it'll survive. The problem is that trees are like infants in that they won't tell you what they want, they'll just let you know they want something. It's up to you to read the signs. Their wilted color changing leaves and needles are their way of crying. Once all of them have turned brown, give it up, it's over. Dead.

      But, this is where it can get confusing and why time and patience are necessary. Sometimes the leaves will die and fall off, some will remain attached even though they are clearly dead and look like they should be raked up in a pile and jumped into (when you were a kid, you of course have no desire to do that now). This is because the tree is using all the water and nutrients to heal itself after the move and it can no longer sustain its leaves. However, if you managed to keep enough of its root system and it gets enough water, new leaves may sprout up even though its old batch are dead. So keep watering them even when you think it might be too late. Trees are resilient. You just have to give them a chance.

Tricking Japanese Beetles

      They swarm in and eat the leaves of your trees, leaving only the skeleton. Sometimes they eat the buds and fruits as well. As if its not bad enough watching them gnaw through your leaves, it's even more disturbing to watch them hump one another on them, getting ready for their babies to do it all again next year.

      Unfortunately there's not much we can do about them. They're so stupid they can't even fly into the Japanese Beetle traps properly. Stupid, slow, clumsy. But, we can use their stupidity to our advantage. Now I've tried telling people about this method but they look at me like I have two heads. Something I've learned over the years is that people don't like anything unconventional. They want to do what they're told to do, what they're told is right, what they're told will work. And then we all do it because everyone else does it and anything else is just weird.

      Well, if you're reading this blog hopefully it means you're ready to try something else. Try it my way. Give those dumb beetles and your fellow gardeners the finger and try this.

      Keep in mind, Japanese Beetles are pretty stupid. They want the biggest juiciest leaves to eat. They're probably better for getting their groove on too. What plants have the biggest juiciest leaves? Well weeds of course. So instead of yanking them out, try leaving a few around the trees you're trying to protect. Unsightly? Yes. They'll get even uglier after the beetles eat them. But, they'll eat those instead of your trees. Don't believe me? A picture speaks a thousand words.

      Notice the perfect green untouched leaves of the grapevine on the right. Then on the left, a nice big ol' weed. They're eating it, fornicating on it and, well, excrementing on it. All that greenery has to go somewhere I guess. So much for not shitting where you eat. This is my third year growing grapes, and third year the Japanese Beetles haven't touched a single one of them. Last year I only left one huge weed like the one you see here and that was enough but this year there seem to be a lot more beetles. So I left quite a few weeds, at least one near every plant.

      Not only do they love grapevines, they also love Maple trees. One of the trees we transplanted this year just so happens to be a Maple, although I've read bad things about them and might pull it up before it causes any damage. But for now while I'm deciding, I want to keep it safe. So I left a couple big weeds next to it and they're doing the trick as well. The beetles all go straight for it, leaving the tree alone completely. They seem to like thicker more luscious leaves and weeds always have the best. I've seen a few make their way onto the Maple leaves but I just flick them off whenever I notice and they haven't caused any damage to any of my trees yet. The weeds are ugly, but my untouched trees are prettier. Good luck with your sprays and traps that attract more of them than they kill, I'll stick with watering my weeds. Don't let these dumb bugs outsmart you, its just embarrassing.

Oh yeah, and it's free.

Zombie Tree

      They say to transplant a tree it needs to be healthy. The shock of the move itself is hard enough on the tree's roots that you need to find one that's in great shape so it can actually survive the demanding process. A lot of what I read about planting trees doesn't seem to be true, at least not in my experience. So I decided to give it a try.

      We found a small tree, some kind of Oak I believe, probably a first year judging by its size, it was right near the area where we dug up six other trees that we transplanted together in a small cluster. We decided not to add this one to the cluster because its leaves were turning yellow and dying and had spots on them. Because it was close to where we were digging, we weren't sure if we disturbed its root system so we scooped the little guy up and brought him with us. If we didn't kill it, it would have died where it was anyway, so if anything we were putting him out of his misery, assisted suicide if you will. Whatever is on its leaves wasn't on any of the surrounding tree's leaves, even the same type of tree just a foot or two away that we took for our new cluster of trees. So we planted him a few feet away from the cluster and watered him like all of our other new trees.

      It's been a month now, almost exactly as we transplanted him on June 13. Not only has the tree not died, it has new shoots and brand new leaves that do not have the fungus present on the older leaves. The camera had too much trouble focusing on them but in the center of the tree, you can easily make out one of the three new leaves (it's pointing downward and slightly to the left). No special treatment was necessary, we didn't even mulch around it like we did the others, thinking it would be a waste of time and mulch. The soil was horrible, you can clearly see the rocks, especially in the picture above. When we moved in the log a week ago and laid some leaves and pine needles around it, we put a thin layer around the small tree and dropped a rock there to make the dying tree easier to spot so we wouldn't accidentally step on it.

      Turns out the dying tree came back to life, making it a zombie tree. Not only does it have new shoots and leaves, its existing leaves actually grew in size and regained some of their appropriate green color, losing some of the yellow sickly shade they'd taken on when we found it. The fungus is still there but the tree is very much alive and doing well. I think its small size helped it adapt to its new home since we didn't lose any of its roots in transplanting it. Now that it has a name and heroic story, he'll be well taken care of and with any luck the fungus will be gone next year when new leaves grow.

      This goes to show that a lot of the information out there on this subject is incorrect. We're told something is a fact and we believe it because it makes sense. The truth is, nature is a miracle in itself. I mean, trees grow out of cracks in boulders in the harshest environments where the soil is so thin you can scrape it off with your fingernail. Its not a rare occurrence, trees growing in the craziest places are a dime a dozen, you just have to open you eyes to it. So who are we to say what they're capable of? Don't count your plant life out, they're capable of amazing things. Sometimes you just need to give them a chance.

New Forest Floor

      We got the first large log for the forest today and decided to start a new section of the forest floor. You see, when you go into the woods, there's no grass. Obviously a number of reasons cause this, number one being that there's no sunlight because the trees block it. Our trees aren't big enough to cast shade yet, it'll be quite a while. The other main reason there's no grass is because the leaves and pine needles make a thick blanket that grass and many weeds can't grow through. Since the trees in our forest only have a handful of leaves to drop, they won't be creating a carpet any time soon. So again, we figured we'd help it along.

      Last summer marked the beginning of our faux forest floor. It consisted of orange pine needles with a few sticks and old pine cones to give it a realistic feel. Overall the look was spectacular and it gave the impression of being a real forest. The majority of our trees are pine so it seemed only natural to have fallen pine needles everywhere. But, we knew that weeds would burst through. We did not however realize how quickly they would rear their ugly little heads. And I mean ugly, one of these things looks like a cactus with prickers that poke right through heavy duty gloves.

      So we picked up the needles, put them aside and fought back. The first plan was to use landscaping fabric. Yeah, no, waste of money. You see, that's why I don't put any money into the forest, go natural, it's cheaper. Well, almost natural, we used cardboard and newspaper. It did the trick. A few layers of newspaper, a layer of corrugated cardboard on top of that, then the dead pine needles to give it some natural beauty. It stopped almost all of the weeds, for the Summer and Fall. Then Spring came around and the weeds popped right up through the softened cardboard like it wasn't even there. Albeit not as many, but a lot of them. The only downside was that it didn't feel natural walking on the cardboard covered ground. It looked like a real forest but it didn't feel like one. The needles were authentic, even the snapping of tiny twigs beneath my feet, but the cardboard never felt like real ground, no matter how much it rained.

      This year we're trying it without the cardboard. The plan is to simply make it a much thicker layer of ground cover. This year we're also adding a lot of leaves to the mix. With some of our most successful transplants being leafy trees, we decided to adapt our forest floor to its surroundings. So we loaded up a couple bucket loads of leaves, pine needles, sticks and pine cones from the woods out back and dumped them in the yard, mostly beneath the new log. It's amazing how little a couple five gallon buckets will get you. We knew this from last year but it's always a disappointment. The rain prevented us from going back for a second trip so right now the tiny area we covered is only about two inches thick, half of what we're going for this year. But we'll see how it fares without a lower layer to block the weeds.

The Hunt For The Perfect Log

      Well today was a washout so no trip to the top of Cadillac Mountain to see the Bar Harbor fireworks like we'd planned. But a little rain has never stopped me and my right hand man Miles from doing a little foresting. Yeah, we're rugged men, we don't garden, we forest. Okay so we're not all that rugged but we can be when we want to be. So today we started a new part of the forest, well a new idea, it's too small of a space to actually start new sections. We began logging.

      No, not that kind of logging, we're not cutting trees down, we find ones that have already fallen. Why, you might ask. To bring to our forest of course. All forests have fallen trees, they're actually a crucial part of any wooded environment. Of course it's not a wooded environment yet but we wanted logs in it anyway, get a head start. Not only do they look good, especially ours which is a ten foot long birch trunk, but it serves a purpose as well.

      We want chipmunks. I know I know, most people want to get rid of the little pests but our forest needs animals. Sure, our tallest tree is only as tall as we are, but we want to attract animals. It turns out chipmunks don't live in trees, they dig little holes in the ground and hang out in hollow logs. So bring in the hollow logs.

      We took a walk through the woods behind the trailer park where most of our forest comes from on the search for some good logs. We wanted a longer one, at least five feet, but nothing more than twenty because, well because that's about the size of our forest space. We also didn't want one that was too old and rotted out, plus it had to be thick enough for animals to call it home. All of the really good ones were too big, like waaayyy too big, 30' long, a few feet in diameter, and a lot of them already had animal holes in them that we didn't want to disturb.

      It was on a steep hillside beside a spring that we found the perfect birch log, exactly what we were looking for. Together we carried it down the slippery hillside which luckily wasn't too long and Miles decided he wanted to carry it back home over his shoulder to get started on his new resolution to work out. He did it too, not bad considering its ten feet long and nearly a hundred pounds. So I brought back a smaller log and some rocks we picked up along the way because we always pick up rocks along the way, and not the little rocks you can put in your pocket either. We get lots of strange stares but whatever, they're just jealous because their yards are normal and boring.

      And here's the birch log in its new home, waiting for some lucky chipmunk or bunny to find it.

The Forest Begins

      Two years ago, almost to the day, I decided to embark on a new journey, something I'd never done before or even really heard of. I decided the overgrown patch of weeds we called a backyard in our trailer park needed to be converted into woods. Sure, a garden might have been easier, even laying grass seed and mowing it every week would have been easier, but it wouldn't be a forest. I wanted trees, shade, leaves, pine needles, rocks, logs, birds and furry critters scurrying about.

       The soil is awful, not only clay based but full of gravel and old chunks of tar. The trailer park got lazy by the time they got to our section which meant no top soil, no grass, no trees or shrubs, just wide open space between our little mobile homes. When we moved in, ours was the last trailer before a cleared out field that would eventually be filled in with a road and homes. Not even a single bush between them. This meant for years there has been no wildlife, nothing to break the wind in winter or shade the yard in the summer. I wanted to change that.

      The problem was that when I started this daunting task, I didn't have any money to buy trees or any clue how to plant them. So I told myself I'd do it for free, or at least pretty close to it. Now, two years later, I've managed to do it. Obviously it's not a real forest yet, they take a long time to grow, but it's on its way and growing successfully. No money. No experience. Here's how its done.