This is where we are today, Tuesday. Both sides are dug and the clods broken up. They're ready for the plants coming from Michigan Bulb. I put in a couple of stepping stones, one on each side, so we don't have to step in the dirt to cross the yard or walk around to the back of the house.
Two young men came out from the nursery this morning and dug out the sad bushes that were at the foundation. Some dirt needs to be moved around a bit before anything is planted there.
You can see on the right side of this photo where some of the excess dirt from the entrance garden has been deposited. This area is very low, which I think adds to the problem of water leakage in that corner of the basement when we have torrential rains. With any luck at all, raising the ground level at the foundation and sloping it away from the house ought to reduce the leakage if not stop it entirely. There was one bush right in front of the gas meter. I had the young man dig down a little way and cut it off with a chain saw, then cover up the stump. I'm not going to do any major digging there, and I wasn't too keen on them digging out roots that may or may not have grown around the gas line.
Here's part of the area being filled in. I put in a couple of stepping stones for access to the water faucet when the ground is soggy. Some kind of bush or tree will be planted at the corner of the house to block the view of the hardware. Not sure what it will be yet.
The next thing to be done in the front yard is to move all of the dirt in the center mound. You can just make it out running parallel to the house. We rarely get water in the basement on that side, but I'm sure the fact that the ground slopes toward the house can't be good. The excess dirt from here will add some fill by the water faucet and will also fill in some low spots on the other side of the house.
You can see on the right side of this photo where some of the excess dirt from the entrance garden has been deposited. This area is very low, which I think adds to the problem of water leakage in that corner of the basement when we have torrential rains. With any luck at all, raising the ground level at the foundation and sloping it away from the house ought to reduce the leakage if not stop it entirely. There was one bush right in front of the gas meter. I had the young man dig down a little way and cut it off with a chain saw, then cover up the stump. I'm not going to do any major digging there, and I wasn't too keen on them digging out roots that may or may not have grown around the gas line.
Here's part of the area being filled in. I put in a couple of stepping stones for access to the water faucet when the ground is soggy. Some kind of bush or tree will be planted at the corner of the house to block the view of the hardware. Not sure what it will be yet.
The next thing to be done in the front yard is to move all of the dirt in the center mound. You can just make it out running parallel to the house. We rarely get water in the basement on that side, but I'm sure the fact that the ground slopes toward the house can't be good. The excess dirt from here will add some fill by the water faucet and will also fill in some low spots on the other side of the house.
Mother Nature gifted us with more rain this afternoon, so my muscles are getting a little break.
I love your picket fence! It is looking great so far- I bet you can see it finished in your mind. What an exciting adventure this will be to see it from the first picture of cleared out landscape- to the beauty I am sure it will become. Glad your muscles are getting a break!
ReplyDeleteTake care!