THE ROCK GARDEN
This project was very extensive and needed a lot of work to meet its three year completion time.
The first year on this project required the use of an excavator that was 10' wide. In three days it had cleared almost two acres and burned all the trash. The nicest logs were set aside to be cut up for firewood. I had marked all of the nicest Pseudotsuga menziesii trees to stay in place. They create an excellent setting for the garden itself. They surround it and allow the garden to be an oasis in a forest setting. I worked several days doing the finish grading with my Kubota and divided the area into a stock plant section and the rock garden area.
I then used two weeks for rock and soil work. The excavator who was working on the oriental garden returned to place about 60 tons of large granite rocks into the rock garden area and constructed a water feature from some of the specially selected pieces. I then used my Kubota and my back to place another 2o tons of granite and black basalt among the larger pieces. I was able to work with rocks of up to 300 pounds on my own. The final hardscape gives the appearance of a weathered granite hillside that has been intruded by a black igneous rock near its base.
The slope itself has an amphitheater shape with the water feature in the center. This water feature consists of a waterfall that flows into a bog garden. The bog garden drains into the peat bog at the bottom of our property.
During the fall I planted the south part of the rock garden with about 300 dwarf and miniature conifers.
The second year of work on this garden involved the planting of about 300 conifers in the north half of the rock garden and the final raking and cleaning of the soil between all of the rocks. The balance of this year was spent on the oriental garden.
The third year was used to plant about 100 dwarf, flowering perennials and alpine plants, weed and mulch the garden with a composted sewage sludge product from the City of Tacoma, and label all of the plants.
PICTURES OF THE ROCK GARDEN IN 2007
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1/29/08