Tons of Fun

We are back working at the log cabin on five acres where we worked last year. I hired three new people this week and the open acreage is excellent training ground to learn equipment operation and learn a variety of new skills. As I have often said we love the repeat customers and work just as happily on a three year plan as we do on a full blown installation. It is fun to watch the hardscape fill in and to help the client visualize their dreams.

One of this years projects is a vegetable garden since the clients are now living there full time and will be able to benefit from the fresh produce. I patterned the garden from my own which is circular with a paver walk dissecting it, the shape and walk location make it easier to maintain with excellent reach from the walk.

To build this garden we excavated down 6" in a 22' diameter and leveled the soil. Next we built the sidewalk frame from 2x12"x12' treated lumber and fed a 3" corrugated tile into the center for power to the fountain which will be the center feature. We brought in Uncle Floyd's soil blend and tilled in an additional 60 bags of cow manure. The walk was filled partially with soil then a layer of weed barrier and finished with 5" of crushed granite that was compacted. I can't wait to sample the tomatoes from this patch of heaven.

We are building a sidewalk that connects the barn car park, a set of steps leading from the garage and the potting shed, a 24' diameter seating ring with a interior 8' fire pit will provide a welcome spot for warmth on chilly fall nights. Again we excavated 6" down, fine tuned the edges by hand, laid down weed barrier, installed 3" of crushed granite, lined the edges with 8-10" glacial stone collected on site then added another 3" of granite before compacting the entire area.

To complete the fire pit we will mortar hand fit stone into the larger gaps of the boulders and install a 8' steel fire ring. Eventually benches will be built to complete the seating area. A great place for a marshmallow roast or burning large limbs and debris.

Another large project at this site is lining all the driveway areas with custom made tan block, the block functions to separate the stone driveway from the lawn providing a neat, crisp edge. The block is manufactured by Slater Concrete in Kendallville, IN, Jeff Slater makes all types of block in his small family run factory, he is also our distributor for Paverlock. These block are 8x8x16" and weigh 72# each, there is approximately 1750 linear feet of block to lay for a total of 50 ton or over 98,500 pounds. The young new guy I hired this week is really sleeping well at night since he is humping a lot of the block.

This block is set on a six inch limestone base that is compacted with soil stabilization fabric underneath. I am hope I bid this one right because it is a very labor intensive task and rather difficult to work with the sloping lay of land.

Spring is Busting Loose

This pooch jumped in my truck when I visited a prospective client.

Talk about a change in the weather, the first two weeks I was home snow and blow but these past two have been heaven, high temperatures in the 80's nearly 90 a couple of days. Needless to say I jumped all over it and brought back 100 percent of the employees and am trying to hire at least two more. Seems the men and Theresa are glad to be off their couches although the hard work brought some sore muscle complaints. A few of the guys have already completed two full weeks of work.

We are nearly complete with our first job of the season. The job requires a diverse skill set as painting, reconstruction of the garage door and playhouse, landscaping, driveway building and even the lost art of window glazing to replace several broken single pane windows. The home made garage door was beyond simple repair to keep its operation as the original design was intended so we modified it by sawing it in half and attaching hinges so that it now swings out instead of lifting overhead.

Not to many hitches in this job except after we filled in the old steep driveway to recapture the view I thought we could use a glacial stone retaining wall on the road side, plus we had a good selection of rocks to use. The hitch is the location of the wall in relation to the county right of way set back and not being within 5 feet of the sewer lines, we had an inspection this morning and await the ruling of the county.

This is the cover plate for the old stone fireplace we are going find

a home for it in the landscaping keeping a piece of history.

The wooden staircase provides quick access to the new cottage from the lakeside log cabin which is the main residence. The cottage will be put to good use for kids and grandchildren as well as the boyscout troupe with which the homeowners are heavily involved. I am sure plenty of good times will be had on this lovely piece of earth.

The plant material, mulch and most of the stone work is complete. The new driveway and car park gets the traffic away from the main door and sets a sweet tone for the entrance. Small Canadian Hemlocks have been installed to soften the woods, add year round beauty and eventually provide greater privacy. When the lawn turns green this cottage will bath in the light of its charm.

Life of flowers

I have loved time lapsed photography since I was a kid in grade school, epecially blooming flowers and coral. My friend and mentor Lin turned me onto this video. Enjoy full screen and volume is best.

We Do It All

We have just finished the warmest winter in ten years but the horizontal snow this week and 3o mph wind gusts make it an arguable point. The 60 degree day predicted for today is really sounding good I just hate the weight of all these winter clothes. Yesterday I donned the backpack blower and removed frozen leaves from a wooded lot where they have accumulated for several years. I uncovered a garter snake in full hibernation, the snake lay on top of the leaves for ten minutes before it got enough circulation going to slither away.

Some of the many deer on our property seem to run the same route each day. A trio with two babies and a mama with a broken leg get very close to our house which really gets the dogs riled.

One of the tasks on our current job is to power wash a small garage and playhouse. The weather cooperated enough on Wednesday to get the garage finished. The garage door needs some work to make it easier to operate. The door is the design of the previous owner and is an engineering marvel all home made with a hand poured counter weight used to hold the door open. The central slide bears all the weight and the result is the door is terribly bowed. We will be trimming the door, installing new pulleys and reinforcing the glide rails.

The old steep driveway is being filled but first we removed the glacial stone that held the hill, we were surprised by the size of some of the rocks. We have used some of them already and plan to use others for a wall and rock curbing.






The well house was destined for destruction until I got to thinking a little more about it, now we are going to make a great planter out of it. Robert will power wash and once it is filled with flowers it is gonna be really sweet.

In order to build the new car park I needed to have our friendly stump grinder Gary come out and remove this three foot behemoth from the car park entrance. It is nice to start out the year with a job that has a lot of variation and too much heavy lifting.

Welcome to 2012 Landscaping Season

Transitioning from the Caribbean to northeast Indiana in February is tough, taking measurements outside is a challenge with frequent winds, freezing rain and mud. Fighting the elements trying to keep the paper dry and my self upright while wearing heavy boots, Carhart overalls, stocking cap and thick gloves is not my idea of a good time but a girls got to do what a girls got to do.
My first project this year will contribute to the delightful transformation that has already taken place on a hill over looking Crooked Lake. An outdated lake cottage on a killer piece of dirt has been replaced by this outstanding, modern, cozy retreat. The property has been in a state of neglect for several years so some much needed TLC on the nearly one acre site is long overdue.








Since there is much to do and a lot of ground to cover this project will likely occur in phases. When acquiring a new property it is advantageous if you can live and play there a bit to access your outdoor living needs over the course of time. Of course the most immediate projects such as foundation planting, parking areas, lawn and walkways should be first on your list.

Getting to know your ground whether it is 10,000 square feet or three acres is part of the landscaping adventure and process. This location has some projects that can wait and some that we are planning to fix temporarily for purely aesthetic value. It is not necessary to get it all done at once if you have patience and want to space out your expenditures. Actually we enjoy working on the multiple year projects with our clients as it gives us opportunity to watch our creations develop.
The second house on my list this year is another lake house for a Millgrove Landscaping frequent flyer. The house large and the lot is small so we will need to be especially creative in plant selection and size to nestle this new beauty seamlessly into its surroundings. We have a bit of hardscaping with rock walls, steps and walks to install as well.

St. Lucia: Segment One - Video - WCVB Boston

St. Lucia: Segment One - Video - WCVB Boston

Click on the link above and see a travel segment from WCVB television Boston that features St. Lucia and Ladera . There are three more segments available that feature all of the island. The woman speaking in the video is Holly my pal and frequent eating companion but it is really her husband Tom who is my food guru at Ladera. I miss them both and I have only been gone two weeks.

Dogging in the Snow

This is definitely not St. Lucia, I am back home (IN) and romping with Finn and Munch, who I am so glad to see. We have been enjoying morning walks, seeing deer, flocks of blackbirds, sandhill cranes, ducks and geese. This bit of snow was part of a system that could have dumped several inches but most of it went north.

Hopefully the snow will melt quickly and the wind will die down as it is time for me to get measuring and drawing for Millgrove. Starting up from winter hibernation is sometimes a slow process especially if you have to beat back the weather.

Handmade at Ladera

Victor Terrance (in video) and Eustatuce have nearly eighty combined years of wood working experience, they are the wood builders of Ladera, making furniture. door frames, doors, flooring and built ins. They use joiners, planers, table saws, jigs and sanders to achieve the fabled Ladera look.

Before leaving the shop much of the furniture and fixtures are adorned with carvings by Bonifice, who carves intricate designs into the heavily constructed pieces.

Victor was available to explain some of the wood shops functions at Ladera.

Ray's Review

It was 2008 when I first worked with Ray Butcher, the undisputed head gardener of Ladera Resort and my respect for him grows with our every encounter. The Ladera style is without mistake strictly Ray's, he loves the "jungle look" filling all spaces with color and form replicating mother nature, mixing high plants with low, red with yellow, blue with pink creating a haven for birds and guests of Ladera.

Ray loves Ladera and it is evident as he tours with guests explaining plants including folklore, medicinal purposes, food value and aesthetic beauty. He is a knowledgeable grower and designer with an incredible capacity to put in long, physical hours in the hot tropical sun, often softly singing as he goes about his daily tasks. His soft manner and sly sense of humor add to his considerable charm.

We have learned much from each other and I am proud to call him my friend and look forward to returning to Ladera and working side by side with Ray.

Above and Beyond, We Are Improving

The saplings in this photo are the lot of forty we purchased and potted up. Back in Indiana I would have had plenty of nursery buckets for the transplanting but in St. Lucia large nursery buckets are at a premium. We purchased the ten plastic ones, I managed to get 50, 3 gallon pots and we cut laundry barrels in half to complete the task.

One last task in the Botanical Garden was the completion of the steps. We recycled some concrete steppers and buttered them onto the existing stone steps. Bartholomew installed and Shawn tended the concrete. We put four stone steps in to reduce the ramp effect but my instructions lost something in the translation as the men nearly buried the stones with the road base. I dug the steps but I think we should have used bigger rocks.

The location for the new "sun" greenhouse is being excavated and perhaps installed by now. The length of the 16 x 40' house will face east. It is being professionally installed, I am back in the states (FL currently) and sure wish I could have overseen some of the greenhouse construction. It will be a stellar addition to the gardens of Ladera.

As part of the new construction at Paradise Ridge they pumped concrete from a truck for the foundation of Unit 3 and some other flat work. I have never seen such a long pipe for pumping.

The men often "chain" materials up the hill, mostly rocks or buckets of cement. The work is very labor intensive as stones are individually chipped by skilled masons.

Tree Stalking

The main reason we are stepping up the nursery production is the six showcase villas currently under construction. As they are completed landscaping will be installed, the famous Ladera look does not come easy, the "jungle look" means lots of plants per square foot and instant coverage as possible.

I was off to Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries with Stan this week to pick out trees. We got twenty 4-6' mahogany trees for 5 ec each which is about $ 1.87 US we will buying more as part of reforestation. The other 20 trees I purchased were about $ 15.00 US, they are all ornamental, flowering and mostly evergreen; cassia, black pearl, flamboyant, bauhinia, neem, cordia and powi. They were very root bound so we potted them up in an assortment of containers, Ray will pump them with fertilizer and hopefully we will gain a couple of feet by early summer. I am hot to buy an assortment of the Christmas tree palms at the Ag station, we will pot them up and treat them well by using assorted sizes we can get a lot of bang for our buck. They will be planted both singularly and in groups for greater impact.

I rode with Stan to the nursery and we stopped at Spring's Bakery in Cannaries for a loaf of Springs famous bread hot out of the oven, my oh my but it was fine. While waiting by the river I spotted this egret hunting and two local women doing their laundry which is still a common practice in some of the smaller villages.

Stan took the north road to the nursery, one I was not familiar with he jokingly called it the Babonneau Bypass, it was a scenic route and afforded a stellar view of the cruise ships in the harbor.

Getting Into The Pot

We are nearing completion for the botanical garden renovation the men have worked hard, there is no use of machinery for these men unlike my Indiana crews who are mechanized whenever possible. Logistics are tough here in order to get the large rocks we needed for edging the garden path Ray opened a hole in the fence and the men first passed them hand to hand up the hill then into a wheelbarrow pushed uphill to the desired location.

Installing the roadbase gravel meant using the old Suzuki jeep shoveling stone from a pile in the road into the jeep bed, shoveling off into a second pile which was then loaded into the wheelbarrow and dumped into place. If we had we two wheelbarrows it would have been more productive, we still need another load of stone to finish the path but it has certainly come along way.

Much of my time has been spent in plant production; sowing seeds & taking cuttings, reviewing nursery stock sources, purchasing plants for seasonal change out of our large old sugar pots and clay "face" pots, plus putting together a few new pots for our restaurant, Dashene. The sugar pots are so large and the plants so rooted that I have to stand in the pot to remove the plant.

Several hundred cuttings have been taken; red, pink and white ginger, crotons, begonias, baby blue eyes, and firecrackers plus we now have seedlings from the Mexican daisies which will soon need to be potted up. Between production and shopping for new stock I have visited several nurseries some old friends and a couple of new spots.

The government nursery at Meyers Bridge is also where Damien packs his cut flowers for shipment to the various hotels on the island. Each of the blooms more beautiful than the next, he lovingly places the flowers meticulously lining the box with paper shavings. Wow the colors, shapes and quality are amazing.