MORE ON SUSTAINABLE LANDSCAPING

PILLARS ADDED TO BETH'S SUSTAINABLE LANDSCAPE

...MADE OF SMALL ROCKS AND CHICKEN WIRE

 Wednesday, 8:30 AM.  21 degrees F, wind variable from the north, light.  The sky is covered by a high overcast.  The humidity is steady at 69% and the barometer is trending up at 30.36".  It would probably be a decent morning to be out in the woods but I have an appointment in Ashland.  I haven't seen any deer on vehicles or hanging anywhere and no one I have talked to has seen much if anything. I went out for about an hour before dark yesterday afternoon, and it struck me again that I have seen no recent tracks, nor have I heard any coyotes (or wolves either, for that matter, but the two species seldom inhabit the same territory).  If I were alone in reporting the absence of deer activity I would chalk it up to being a poor hunter or hunting in the wrong territory but it seems to be the norm at least in our immediate area.  Things may be different further south around Washburn and Ashland.
   On October 25, 2013 the Almanac critiqued neighbor Beth's sustainable garden and landscape (please see).  It is an interesting landscape to me because it incorporates a lot of simple ideas to make gardening and landscaping more natural and inexpensive, using many components found on the site.  You may or may not like the esthetic effect but the process and its results are interesting and worthy of note.
   I guess she wanted to add a bit of homespun formality to her entrance drive so she created two columnar forms out of chicken wire, inserted them into holes dug to several feet in depth and filled them with small rocks raked up from her yard.  Leaving a hollow at the top she inserted  left over plastic pots and filled them with holiday greens.  Next spring she intends to fill the pots with soil and plant hen and chicks in them.  The columns are unique, sturdy and quite attractive.  Just don't back into them with that new SUV, Beth, it's not that sustainable!