I’ve started this blog to chronicle garden projects that either I am personally involved in or that I admire. For a little background, my name is Bernard and I live in Southern California. I garden for the simple reason that it allows me to focus entirely on something that’s outside the boundaries of my careerContinue reading “My Japanese Garden Project”
Monthly Archives: July 2014
Step One – Clearing
The area I have to work with for my Japanese Garden is rectangular in size. The area borders the side of my home from the front of the house to the very back. The area is wider from the front of the house to about half way back, due to the back part of theContinue reading “Step One – Clearing”
Step Two – Fence Posts
With any project, you start realizing that it’s never as easy as you first think and generally what looks like a little problem ends up bigger and more expensive to solve than you originally envisioned. In this particular case, I needed to remove 3 fence posts that were originally installed when we first move intoContinue reading “Step Two – Fence Posts”
Step Three – Sprinkler Value Upgrade
Day 3 of my Southern California Japanese Garden Project was dedicated to upgrading the current Sprinkler Values. I should point out that these days are generally separated by weekends and in some cases multiple weekends, they just reflect project days. I have 3 sets of sprinkler values in my yard, each assigned to a separateContinue reading “Step Three – Sprinkler Value Upgrade”
Step 4 – Fence Remove and Replacement
The fence was originally installed using the existing chain link posts with 2×4 wood beams attached horizontally between the posts with the individual redwood planks nailed onto the 2x4s. The first step in replacing was removing the existing fence which was easily handled with a rubber mallet to remove the planks and then my MakitaContinue reading “Step 4 – Fence Remove and Replacement”
Step Five – Rain Gutter
Due to the pitch of my roof and our previous room addition, a good deal of rain water is expelled from my roof into a key area of my planned Japanese Garden. The water, which is running over roof tiles seems to develop a level of toxicity which is harmful to my potted plants. I witnessed thisContinue reading “Step Five – Rain Gutter”
Step 6 – French Drain & Dry Well
The Second part of Rain Gutter project was to divert the run off from the roof to an area where it would be less disruptive to my Japanese Garden. To complete this project, I decided to dig a trench from the end spout of the Rain gutter across my garden and install a french drain.Continue reading “Step 6 – French Drain & Dry Well”
Step 7 – Bamboo Fence
When I initially started my Japanese Garden project, I wasn’t sure if I was going to incorporate fencing or simply utilize plants and trees to provide something interesting to liven up the existing block wall that borders my side yard from my neighbor’s driveway. After seeing the frequent use of bamboo in the Japanese gardensContinue reading “Step 7 – Bamboo Fence”
Step 8 – Deck
When envisioning my garden, I wanted to be sure to incorporate a sitting area. Some early ideas included a table and chairs in the center of the garden and/or a bench area. After seeing some interesting wooden deck photos, Â I decided to utilize the very back of my garden to create a small deck whichContinue reading “Step 8 – Deck”
Step 9 – Water Basin
One of the key elements of many Japanese Gardens is the water basin. From my research, I have come to understand that the water basin has the very practical application of providing a Tea House visitor with a means of cleansing oneself prior to entering the tea house. While visiting several temples in Japan, IContinue reading “Step 9 – Water Basin”
GARDEN BEAUTIFUL 