Landscaping/Gardening Thread.

[rohara66]

Originally Posted by CroFlames

Yeah but mixing concrete is a beech. And messy.

I wouldn't say its that messy.... mixing with a shovel is a decent workout though yea.

We made ours a little more soupy for easier mixing and less violent pouring. Took longer to set but way easier to work with.

[Engine09]

Originally Posted by Madman

Yeah, those Kijiji ads are all going to be from resellers.

Buy it directly from the farms and it's cut fresh, not days-old cooked rolls.

I've used Chinook Sod Farm several times and its always great sod.

http://www.chinooksodfarms.com/

Good enough for me, I'll buy straight from Manderley, Eagle Lake or Chinook. I've spent hours moving dirt and prepping the area, not going to cheap out and risk getting dried out sod.

Thanks.

So far I have Manderley at $1,044 and Eagle Lake at $925 delivery in.

[Brendone]

We have a mix of Chinook and Eagle lake on our property. Our landscaper used Chinook and the sections we did ourselves were Eagle Lake (delivered). Both have done well, but the Eagle Lake has a deeper green and seems a little more resilient. Grows faster in the spring and goes dormant later in the dry summers.

[Fuzz]

The prep is about 95% of the hard work on this stuff. Geez! So much stuff to move around! Had the bricks and sand part done in about 5 hours. I still need to rent a plate compactor and do the final jointing sand run, but mostly there! Think it turned out pretty good for an amateur! Now for the landscaping....

[puffnstuff]

I need to refinish a couple of wood Adirondack style chairs. They are sanded down now, just wondered what people have done thats worked. Maybe seal them? Then paint or stain? Something that will last, protect the wood from the elements as much as possible and wont just flake off.

[InglewoodFan]

Originally Posted by puffnstuff

I need to refinish a couple of wood Adirondack style chairs. They are sanded down now, just wondered what people have done thats worked. Maybe seal them? Then paint or stain? Something that will last, protect the wood from the elements as much as possible and wont just flake off.

I've got two brand new white pine Adirondack chairs I built, and I am finishing them with three coats of Minwax Helmsman. Sanding in between coats. I'm by no means an experienced wood guy but I asked a few guys I know who are and that is what they recommended.

[Fuzz]

No wonder I am so sore...did the math from the past 4 days. Moved over 7000lb of road crush and 3000lb of brick. Plus probably another 3000lb of clay I dug out. Kudos to the guys who do this for a living. Tough stuff for an office guy!

[stampsx2]

Can anyone recommend a good pine tree for Calgary. I'm looking for any pine tree that doesn't dry out easy and is easy to maintain. But not with crazy roots that take over everything a do a lot of damage.

[calgarygeologist]

Originally Posted by stampsx2

Can anyone recommend a good pine tree for Calgary. I'm looking for any pine tree that doesn't dry out easy and is easy to maintain. But not with crazy roots that take over everything a do a lot of damage.

I'm not a tree expert but I think that all pine trees have extensive, invasive root systems. They are a pain to deal with. We had a ~60 foot spruce taken down in our yard but we still have a massive root system at the surface or just slightly below the surface where the tree was. It makes digging up the area in order to fix it up impossible.

Speaking of trees, I can't believe how much of a price difference there exists between nurseries/garden centres and Costco. I went to a garden centre on the weekend in order to find a couple of columnars to create some privacy between ourselves and the neighbour. The ones that I liked at the garden were almost $150 per tree while at Costco the same thing was $33. They were pretty much the same height so I'm assuming they were the same age. I'm glad I checked Costco because now I have a lot of extra beer money.

[Slava]

On the sod topic from a little earlier, I have a spot I need to sod that is roughly 100 sq ft. Is there somewhere I can just buy roughly that amount, and where? Burnco? Basically I moved a shed and just need to sod where that was.

[Madman]

Home Depot typically has rolls at their garden centers.

[octothorp]

Originally Posted by Kryzsky

I was guessing the Kijiji ads are landscaping companies that will buy and deliver. Should have thought to go to the source, will call Manderley and Eagle Lake on Monday.

Thanks!

Does Eagle Lake still sell directly to customers? I thought I had seen that they had switched to a wholesale-only model?

[Engine09]

I called Eagle Lake just yesterday and they gave me a price.

54 cents/sq. foot, delivery in.

[Engine09]

Chinook has the best price so far at 38 cents/sq. foot including delivery. Was planning to go with them until I read this, have to think on it now.

Originally Posted by Brendone

We have a mix of Chinook and Eagle lake on our property. Our landscaper used Chinook and the sections we did ourselves were Eagle Lake (delivered). Both have done well, but the Eagle Lake has a deeper green and seems a little more resilient. Grows faster in the spring and goes dormant later in the dry summers.

[moncton golden flames]

calgary sod masters does 35c sq ft

[Engine09]

Does anyone know where Sod masters get their sod from?

I've called 3 times this morning and once during lunch, no answer.

[Lubicon]

Originally Posted by stampsx2

Can anyone recommend a good pine tree for Calgary. I'm looking for any pine tree that doesn't dry out easy and is easy to maintain. But not with crazy roots that take over everything a do a lot of damage.

We have a mountain pine in our backyard. Doesn't shed too many needles and the roots have not been an issue at all so far. We planted it about 15 years ago and they don't grow terribly fast but it is nice looking. I like it way better than a spruce tree.

[Madman]

Call one of the nurseries and see if they supply them.

At Calgary Sod Masters our sod is always 100% Kentucky Bluegrass and is purchased from a single nursery ensuring that the same high standard of grass used is consistent for each job completed.

[Shazam]

Originally Posted by stampsx2

Can anyone recommend a good pine tree for Calgary. I'm looking for any pine tree that doesn't dry out easy and is easy to maintain. But not with crazy roots that take over everything a do a lot of damage.

Pine or spruce? They're two different trees.

For pine I really like the Scotch Sentinel because it grows very upright and narrow. Lodgepole pine is what grows in very poor soil in Alberta, but it gets very wide.

For spruce I like the Bakeri and Hoopsii cultivars. They stay relatively narrow and are very blue.

Just avoid the regular Colorado Spruce and Jack Pine, those are the ones that get huge and wide.

[taco.vidal]

Choice of sizing depends on the space you are trying to fill. Proportionality is important so a "huge and wide" tree is appropriate in some circumstances.

Originally Posted by Shazam

Pine or spruce? They're two different trees.

For pine I really like the Scotch Sentinel because it grows very upright and narrow. Lodgepole pine is what grows in very poor soil in Alberta, but it gets very wide.

For spruce I like the Bakeri and Hoopsii cultivars. They stay relatively narrow and are very blue.

Just avoid the regular Colorado Spruce and Jack Pine, those are the ones that get huge and wide.