Cattails Gone

The pond looks totally different with the cattails gone.  A handyman named Bill came on Tuesday and spent an muggy hot morning pulling the cattails old and new ones and cleaning it all up.

Here's the pond earlier this spring with the new spikes of cattails just beginning to show.  The green spikes around the pond are water iris.

Here is the week or two before the deed was done.  See how tall the cattails have become?

Here is the pond after clean out.  Water full of the silt that got churned up.

Amazingly enough the goldfish survived.

Here's the pile of cattails in the woods edge.

The iris are now in full bloom around the pond.

I'm still drawing a blank on this plant (below).  Anyone know it's name?

Here's the pond two days later after  a good rain.  I don't know if the water will get clearer.

I know the goldfish are more visible which may mean a visit from a heron.

I couldn't have completed this job on my own.

Iris Parade 2014

Project Completion!

It sure does feel good to type that title.

With the incredible strength of Dan the project was completed this afternoon.  He surprised me last night and finished the pathways that I had not gotten to.  I was out at book club so that was quite a very nice surprise.

Today then he would fill the wheelbarrow and push it to the spot where I then could shovel the gravel out where it was needed.

We still have gravel left so it is being used to build up a berm to correct the swale along the driveway.

Here are the finished photos at dusk tonight.
[To see the Before photos go here.]

Looking out from the deck.

What's left of the 5 tons of gravel.

Dan removed our rain barrel that was rotting out.  We built a catch basin.

Standing on the wall at the end of the house.  

The stones need a good rain to wash them off.  Some were coated with clay.  They came from Southern Maryland.

Looking down from the wall I'm standing on.  

A's Garden.

Iris is in full glory.

First clematis bloom.

...............

Had to take this photo of the pond garden.

Next project is to have the cattails removed.

Muscles are stiff and sore.  But nice to have this major project completed.

Project Update #2

Spent the entire day moving gravel.  Maybe I moved 2 tons but pile still huge.  I went light at first so the first spokes of the pathways will get more once the rest has been put down.  Here are some progress shots taking over the course of today during my frequent breaks.

The patches of green are the creeping thyme patches that I want to spread.

Two spokes yet to do plus area right off the deck.

It will wait till tomorrow.

Project Update

My wonderful husband volunteered to move the flagstone.  There were some huge ones to move, too.  The pallet is emptied and gone to the woodpile for firewood.  The pathways have been laid.  Next it will be my turn to move the gravel.  It won't be that hard.  I've saved some money this way.  Besides the young man who came by this morning said he couldn't get to this project for a week.  Too long for me.

So here's the pallet this morning.

Now it's gone this evening.

Paths laid out.

Here's the first gravel in to see how it will go.

Thank you, Dan!