Step By Step - Review Lesson
Last week we finished our article on how I was planning to make my pathway. Of course, in the real world (not like this typed article), life would be very different. The day that I begin to dig the pathway, I would encounter so many rocks that I would call Copeland Paving to come in and remove them all. (Heck, who needs logging when I could have my own private rock quarry?) So, what does one really do when one encounters tough situations in planning and building their pathway? (You get smart and tell other people how to do it, writing articles in the local newspaper, making yourself look like an expert, and then you encourage them to come out to your own home and learn from letting you teach them-"Brick Laying and Landscaping Seminar 101" -after you prepare the ground, of course: Hey, everyone's got a dream!)
No, there are really other options available to you and I, when we encounter problems. How we deal with them requires imagination and a spouse that is sometimes willing to turn a blind eye.
Okay, you begin digging the pathway, ground up, getting your base all ready, when all of a sudden, you hit a rock the size of Everest! What do you do? Now think very carefully here... OF COURSE! You're going to leave the rock exactly where it is, because there is absolutely no way to move it. Simple. But what does that do to your pathway? Unless you're in a really tight area, absolutely nothing. Why? Remember, I talked about planning, design and theme? What is the theme of your landscaping, and what is the purpose of your pathway? The odds are very good that all you need to do is to make that into a gently curved section of your pathway. So move away from the immovable object as far as you can, and make that a gentle curve. But you should put something there to explain the reason for this curve. Plant a bush that requires shallow root growth, or place a little engraved stone that says, "The only good cat is a flat cat!" Remember, curves help give the landscaping pleasure and character, so plan on using them.
What about other obstacles? How about the accumulation of rock that you get during the excavation. Well, stack them to one side, because you're going to learn how to dry stack mortar stone walls in the future. You've heard me say it before, my wife and I have over ninety feet of walls, averaging three-to three-and-a-half feet in height, made from rocks that we dug up in the process of planting and putting in pathways, and I have a stockpile of them that just won't quit. The lesson here? Plan for the future-by knowing now what you want done!
Here is the key lesson I wish you to know: Realistically look at the total situation you are going to face. Are you working in rocky ground? Or is this going to be a cakewalk, because you are going to haul in all of your topsoil and gravel. In reality, you are going to face problems, so have Plan Two ready. For example, we like to have a bit of formality at our home, and we tried to incorporate it, but with the rocks and the difficulty in preparing the ground and planting, and more rock, we eventually made it into an East Coast look, or at least I think it looks that way. (My better half just shakes her head and wonders where I really came from at those times.) The result is that we have a landscaping theme that still fits the original plan, and yet, even though it is changed, it still accommodates the theme. How can you do this? Come into our office and talk to one of the sales staff, and they will show you different products and applications. Research all of the product options that are open to you, and don't just lock yourself into only one idea. Let us show you what you can do by combining brick and stepping-stones, or slate and brick, or slate and natural ground covers. There is a world of opportunity for you to select from and Cascade Block offers them all to you. This is why Cascade Block is really "Your Natural Resource!"
Well, I gotta' go, so until next week, see ya'!
Originally published in the Daily Courier May 18, 2000