microb's blog: Forest path maintenance

Where do I start after 6 weeks.

The Shady Glen garden is almost finished. A bit more chainsaw work and then haul the trimmings to the nearby wood pile. The fun part is putting in new plants. Mendinillas, gingers, bromeliads, heliconias and bamboos. Everything looks so fresh and new it will take six months, at least to fill in.
The Giant White Butterfly Gingers that I planted as seed three years ago have finally turned mature and bloomedThey are huge. Bloom spikes are 8 to 15 inches long on 6 foot stalks. Am I in trouble or not. They are reaching out across pathways. I'm really feeling worried about whether they will take over next year.

I thought I would make a killing with these so I raised about 70 plants and stuck them in around the garden two years ago. Put them on Craigslist a couple of weeks ago and sold one for $15. Will keep trying. They go almost dormant during the winter and just when you think they have pooped out up come the new growth. Very tropical.
A few weeks ago we had a long spell of rainy weather and walking the dog in the forest twice a day resulting in some muddy stretches of pathway. Really made walking unpleasant. So on August 5th (its marked on the calender) I decided that if life was going to be pleasant I needed to do major trail maintenance. I had a small heap of gravel left from previous projects so made a promise to push one or two wheelbarrow loads each day and repair the forest trails. I started with the muddiest spots, replacing rotten path markers where needed. A week after I started I had three ton of 3/4 inch base course delivered and pressed on. All gravel has go over the bridge. Some goes on paths a short distance away, say a 2 minute push and then there is the 6 minute push out to the path extremities. After 5 weeks I could now walk the dog without slipping and sliding over mud. Of course beyond the end of the paths there are paths that have never been gravelled so now the long pushes go further. September 14th saw barrow load number 75 and the delivery of another 3 ton of gravel and so it goes on. I figure I will be doing this for about six months. A couple of loads a day so I don't bust a gut!
I must admit the result looks good and I do get help from Max






Today I started clearing and putting gravel on paths behind one of the big round ponds. The path connects the pond area to the Shady Glen garden and I don't have to go over the bridge to get there.

Last troubles, last Friday morning we woke up to find that our 12,000 gallon catchment tank had sprung a leak in it based. All the water gushed out over night, washing through our bird room. Of course our pump had no water source and the taps were dry and we could not flush or shower. So this past week has been a nightmare. Luckily, six years ago, we filled our 8 person jacuzzi tub with clean water in preparation for an approaching hurricane. The lid was closed the lid tight and did not need the water. So we have been using that for showers. Luckily we have large fish ponds and that water is used for flushing. I think we flushed one poor guppy. For more healthy water we go down to the local county tap and fill up bottles and one gallon milk bottles etc. Like living on the edge of the Amazon rain forest with no facilities.
But to make lemonade from lemons (who came up with that one) I have to thank my amazing wife for a great plant swap outing. Robin needs to use a shower wash her long hair and help came in the form of an offer from a friend who is a plant fanatic. So this past Wednesday we made a visit to the persons amazing garden. I took some Ginger plants I know she did not have and while hair washing took place I had an amazing plant collecting tour, coming home with some really nice collectibles.
Tomorrow we should get our catchment tank repaired and life will get back to normal.
Otherwise its gardening as usual. Weeding, trimming, raking bamboo leaves etc. The plants I traded with a collector in Florida last year are maturing nicely. New clumping bamboo canes are still appearing and causing excitement. I cut down two bamboo canes recently to use as path markers and they measured 68 feet when down on the ground. Some of the lengths have been laid along side the paths in really wet areas and are already showing signs of growth at the nodes. In a year or two I will have young plants to sell.

Her are some of my recent bromeliad purchases

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And some other blooms from around the garden and of course this years giant bamboo shoots

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