Information on Landscaping

[jdc40]

Tring to find information on the internet to help me landscape my property.

[BlueRidge]

A little more information would help us help you. What's your property like? How big? What kind of look do you want to acheive? What's your budget?

[Pat]

A general idea about location, at least latitude or some climatic info might help. I did some extensive landscaping in San Diego but mostly all the plants I used are POOR choices for my current location, south central Oklahoma. Lemon tree? Bougainvilla? Orchid tree? I don't think so!

How many frost free days? Soil type(s)? Plantings or stone, paths, bridges, and other structures.

Whether or not you realize it you have asked how high is up and how long is a roll of string! Until or unless you can be more forthcoming with information there just isn't anyway to sugest for you to proceed except with caution. At this point the only thing anyone could say is, "it depends."

[img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] Pat [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[CJDave]

[img]/forums/images/icons/tongue.gif[/img] Actually, Pat, a roll of string could be weighed on a Chain-A-Matic balance and a reasonable estimate could be developed as to the number of feet on the roll based on sample weights of known lengths of string. On the other hand, the question of how high is high is so subjective that no real answer could be given. I am threfore awarding you just half of the total amount of credit; fifty out of one-hundred. [img]/forums/images/icons/crazy.gif[/img] Of course you could always appeal this ruling, but I have to warn you that the appelate court is very busy and it could take months, even years to hear the case. If I were you, I would take the fifty points. [img]/forums/images/icons/smirk.gif[/img]

[Pat]

Dave, Since no string samples were provided nor were there estimates of weight per unit length and the whole ball of string was not made available (it was in fact theoretical, a nominal representateive ball of string) there were not, actually, enough facts in evidece to make a fair estimate of length or to even parametrically approximate it in terms of other well defined data.

I sugest therefore that it is patently unfair to withold credit and one of three alternative means of determining a "grade" should be employed: 1. Give full credit since the first part was unanswerable wilth the information made available, 2. elliminate the first part from grading consideration due to the clearly evident flaws in the test criteria (in the givens) and base the results on only the second part which you have already proclaimed fully correct, thus awarding 100% for the valid portion of the question, or 3. Submit a mimimum of three candidate alternative questions designed to test the students knowlege of the subject area from which list the student will select a candidate to answer and submit as a replacement to the flawed first part.

By the way did I ever mentioin to you the many ways which, in theory, a desktop aneroid barometer could be employed to determine the height of a tall building? I'll provide just a taste...
1. You could measure the height of the barometer and then use the barometer to measure the height of the building in "barometers" and multiply the barometer count by the measured barometer height.

2. You could afix a string to the barometer and use the barometer to form a pendulum. You would them measure the period of the pendulum at the surface and again at the top of the buillding and thus measure the difference in the strength of the gravitational attraction, surface versus the building top. It is them simple Newtonion phsyics to calculate the height.

3. And finally you could go to the building superintendant and say something like, "Sir, you see this fine desktop barometer? If you but tell me the height of this building it is yours to keep."

Thre are many more ways in which, theoretically, the height of a tall building could be determined using a desktop barometer.

[img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] Pat [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[CJDave]

[img]/forums/images/icons/tongue.gif[/img] OK, we'll sift the question about the ball of string. Clearly, there are sufficient variables to render the question unanswerable. [img]/forums/images/icons/crazy.gif[/img] I've always got a kick out of the barometer story, but you have added some dimension to it. I had never heard of the pendulum thing, nor the measurement thing. It was: drop the barometer and time it to impact, and then of course altitude measurement; plus asking the super if he'd like a nice barometer. [img]/forums/images/icons/laugh.gif[/img]

[Pat]

Dave, Similar triangles: measure the height of the barometer and the length of its shadow and then measure the length of the shadow of the building and simple math gives the building height.

Egon, A couple issues: 1. What part of "IN THEORY" did you not understand? 2. I never said the barometer case was made of combustible materials so boiling water to compute altitude (as certain explorers looking for the headwaters of the Nile did) wasn't a consideration.

[img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] Pat [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[egon]

Barometer as pendulum will not give exact results. Different center of mass must be taken into account.

Maybe just boil some water! [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

Egon [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[jdc40]

Approx. 1 acre with an additional 4 acres in pasture. Has a 2 story house, unattached 2 car garage, storage shed and a barn. The land has a gradual slope and has clay type soil, with several varieties in grass. mainly elm trees. I live in south central kansas and I think we get around 30 inches of rain a year and Temp. is zone b and not sure on frost-free days. Some gardening/landscaping has been done but is rather poor. On the budget is not enough to do all that I would like to do, but around $200, not sure what i can get done with that. If you need more specifics I can try to give you more. Thanks jdc40

[Pat]

jdc40, You still need to supply more info. Now we know about what climate zone you are in. Do you want flower and planting recommendations or what? The kind of info you may be seeking about specific species is available for free from your county extension agent who is familiar with your area. You will need to be forthoming with him as regards your desires.

The most important thing at this point is not how much landscaping you can buy for $200. More important is what do you want as a finished product. You need to devise a master plan so that as time and money are available you can do things that move you toward your desired finished product in increments of implementation. Think of your total landscaping needs as a picture puzzle. As time and money are available you assemble more pieces to the puzzle. Without a master plan I have seen folks invest a lot of time and dollars only to rip a lot of the work out and redo it in some new direction when greater funding was available.

You can prioritize the various pieces of work that comprise your master plan. The master plan approach avoids "throw away" work and materials. Everything you do moves you toward your big picture goal. This is a GOOD overall philosophy.

Now for some specific recommendations: 1. If trees are a part of your overall design, plant them first so they can establish themselves and be growing over the years you take to complete the project. Non growing items like rocks, fountains, paths, masonry etc. can be delayed with little penalty since they don't grow. Larger bushes and perenials that need years of growth to mature or attain your desired size should probably be considered for after the trees are planted.

These days $200 doesn't go too far. I sugest you spend most of it on trees and a smaller part on perenial flowers or bushes. The hardest part of your landscaping task will be to produce a design. Remember to get recommendatioins from your extension agent for reputable nurseries which can also be wonderful sources of information specific to your climate zone and soil conditions and types. You will need to decide if you prefer low or no mainteneance type plantings, xeroscaping, or plantings requiring irrigation.

I have just barely begun landscaping my new house and face the same challenges as you regarding needing to produce a design that can be modularized and implemented in a stepwise fashion as time and inclination permit. So far I have been playing in the dirt. I now have most of the dirt contoured to my preference. Next comes some trees (before spring gets too far along.) I need to put in more driveways and guest parking but trees have a priority over that by a small but definite margin. I am still strugling to develop a VISION of the finished product which will be low or no maint for the most part. I have no current plans to own a lawn mower and the few acres destined to be yard will, if mowed, be mowed by a brush hog. I will use pampas grass, cane, and such for specimen plantings and rocks for visual interest. I'm sure we will end up with some flowers but I'd like to keep maint to a minimum. I wish a wider variety of cacti and suculents survived year round in our climate as I like cacti and only a few seem hardy enough.

I hope these suggestions are of a help to you. I think it entirely appropriate to "ENGINEER" a landscaping solution. The time spent in analysis, design and plant selection can easily exceed the labor hours of implementing the design. This may be a plus for you as you may have more time than $, just now. A good flexible modular design can save you a lot of time and $ over the years ahead.

Best of luck to you,

[img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] Pat [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]