The Wall Part 2

In part one of this article I wrote about putting up a garden wall in this case a planter. Before I continue I would like to expand a bit on the processes involved and some of the problems.

First off the wall block used was from a big block home improvement store. The cost was about half or more of what you would pay going with a name brand material. This made the wall material very low cost. I must caution though that with this low cost there does come a price. The material offered by the premium companies are all high quality and made with more cement than what is being offered by the big box.As well the premium blocks are all quality inspected to be sure they are consistent and meet standards. The blocks were not all of consistent size some were as much as an inch or more off in size from the big box. This is were the money savings on the material may translate into a heavy cost in labor. In order to get the wall to be level many times a block that was to high had to be removed and reserved for the bottom course where it could be leveled then on other occasions a shim had to be inserted under blocks that were a bit low on the upper course. This is very time consuming and labor intensive. The wall took a lot longer because of this. Not to mention that 1/4″ or an 1/8″ can make you crazy when trying to level a 2nd course when the bottom course is completely level.Patience is the key.

Also in order to cut blocks you will need to use a brick saw it is really the only way to get a good clean cut and though the rental and cost of blade wear is expensive it is really worth it if you are looking for a nice clean fit.

STEP 3
Once your trench is dug it is time to put in our base. Add the gravel two or three inches at a time and tamp it well to compact. The base has got to be compacted well so doing it in layers or lifts as we call it helps make it tighter. Once you have the gravel level and the right height you can start laying your block. A thin layer of leveling sand helps as you can set the base course and get it completely level.

As you go a long you may find that the existing grade drops off and would leave the base exposed above grade. This is a very common problem and one that is easily fixed. When you get to that point you will need to dig your trench deeper and place a block in at the height of the base you were using. In the case of this wall we added a lower course below the first course as the grade dropped off so the height below your level line went from 19″ to 24 ” deep. !9″ was the bottom of the trench but you added a block below so you had to dig 5″ deeper to accommodate the block which allow you to continue to set your bottom course level and the new lower brick or all intents and purposes became the top of your base from that point on.

Look at the 3rd brick from the left to see an example.

STEP 4
Once you have the wall built and all courses are level it is time to finish tje wall with a cap stone.
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The only tricky part is where you go around curves but patience when you are cutting will help you get the right angle just take your time and then attach the cap stone with block wall adhesive.

All Completed

Landscape Of New Addition Under Way

The landscape material arrived late yesterday for the new addition to the building. Normally it would not be too much of a problem, but we are scheduling around the arrival of the technology equipment so we had to hurry and get the base landscape in place before the rigging crew arrived this morning to do the install. We got the tree and the shrubs in on the west side of the building before going home yesterday so we should be out of the way today for the equipment install.

The irrigation was partially destroyed in one section by the construction and also the area had changed substantially as well so the irrigation contractor was out to work on this yesterday also. We needed to move a couple of heads as well as install a couple of new lines. One of the lines the construction company had broken and repaired was all clogged up so that required cleaning as well. All And All not toobad and on schedule for the end of the week completion.

The Wall Part 1

Installing a garden wall is a task that many gardeners would like to take on . In this case the wall is actually a planter around a new construction home. The overall length is 120 feet and is comprised of wall blocks that were purchased from a big box home improvement store. The article will take you through construction from start to finish so get your shovels out and lets get started.

STEP 1

The first step is to string a line along the wall area and then pull it tight and attach a line level to get your height in this case we wanted to go 2 blocks high so we took the height of the wall block 5 inches and multiplied by two which gave us 10 inches. We then added the height of the cap stone which would go on top 3 inches so the total wall height was 13 inches. Now that we knew the height of the wall we pulled the string tight and measured up 13 inches from the existing grade and leveled the string along the whole length of the wall. We now have one more calculation and that is the wall base. We added a 6 inch base for the wall to sit on so we dug a trench the whole length of the wall and measuring down 19 inches from the sting to the bottom of the trench. This would give us a 6 inch base plus 13 inches of finished wall total 19 inches.

STEP 2

For curves you can take a garden hose to get the shape you want. The tighter the curve the smaller the blocks you will need. You can still measure off the straight .string line to get the right depth with out having to run a string line for the curve .

Dig out the trench measuring down from your string line as you go to maintain the right depth. In this case the wall block is 8″ wide so the trench should be 12″ wide to allow for a little leeway on each side of the block. Once this is completed we can move on to step 3.

Community Shuttle to UBC Botanical Garden

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Courtesy of the UBC TREK Program Centre:

TransLink's Community Shuttles are minibuses that fit well into communities, providing more service, connecting neighbourhoods and linking with the regional transit network.

"There are 3 community shuttle routes at UBC. C19 goes from Alma and Broadway along NW Marine to UBC. C20 covers destinations and residences on the west side of campus including Totem Park, the Botanical Gardens, Nitobe Gardens, the Museum of Anthropology and the Chan Centre. C22 serves residents on the east side of campus, e.g. Hampton Place and Fairview/Acadia."

To get to UBC Botanical Garden via public transit, take a bus to UBC and then board the C20, which stops outside of the Student Recreation Centre on Student Union Boulevard next to the diesel bus loop. The C20 runs throughout the day until midnight with service commencing at 7:15 am during weekdays and at 9:15 am and 10:15 am on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. Note that the bus runs every 20 minutes during most of the day so be sure to check the schedule.

BOOOTIFUL BOTANY HAUNTED HALLOWE'EN EVENT 2009

DESCRIPTION: This exciting event will begin with a self-guided trick-or-treat scavenger hunt, where children and their families work together to find a number of spooky plants in the Garden. At each stop they'll learn unusual facts about plants, while receiving Hallowe'en treats. Participants can then enjoy Hallowe'en crafts and games, and an on-site Hallowe'en exhibit by the Beaty Biodiversity Museum.

Don't forget to wear your costume!

Please Note: This event will occur rain or shine. Dogs are not permitted in UBC Botanical Garden. Garden admission for participants is by donation during the event. Please contact 604-827-4536 for more information. Pre-registration is not required and all aspects of the event are on a first-come, first-served basis. There is limited parking on-site. Additional parking may be available on Old Marine Drive or via metered parking along East Mall, in the Thunderbird Parkade and at Thunderbird Stadium.

The C20 transit shuttle runs from the campus bus-loop to the Garden, while the 41 and 49 buses stop along 16th Avenue, one block south of the Garden. For more details about transit options, including information about cycling routes, please visit Translink.

UBC Botanical Garden is a non-profit organization committed to the environment and local communities. Donations are graciously accepted so that we may continue to offer this type of programming.

Thank you to our event sponsors:

• UBC Campus and Community Planning


• UBC Botanical Garden and Centre for Plant Research


• Forstbauer Farm


• Local Autoplan Brokers

For more information please visit the following links:

• Campus Map Link


• Translink Link


• Hallowe'en Poster PDF

Update On Landscape Projects For October

Next Tuesday the plants will arrive for the new building addition. The mulch is on order and weather permitting the landscape should be completed by the end of next week.

The other project going on right now is the parking lot fence upgrade in the E lot.The fence contractor has ordered the fencing and the landscaper has the plants being shipped in so with luck work will begin next week as well. The only thing holding us up is the real estate company that is selling the townhomes next to the hospital has 3 large signs that unfortunately are right in the path of the fence line and landscape border.I have been in touch with them and they are in the process of moving them.

As an aside when this lot was sold we had a historical marker on the corner of the lot commemorating the Great Chicago Fire that we had moved and stored so that once development was done we could replace it. Now that we have reacquired the parking lot we will place the marker back where it had been moved from.

New Landscape This week

Well this week we will be installing the new landscape around the building addition. The scheduling will be kind of tight as we will need to coordinate around the contractors just finishing up. The mulch arrived late Friday afternoon and is down at the yard. Tuesday morning we will be receiving the plant material. We will need to get the west side of the building done on Tuesday because Monday evening a semi will be arriving with the linear accelerator equipment that is scheduled for installation on Wednesday and they will be staging on the west side and bring everything in so we will need to be completed by Tuesday afternoon and out of the way. The rigging crew plans to start at 7 AM on Wednesday morning.

While we are busy planting the irrigation contractor will also be there installing a new zone for around the building addition and blowing out three of the other systems and winterizing them. We will need to leave the main system on until the first or second week in November so the new plantings and the sod can get well established.

The rest of the building should be done by Thursday afternoon. It is not a huge landscape job but there will be a couple hundred perennials going in as well as a couple dozen shrubs. The pictures will go up this week as we are working on the project.

Also this week the fence for the E Parking lot and the landscape border should be starting so all in all a real rush to finish up the fall here at the urban garden.

Tree Trimming At The Urban Garden

As part of the Parking Lot Upgrade Project we decided to get the twelve Honey Locust Trees trimmed. It had been quit a few years and they were in need. Lots of dead wood and crossing branches made this a hazard waiting to happen during high winds or a storm.

As you can see there was a lot of low hanging branches and the trees are very large. Not only were the trees in a bad condition as far as their appearance it is also not good for the health of the tree.

After this tree was trimmed it made a dramatic difference in it. You can now see through the canopy and there is far less potential for storm damage.

Another big consideration was that all of these trees had grown up into the electrical lines which power the street lights . This was even more reason to have them trimmed but also added to the danger while doing the work.

You can see the electric wires just to the right of the orange pole in this picture above. This is very difficult to prune.

Working around these wires is a slow process and again very dangerous this type of work should only be attempted by well trained professionals.

Tree trimming is not for the feint of heart. You need to climb high into these trees to trim them and there really is not a whole lot of support once you get up there. Add to that the fact that you have a live chain saw strapped to your side and you can appreciate what it takes to trim trees for a living.

When the work was completed the trees were all much better looking and will have a chance to grow better next season. Compare this photo with the one at the beginning of this post and I am sure you will agree.

The Fall Season Approaches

The approach of fall is on us here at the urban garden. I like to start my fall lawn renovations by the last week of August in order to have plenty of time for new seeded lawn areas to take hold by the beginning of winter. Also I am busy with ordering bulbs for fall planting. This year we will also be doing the landscape renovation on the south parking lot. So with all that happening I am busy ordering supplies and scheduling vendors.

It may seem a bit early to be talking fall but believe me before you know it you will be wearing hoodies and sweat shirts. It is always a good idea to plan your projects ahead of time. Get all your materials and supplies on hand so that when you are ready to start you will not be delayed by late shipments or material shortages.

It never fails that something will come up just as a project is underway so be sure and plan accordingly. Giving yourself plenty of time will make sure you finish the project and your work is not rushed.

The Fall Season Approaches

The approach of fall is on us here at the urban garden. I like to start my fall lawn renovations by the last week of August in order to have plenty of time for new seeded lawn areas to take hold by the beginning of winter. Also I am busy with ordering bulbs for fall planting. This year we will also be doing the landscape renovation on the south parking lot. So with all that happening I am busy ordering supplies and scheduling vendors.

It may seem a bit early to be talking fall but believe me before you know it you will be wearing hoodies and sweat shirts. It is always a good idea to plan your projects ahead of time. Get all your materials and supplies on hand so that when you are ready to start you will not be delayed by late shipments or material shortages.

It never fails that something will come up just as a project is underway so be sure and plan accordingly. Giving yourself plenty of time will make sure you finish the project and your work is not rushed.