New planter started today.

Ste

Re: New planter started today.

Post by Ste »

karl66 wrote:Ste, your a workaholic like me!!. It will drive you nuts now waiting for the soil to be delivered :lol:
I'd hardly use the word 'workaholic' :lol: I absolutley hate work, always wish for rain so we can be rained off but when its working at home for something I want, its a different story then. I even set up halogen lights so I can work in the dark :lol: Yes its annoying that I cant get the soil until January but ive got other bits to be going on with like building the wall and cutting all the stone for the pillars.
Ste

Re: New planter started today.

Post by Ste »

Thank god everything's back to normal tomorrow. I can actually order the rest of the materials to finish this job off, its seemed to drag as most places were closed over xmas and new year. I finished off the few bits of decking and built the wall down the side and I got the 10 spotlights all drilled through the top of the planter and wired up today. I'm quite impressed how the lights look. Everything else has been on hold, I cant render the wall until the pillars are built and even though jewsons was open during the holidays, they only stock the tumbled 'marshall' stone but it looks cheap and I prefer the pitched face 'marshall' stone but that has to be ordered in. Travis Perkins (broomby's) stock it but has been closed all holiday.
I will also order 2 ton of top soil tomorrow aswell. It should be ok filling the planter with top soil shouldn't it? Planting straight into that rather than compost?
Had a bit of a rubbish start to the new year. Got a phone call yesterday morning saying I have lost my job :ahhh!: Bit of a long story but basically my boss (my uncle) who I have worked for, for 13 years (started when I was 14, im now 27) well his 2 daughters who are my cousins had a fall out back in March with a couple on my street who i'm and the whole family are friends with. I went out on new years eve with these friends and pictures were taken and put on facebook and next morning had that phone call saying I shouldn't be friends with them and going out for drinks with them, I should be loyal to my cousins and not speak to them so for that my job has finished. I wouldn't mind but its my 2 cousins that are mouthing off and giving my friends loads of s**t.
Maybe its for the best, I dont want to have a boss who will threaten to sack me depending on who I want to be friends with. Thats not right.
Anyway, spoke to my uncles mate who's also a builder - I always go and work with him when my uncle goes on holiday and he said its pathetic and reckons I can go and start with them on Wednesday. Wages with him are an extra £6 per hour aswell so quite a bit extra at the end of each week. My dad has also said I can get a start with the company he works for on the railway which is excellent money but horrible hours, I wouldn't get much time in the garden at all and would be gutted.
GoggleboxUK

Re: New planter started today.

Post by GoggleboxUK »

Jeez, sounds like a right pain to be caught in the middle of that. Seems odd they should spout family loyalty then sack one of their own, how hypocritical is that? You're well out of it if that's how they work.

I can't see why planting into topsoil would be a problem for your new planter but I'd put about a foot of 50/50 soil/pea gravel above your base of pure gravel just to help it drain a bit quicker as you're planting this late and don't want the roots sitting in wet soil.

Looking forward to seeing the pics of your lighting, day and night photos please.

;)
Ste

Re: New planter started today.

Post by Ste »

I know Rick but like you say, i'm better off out of it if thats how they want to be. 13 years working for them, helping out with anything when ever they ask, going on quite a few holidays abroad with them.......... It has been good but only if they realised the trouble their 2 kids are causing when they go out........ No one would be in this situation now. Like I say, none of us have done anything and were not being blamed for anything apart from being friends with the 2 people their daughters have fallen out with, hardly crime of the century and not worth losing friendship or work over but s**t happens.
Ste

Re: New planter started today.

Post by Ste »

GoggleboxUK wrote:I can't see why planting into topsoil would be a problem for your new planter but I'd put about a foot of 50/50 soil/pea gravel above your base of pure gravel just to help it drain a bit quicker as you're planting this late and don't want the roots sitting in wet soil.

Looking forward to seeing the pics of your lighting, day and night photos please.

;)
I ordered 2 ton bags of topsoil today. £78 :ahhh!: what a rip off, its a lot cheaper to get it loose on a pick up but theres nowhere to tip it. I will be mixing gravel through the whole 2 ton of top soil anyway for drainage. I'm not planting anything until spring/summer time anyway.
Picking up the stone tomorrow so I can crack on and get the pillars built on the walls.
Waited until it was dark to take a pic with the lights on and cant really see them that much as the flash was on so turned the flash off, picture quality is not as good without the flash but you can get the general idea of how it looks.
Attachments
pillar started [111].JPG
wall 1 [111].JPG
wall 2 [111].JPG
new planter 20 [111].JPG
new planter 21 [111].JPG
new planter 22 [111].JPG
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The Codfather
Posts: 6436
Joined: Tue Sep 07, 2010 6:02 pm
Location: Darlington, C.O. Durham

Re: New planter started today.

Post by The Codfather »

Thats cool
AKA - Martin

Wish list - Big Palms or Dicksonia antarctica's but open to anything really.....Cash Waiting !
GoggleboxUK

Re: New planter started today.

Post by GoggleboxUK »

Love it! Looks fantastic Ste, great work!

icon_thumright
bobbyd44

Re: New planter started today.

Post by bobbyd44 »

looking great.. next summer cant come soon enough i bet!!
Ste

Re: New planter started today.

Post by Ste »

I turned all the other spotlights on before round the big planter and it looks alright with everything on. Still got a bit of work to do yet. Build the 4 pillars, put the copings on, scratchcoat the wall, smooth render the wall, paint it, clear everything from the decking area, clean it all with decking cleaner, protect it all with decking protector, get everything back in then it should almost be time to start planting things back out, sit in the garden with a beer or 20, relax and enjoy icon_thumleft
Mr List

Re: New planter started today.

Post by Mr List »

are you going to clad the new wall?
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The Codfather
Posts: 6436
Joined: Tue Sep 07, 2010 6:02 pm
Location: Darlington, C.O. Durham

Re: New planter started today.

Post by The Codfather »

Ste wrote:I turned all the other spotlights on before round the big planter and it looks alright with everything on. Still got a bit of work to do yet. Build the 4 pillars, put the copings on, scratchcoat the wall, smooth render the wall, paint it, clear everything from the decking area, clean it all with decking cleaner, protect it all with decking protector, get everything back in then it should almost be time to start planting things back out, sit in the garden with a beer or 20, relax and enjoy icon_thumleft
Render it....
AKA - Martin

Wish list - Big Palms or Dicksonia antarctica's but open to anything really.....Cash Waiting !
Ste

Re: New planter started today.

Post by Ste »

Mr List wrote:are you going to clad the new wall?
Like coddy says, smooth render it then paint it with plyolite
Daniel

Re: New planter started today.

Post by Daniel »

Ste, it looks great. I love the blue lighting.

Have you considered putting any supplimentary heat source into the soil bed to ensure that you don't get any problems with frozen roots in future. Now is the perfect time to put something in before you fill it with soil if you think it may need any extra heat especially as it is above ground level. Obviously it depends on what you are thinking of planting in there.

Hope you don't mind me making this suggestion, just that it screamed out to me the minute I saw it that you have the perfect opportunity to give some enhanced heat if ever you should need it. Whether that is in the Summer to boost growth or the Winter to protect the roots.
Ste

Re: New planter started today.

Post by Ste »

Daniel wrote:Ste, it looks great. I love the blue lighting.

Have you considered putting any supplimentary heat source into the soil bed to ensure that you don't get any problems with frozen roots in future. Now is the perfect time to put something in before you fill it with soil if you think it may need any extra heat especially as it is above ground level. Obviously it depends on what you are thinking of planting in there.

Hope you don't mind me making this suggestion, just that it screamed out to me the minute I saw it that you have the perfect opportunity to give some enhanced heat if ever you should need it. Whether that is in the Summer to boost growth or the Winter to protect the roots.
I dont mind at all Daniel, thats what this forum's all about. People giving advice and thier opinions and trying to help others. Its a good idea, something to think about. It never sprung to my mind if im being honest. I dont really know how I could heat this icon_scratch I do have some 50mm jablite (polystyrene sheets) which could be placed against the walls inside before filling with soil but I wouldn't be able to cover the top, not once some palms and stuff is in there. From what I can gather off this forum, some sort of shelter would be better to keep the rain/wet off the soil. The palms should be able to take quite a bit of cold as long as they are dry
Troppoz

Re: New planter started today.

Post by Troppoz »

Looks good Ste, I quite like the blue light.
Last edited by Troppoz on Wed Jan 04, 2012 8:20 am, edited 1 time in total.
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