Steve Snedeker’s Landscaping and Gardening Blog

I’m making a prolonged stab at writing a book. I was approached to put something together for my old high school coach, Jack Hicks (who I featured right here in this Blog, click here for the link to it) and I may very well proceed with that, even congruently with the current project. I have a respect for Jack and for sports in general – and even for my sports-mad former hometown of Owensboro, Kentucky – which are somewhere outside the average envelope.

I have recently felt a bit of a ‘higher calling’ in a sense, in choosing to write on another subject – landscaping – about which I am so familiar. I will write to explain its ups and downs, ins and outs and to present the trade itself in as honest a picture as I can draw. I do it for a variety of reasons, among which are to present this interesting trade to young people who might consider it as a trade and career option. I hope it gets some attention because I do believe what i can offer is a sort of blueprint of expectations in as many ways as I am allowed to present.

Like anything, we gain most from the people we associate with. I believe it was Will Rogers who said “the best way to become smart is to hang out with smarter people.” This has been my way and I have to suspect it will never change. The one way in which I do feel quite intelligent is in dealing with the entire concept of “work”. In the end, development in any trade requires the application of energy and the absorption of the lessons from our everyday experiences. The slow curing of a landscaper encompasses so many various trades and weirdly-connected abilities, it’s nearly mind-boggling in its entirety. But, above all, hard work is what one takes from this field, no matter what level one eventually reaches.

So, in this particular edition of philosophizing, there’s really nothing fancy here. This is about work. It’a about our perceptions of work and how we value it. If I never contributed anything else in this life, my body of work and my relationship to it would stand as my most forceful feelings on our mutual human existence I could ever imagine. I feel that work is such an integral part of our existence that it becomes literally heroic and worthy of all the praise we can find to lavish upon it.

No one has ever asked me more than I have asked myself why I stuck with a trade which consists – even at the top – of such enormous quantities of hard physical labor. I have felt a failure so many times, at every turn in this working history of mine. Yet, when I look back at this life and times, I find moments of such exalted clarity of purpose and literal accomplishment, it humbles me.

Here then is a passage recently worked on towards that end:

I really adore that passage of that brilliant celebration of Man and Woman Kind.  Whitman humbles us all in his frank appraisal that work is noble and healthy.

The respect from earned accomplishment has no peer in my lexicon of

achievements. I believe it can be the hallmark of character as well.

The efforts and accomplishments form our legacies and they outlive us. 

The beauty of soil and its amazing and totally predictable products – of

the art of design itself – and the work of amusement and labor are the 

game we play. It is as if being human sometimes seems unfair to our 

original assumptions, at times. Like a cosmic joke, our sufferings 

become something more, ennobled by caution and the conservatism of the March of  Time and of Education itself.

“Pavers”, in the sense we refer to here are compressed concrete bricks, perfectly formed to interlock initmately, forming a non-moveable structurally road strength surface. The “compression” comes from the manufacturing process, where the paver forms are filled, then shaken to void out air holes and to better distribute the cement itself. They end up being somewhere in the vicinity of 8,500 PSI (pounds per square inch). To get an idea of how hard that is, your standard concrete walkway downtown is about 4,500 PSI. A patio out back in your yard will usually be in the vicinity of 3,500 PSI. Thus, these are harder than ‘normal’ cement products. They are being used in many newer applications, including city streets. 5 million square feet of the Honk Kong Airport’s entire runway and general tarmac is composed of these little beggars, as well.

The concern in Hong Kong dealt with the massive rains of the Monsoon Season and the tendency to flood. Brick pavers offered a drainage solution which intrigued the planners, who still produced plans containing ample numbers of catch basins to conduct water throughout the airport’s tarmac. Later tests revealed the incredible infiltration of water between the actual cracks of the pavers themselves, producing very nearly zero work for the planned catchments.

Pavers, simply by their segmented nature, allow water to pass directly down between one another, as this picture shows in more detail.

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Another recommendation they carry with them is the fact that they are somewhat flexible. In this, I refer to the component factor: it takes a lot of brick pavers to contribute to a driveway. Whereas a cement driveway will develop cracks atop shifting bases, or can collect water underneath and thus heave, where the concrete structure will crack and split and then deteriorate further with time, pavers will heave just like the cement, but will not have some monolithic break. They will ride the heave and stay intact. Thus freezing and cracking may well be the least of worries. The actual fact is, those who prepare the base are the stars of this particular show. Proper preparation below any surface yields much less trouble, later.

PREPARATION

Under any surface, cement, asphalt, or brick pavers there needs to be a compacted base consisting of some sort of compactable material. Typically a mix of small rocks and “fines” from the same rock created at quarries do the trick. The fines do what we indicated above with the forming of pavers in the mold: they fill in totally and thus ensure, upon being squished with some titanic and compressing machine, that the subbase is going absolutely nowhere. When covered, there should be no voids to collect water where freezing can affect the ultimate size and cause breaks or heaving. A compacted base would also solve a lot of cement problems regarding breakage and deterioration but it seems not all contractors take the time for this hard and time-comsuming work.

Depending on the soils underneath, the base material should be at least 6 inches thick for drivweways and 4 inches for patios and walkways. In the absence of base material, or Class II Base as we call it, washed sand can actually be used as a base material.

In any event, for truly muddy or expansive type soils, one should overexcavate appropriately and add this completely new material. I once had a project, in Vancouver, B.C. where we were scheduled to install pavers aside a parking garage. The only problem was, there was this hole from earlier excavations about 12 feet deep and some 50 feet wide and it was full of water. This was exactly where the pavers were supposed to go.

I backed a line of trucks holding washed sand up and dumped them, pushing them in, finally, with my trusty Bobcat, bit by bit, allowing the water to escape from the rear of the hole, and succeeded in filling the hole in a day. Two days later, we were compacting and constructing and, 5 days later, we had made ourselves a brick fire lane, 20 feet wide, coursing over this former hole. It was actually sort of amazing, really, but I swear, that drive is at nearly the same level it was when we constructed it, today, some 22 years later. Here’s Nature’s bottom line: Nothing compacts like water!

SAND LAYER

For pavers, an extra step is typical at the end of the compaction drama: a one inch layer of sand is put in place at the exact level one desires the pavers to go. Eventually, this sand bed will allow a bit of movement as the pavers get compacted into place and grouted with yet more, and possibly other decorative, color coordinated, sand. What this achieves is some allowance for error, as well. Artists with a plate compactor can literally change a grade where necessary, by adding water and worrying a hump into submission by whacking it until it conforms. While this sounds inexact, the best operators can achieve a perfect grade. It’s what they are paid to do.

LAYING THE BRICK PAVERS

The job is almost done. I am being serious. There is some darn hard work, toting pavers over for placement and all, but establishing the base is always the big achievement. By the time your sand is screeded (levelled into place), laying the pavers is good old brainless work, in most cases. I advocate hiring the high school student for this phase, lol. (You know that saying, “Hire the high school student….while they still know everything?” oops, sorry, honey). I could not resist, sorry……now, where were we?

Establishing a laying pattern is mental. There are any numbers of patterns available, from Herringbone ones to Running Bond patterns and some extoic ones as well. Just the same, laying them becomes easier once the pattern is established and repitition becomes the norm. At this stage one fills in the blank area with bricks.

FINISHING

Finishing involves a few things: edges and retaining systems, grouting the pavers with sand and the final compaction. There is also sealing which I will also address elsewhere.

Edges and restraining: If curved, the edges of any paver edifice will require cutting. Many people use the “guillotine” method of pressing two sharp edges manually, thus cleaving the brick. I have seen projects done this way which worked well. Nevertheless, I always advocate cutting all pavers with a brick saw, using a diamond blade and water, thus getting a crytal clean cut at exactly the edge one desires. It just looks more professional, to me. Once in place, I restrain my bricks with either plastic or aluminum edging, complete with holes for knocking down some nice 8-10″ spikes and holding it tightly in place. The edges of all component structures are always the weak point, but with edge restraints, one can withstand tires and accidents alot better.

Grouting with sand: This implies spreading a layer of sand over the entire paver area, then sweeping and watering the sand into place inside the cracks of the pavers themselves. One also cleans when finishing with water. I like to compact the pavers one final time with a thin coat of sand over the bricks. The sand “lubricates” the passage of the compactor and the compaction process shakes the sand into those cracks. Then is when I typically wash, finishing the grout process and the project itself.

Essentially, that’s it. One can expect a lifetime’s worth of satisfaction from this stuff. Indeed, one may well expect generations to enjoy the fruits of this labor. Modern bricks are replacing city streets in many cities, especially those who experience rain problems, like Seattle, Portland or vancouver, B.C. They add wonderfully to the resale value of a home, even aside form looking as good as anything out there can look. I will deal with the more artistic values of brick pavers elsewhere, but the color combinations, laying patterns and bricks themselves are mind boggling in their diversity and possibilities. They are a huge step forward in landscape technology and offer yet another wondrous and durable possibility for outdoor pleasure.

There are as many techniques in planting as there are people. It seems everyone has some twist they employ to get plants started. There are, however, some truisms in planting which always pertain. It is these I will address first:

For New Homes and Sites: (Plants and Trees, Initial Landscaping)

For new homes or businesses, one needs a hole approximately twice the size of the pot the plants is contained in. While excavating, attention needs to be paid to the overall soil quality, especially in new subdivisions where fill was used to establish the overall grade. I mention this because there are fills which are problematic. Rocks and such are endurable, provided they are embedded in soil. But cement debris, chemicals, garbage and the like will not help a young growing plant. Once determined, bear in mind, especially in the case of trees and plants which tend to eventually produce extensive root systems, no matter what amendments one uses to get the plant established, those roots will reach the existing soil.

Below, we plant up new plants and trees using the existing soils combined with just a bit of new stuff.

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Current thinking in planting techiniques holds this thought in mind. I personally advise a minimum of amendments, perhaps as much as half new soil, mixed with the existing. There is an element of “sink or swim” here. Unless the soil is insufferable, as mentioned, the plant or tree’s roots will hit the soil and expect to push on. Also bear in mind the condition of the soil. Clay soils may not be applicable to some plants, just as sandier soils may not be for others. There is usually information available indicating which soils are best for certain species. I would use this guideline in selecting a plant or tree. If the soil is extremely hideous, I recommend excavating and reinstalling entirely new soil, paying particular attention to the locations of trees and deeply rooting plants.

For New Or Existing Gardens

Much here depends upon the eventual usage. I see three separate categories used most often, aside from the original plantings of trees and shrubs:

1. Vegetable and food/herb gardens These require extremely nutritious and workable soils. They are tender, generally, and fast growing. Composts, especially one’s own’ are excellent amendments to any soil. A mix of compost, sand and topsoil are usually recommended and I advocate installing about 18 inches worth in depth. Some composts, obviously, are “hot”, especially manures without sufficient time spent curing. There is no need to install anything not already broken down. So, the thrust of my advice means allowing composts to age. Fertilizers are available for all plants, although they are not necessarily good as an “implicit” product. They just boot up progress and can be as destructive in the wrong hands as they are helpful.

Below is a small circular Herb and Flower Garden we installed which has abundant good stuff as a planting medium.

At any rate, these amendments make the soils less dense, in the end, and the compost and topsoil tend to hold moisture for longer, necessitating less watering. Gardening for food is a high intensity maintenance operation, needing attention often. One checks for growth, for diseases and pests, molds and mildews and critters. Watering will need adjusting according to the heat indices. One can, indeed, overwater almost anything. And, naturally, one can under water as well. Another consideration: go easy on the fertilizers! These plants were made to grow. Give them a field they can enjoy and they will. Sometimes, less attention is better than too much, a strange caveat, I guess.

2. Bedding Plants and Annuals These plants need nearly as good a caliber of soil as does a food garden, just not usually as deep. Typically, annuals do not root deep, although there are exceptions in the cases of some tubrous items, like Dahlias, for example (which can also be a perennial, in certain climates). I rarely go deeper than 12″ of totally prepped soil and the quality of said soil can be a slight step less rigorously composted than a food garden. Having said that, care should be taken inasmuch as these plants are always hungry and always thirsty. Once again, these can also be over- or under-watered, but they require tons less maintenance and attention than vegetables and some herbs. Always pay attention to Sun issues. Begonias, for example, are not enamored of tons of Sun. The New Guinea hybrids, which I adore, are particularly shade-loving. Seen as below, mixed with Coleus in a very shady but extremely lush scene, they work marvelously in good soil.

3. Perennials Here we have what must be my favorite category of plants. I use them liberally in all my construction projects since they offer enormous swaths of the brightest colors and tend to bloom for long stretches. They do, however, also require soils which are a step above ‘unadapted’. I typically use a mix of compost and native soil, about 1/3 native and 2/3 compost and sand. I also dig holes for eventual growth. In other words, I make a larger than normal hole first, fill with my amendments, when planting. I think 3 years down the road for perennials and where the roots will be by then. After that, they will either be divided or can readily adapt, literally producing its own bacteria and compost from its own growth and detritus (leaves, root deterioration, etc.). Perennials are low maintenance plants. Another groovy aspect.

Below is a virtual Perennial Garden, clustered around a small pond in Reno, Nevada. Note the blue blooms, a combination of Lavender (which I often use for aromatic as well as aesthetic reasons) and the blue Penstemon (this is also a matter of mid-Summer timing, bloom-wise, since the entire garden begins with a pink and red flourish):

The alkaline soils of Reno were perfect for this gorgeous Desert Penstemon, a native of sorts which stands on its own as a splendid-looking plant who enjoys where it sits.

All in all, soil quality is the be-all and end-all of planting almost anything. Attention should also be paid, in the selection of plants and, consequently the necessary soil work, to native species. Some natives, such as those we find in Nevada actually prefer some pretty nasty, alkaline soil. Inasmuch as they were nursery-grown, of course, they will need some early love, with what I call “introductory soil”: a mix of the closest one can some to native soil with a tad of amendment. This is just to prevent an utter shock zone for the pampered little fellows.

So how did we get here?

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From here?………..

We acquired this project from a family who lived by a golf course and who correctly surmised that the sounds of water spilling would be satisfying, yet, in great amounts, loud and obnoxious. As a sound issue water is a most penetrating sound. It can literally “drown out” conversation, if you will. We designed this for the sound and of course, the visual effects, yet pointed it away from the house itself.

We begin. We have placed plywood on the ground, more to protect irrigation parts and to keep the mud and mess to a minumum than anything else. It is time to begin the excavation and we are beginning at the top, as is usually the case on a bank.

We venture downward, excavating our original hole, determining drop areas and depths of retaining ponds. This stage just has us digging the original hole. Later pictures reveal a bit more method as we begin placing the more major boulders, the anchors, at specific points. I typically “anchor” my falls, when possible. The idea is to act like Nature. For example, creeks turn when they meet large immoveable boulders. Likewise for the formation of water features. As in Nature, a sudden dropoff is usually around major, relatively immoveable obstacles and grade changes. This is what I try to reconstruct. At this stage, we excavate first. It does not take long to get at the nuts and bolts. Turns out, digging is the easiest part!

Here, then, is your standard average big old hole in the ground. By any other name, that is what it is for sure. There is however some method to this excavation. As we excavate our way down, we create “falls ledges”, designed spots where the various falls will take place. Notice the anchor rocks by the lower, and final in this case, falls. The liner will not be under these. Their sheer size of the boulders would cause rips in it, a fate to be avoided at all costs. In the end, holes in a liner are a disaster. This particular system we applied concrete to throughout, over the liner, adding an extra measure of security if you will. However, we often use liner only, as Part 5 will illustrate. We often add an underlayment, a fabric under that. The reason? Well, many. One is the softer subsurface adds some padding for any potential objects which could affect the liner, like rocks and feet. Another is that the maddening little critters, both moles and their cousins in “liner crime” the “voles” both enjoy the salty taste of liner. Yes, I swear. We have had liners we traced holes for only to find these teeth marks at the end of small critter tunnels. Turns out, the salts in the rubber are somewhat tasty to the little munchkins. Ugh.

This is actually progress at the same stage as the former picture, yet this is from another angle. One gets a much better idea of the anchor rock idea, noticing those two large rocks that straddle the lower falls. As well, this view allows us to back up and see the strata which is above the bottom pond. It will be another pond, the second in a series of 3.

OK, now we are getting somewhere. We typically lay the aforementioned underlayment beneath the liner pictured here. This liner is an EPDM, 45 mil. liner, which is very tough and quite heavy. We protect our liners as much as humanly possible, because in the end, these sheets of rubber are what holds the water. One is wise to double or triple smaller pieces of liner when placing larger rocks on top of it. This “protection” keeps the contractor from palpitating when someone drops a rock on his precious liner. Repairs are actually easy, if indeed one does discover a hole, or rip in the liner. We use an EPDM glue, much the same as that glue used on bicycle tires. Equally smelly and equally needing to dry first before application. We use alcohol to clean the surface we mend, and rough it up, slightly with sandpaper or our hands. Pressure is needed to hold it in place, which often represents one’s hardest task.

We begin adding cement and the rocks which will form the feature itself. Obviously, I rely heavily on the machine in the picture there. The virtue of these small “mini excavators” is in their “thumb”, the small attachment that squeezes a rock between itself and the bucket and can drop it into place at a distance. Inasmuch as many of the rocks are dense and heavy as heck, the machine is worth it’s weight in gold. “Work smarter, not harder” is heard alot in my trade. The ability to add rocks in place like a jeweller is a good analogy, just on a much larger scale. We are now doing things like providing the “spill rocks” over which the water flows. Great pain is taken to get those that will give the efffects we are after. We were very desrious of having a “sheet effect” on the upper falls, which would also be the tallest and biggest drop. Nearer the bottom, we opted for a more natural, creek effect.

The cementing is primarily finished, rocks in place and the pumps placed. Note, on this water feature we added a “bubble rock” in the bottom pond, thus the need for the additional, smaller pump. The piping and routing of the pipe back up to the source of the running water was achieved during the process of setting the rocks in place and cementing. At this stage, we are ready to actually run the water for the first time. It is always fairly exciting after all the hard work of moving and rassling with big rocks, to see what the heck we were aiming for and how close we came. It usually draws a crowd. I might add that this stage also performs the function of showing us where we might have gone wrong, what requires tweaking and adjusting. Still, this is about the 85% finished mark, any way you slice it.

OK, we are running the thing. We were tweaking some stuff and actually replacing and moving some of the plants surrounding the feature at this juncture. The falls and creeks, the pumps and pipes have all been checked and adjusted appropriately or repaired, it is ready to roll.

Here she is! Planted up, with lights inset beneath the falls and all the bells and whistles. This was a really fun job to do, with not as many snarly tangles as many we have done. The soil was easy to excavate and the homeowner was a great guy who was fascinated by it all and who took many of the pictures I have here. This waterfall did win an award in the state it was contructed.