Help me decide what to do...

[thatguy]

I am looking for suggestions for a couple things around the house..

1) Mailbox area - when we had the driveway paved I didnt think to ask them to pave in front of the mailbox. It was getting very muddy around it so I put the gravel there, but as you can see it is shifting.. Any suggestions about what I can put there inplace of the gravel?

2) Tree line - We planted these emerald aborvitae (suppose to only get about 12' tall and 3-4' across) on the fence line as a border.. The trees are about 12' apart currently. We are thinking of planting more aborvitae between the current tree, but I am open to other suggestions for plantings.. I would like to have something evergreen, and it can be a bush or shrub.. Suggestions?

thanks

Brian

 

[ToadHill]

For the mailbox I'd buy some blacktop patch and put it in that area, you can get it in bags at most home centers.

If you have deer in your area arborvitae are deer candy. You may try to get Junipers (shy rocket) the have the same upright habit, and the deer won't ear them.

 

[rtdiggr]

Beautiful house first off [we have a similar house style built in 1871]

For around the mail box you can buy asphalt in a bag [you will need quite a few bags] then tamp in down.
Or you can do the same thing with concrete.

For the trees you can plan white pines or spruces possible in a W pattern all the way down, they will certain get larger then the type of cedar you have there.
Or you can look for a scot pine [christmas tree] they look nice and full. it does that about 10 to 12 years till the get to x-mas tree size.

Shane

 

[greenthumb]

what about from where you took the picture of the tree line a pasture a pole barn that matches the house and a few cattle to roam and fill the freezer

 

[Podunkadunk]

Awesome homestead!

I'd use the same tree that you have, otherwise growth patterns may differ and make it look funky.

Podunk

 

[thatguy]

thanks for the compliments on the house.. We have been in for a little over year now and know we made a great decision when building..

For those that are interested - here is a link to more, better, house pics

http://s49.photobucket.com/albums/f292/Tracy_Brian_House/

Also check out the sub albums for pics of Snicker our dog.. he is way too cute.. IMHO


Thanks for all the tips for completing my tree line.. We must have gotten lucky because the deer have not eaten the arborvitae yet (but I do spray them with invisible fence)...

I think Podunkadunk and I were thinking along the same lines.. I think we would have to do something completely different or stick with the same trees or it could end up looking odd..

thanks for all the advise

Brian

 

[bearhawk]

Can you put the same bush in the center of current ones just offset by a few feet? Like the W pattern suggested earlier.

Jim

 

[dmccarty]

Its hard to tell from the photo but the gravel in front of the mail box looks like its just stone with not much if any fines. The fines help lock the gravel togather. Try to put down some road base which in NC is called ABC. Its a mixture of different size gravel up to about 2 inches and lots of fines. The stuff locks up tight. Our mail box is in one spot where four house have boxes for both mail and newspapers. No problems with the gravel in that spot.

There are some other areas that pot hole up due to water on the road but people dont want to spend money to raise the road bed up a couple of inches. I grade the road every 3-4 years. One of the neighbors patchs the potholes.

Later,
Dan

 

[thatguy]

Can you put the same bush in the center of current ones just offset by a few feet? Like the W pattern suggested earlier.

Jim

I am about 5 ft off the property line, so off setting them back a foot or so is possible and what I originally planned to do if we plant more of the same trees..

Brian

 

[thatguy]

Its hard to tell from the photo but the gravel in front of the mail box looks like its just stone with not much if any fines. The fines help lock the gravel togather. Try to put down some road base which in NC is called ABC. Its a mixture of different size gravel up to about 2 inches and lots of fines. The stuff locks up tight. Our mail box is in one spot where four house have boxes for both mail and newspapers. No problems with the gravel in that spot.

There are some other areas that pot hole up due to water on the road but people dont want to spend money to raise the road bed up a couple of inches. I grade the road every 3-4 years. One of the neighbors patchs the potholes.

Later,
Dan

I used the #57's (no fines or dust), that came off the drive when they prepped it for paving, around the mail box, not thinking they would shift so much..

right now I think I will try the cold asphalt mix and see how that goes.. I will need to dig up the gravels that are there first...

thanks

Brian

 

[charlz]

Well, do you want it to be a 'fence' or just a 'wooded area'? If you want a 'fence' maybe put in some shrubs in between the trees that can be pruned 'square'. The trees would be the 'posts' and the shrubs would be the 'boards'.

If you are leaning more towards a 'wooded area' I would do the W pattern. Possible to use a different tree that is either taller or shorter in the long run. This would give a nice 'sloped' appearance on one side or the other while providing some privacy screening in the long run.

Charles

 

[thatguy]

Well, do you want it to be a 'fence' or just a 'wooded area'? If you want a 'fence' maybe put in some shrubs in between the trees that can be pruned 'square'. The trees would be the 'posts' and the shrubs would be the 'boards'.

If you are leaning more towards a 'wooded area' I would do the W pattern. Possible to use a different tree that is either taller or shorter in the long run. This would give a nice 'sloped' appearance on one side or the other while providing some privacy screening in the long run.

Charles

Our original intent was just to have a border (and wind break) between us and the now empty lot beside us.. BUT as I got to thinking about it more and more, I started envisioning more of a landscaping focus as well as border/wind break..

What I dont want, but can see happening is making it one big bed of trees that I mulch (which i think would look nice, but a lot of work mulching that much) lol

keep the suggestions coming

brian

 

[blueriver]

Concrete ... I like a Rocky Mountain Juniper, its an evergreen, produces a small berry for certain wildlife. See if they are good in your area.

 

[Steve_Miller]

If you keep the water drained away from the area you'll cure the mud problem. Create some type of drainage, French drain or something like that.

Steve

 

[ChipSmith]

Why not just move the mailbox closer to the road and do away with the gravel?

 

[thatguy]

Why not just move the mailbox closer to the road and do away with the gravel?

To my knowledge it has to be a certain distance off the road.. If i move it any closer it will be against the edge of the road and I would think it could be called a hazard..

brian

 

[Rara Avis]

Why not just move the mailbox closer to the road and do away with the gravel?

Then the plow trucks take it out...

 

[ChipSmith]

To my knowledge it has to be a certain distance off the road.. If i move it any closer it will be against the edge of the road and I would think it could be called a hazard..

Check with your local Post Master to see if they have rules for rural mailbox placement. I now around here they are pretty lenient - some boxes are way back from the road and others are right up to it. I set mine close enough to the road that it can be reach without dropping a tire off the shoulder for that very reason. You don't have to necessarily move the post, but extending the cross bar would get it closer to the road.

Then the plow trucks take it out...

If the plow truck is going that far off the road it'll be taking out the grass, etc.

 

[EddieWalker]

On the mailbox, you have allot of options.

1. More rock. If you like the look of the rock and weeds are easy to control, then I'd install a boarder that would keep the rock in place. You can use plastic, metal or PT wood. I'd probably use a PT 1x6 buried in the ground half way and anchored on the inside edge with some stakes and screwed together. Imagine making a form to pour cement. I'd put the boarder from the road to the mail box post, and then from the post to your driveway. This will get rid of that little patch of grass that you have to take care of in front of the mailboxa and make maintenance easier. You can also run one board from the road to the driveway and have rock on all sides of the mailbox. Just measure it out and see what looks best to you. Then put some plastic down and more rock. You can even use a more decerative rock and set it off as something really nice.

2. Red Brick to match your home. This is more work, but it could be really nice. You have to dig out the rock and dirt, then create a solid base of rock to support the brick, but it's a small area, so it won't be that bad. Just lay the brick as a small patio paver.

3. Flagstone rock. This was my first thought to make it really nice. Then I saw the brick on your house and thought of the brick. Flagstone patios are always attractive, but they are expensive. A small accent around your mailbox wouldn't be very much money, but really add to your entrance.

4. Cement is always a good way choice. It's simple, easy and inexpensive.

5. Blacktop patch is very dificult to make look nice. It looks like a patch when put down, but would blend nicely with your road and driveway if you took the time to make it blend.

Eddie

 

[thatguy]

BTW - EddieWalker - Thanks for the input months back about digital cameras. I ended up getting a Canon S5 for christmas and so far love it..

Brian