Garden: Alder Tree, How do I Loathe Thee

The alder tree.  The hated, loathed, cursed, vilified, (and ultimately tolerated because it is not my tree), alder tree.  It is planted near the south-west corner of our property.  And, although its roots may be lodged in our neighbor's soil, its canopy leans more and more over our yard each year.  Our neighbor has spoken of his plans to remove this tree, but other life events have interfered with his plans and, truth be told, gardening tasks fall low (very, very low) on his priority list.  So, why do I hate this tree so much?  Well, it drops stuff on my yard ALL YEAR LONG.

Alder trash (mostly Alder) collects in the deep, cupped leaves of the Darmera peltata.

In Spring, it covers EVERYTHING with a haze of yellow pollen, and then fallen catkins.  *And the seedlings!!!!  Kris reminded me about the seedlings this tree produces--every seed seems to germinate. *

Spring's catkins caught in my little Enkianthus tree.

In Summer, it begins to drop green leaves--these can be seen as a benefit because they add nitrogen back to the soil, but I still see the leaf litter as a net negative.

A recent picture of dropped green leaves and catkins--these must have been produced for next Spring?

In Late Summer and Fall, it drops leaves, cones, and branchlets.

Cones--stuck in the Enkianthus.

Leaf litter--none of it from trees growing on my property--and alder cones and a fallen alder branchlet.

Tree litter smothering the Acorus.

The worst thing about the Alder leaves is that they fall continuously throughout the late Summer, Fall, and into Winter.  I can go out one week and rake up four yard-waste-bags worth of leaves and then go out and do the same thing in another week or two, and again after that--it's Sisyphean.  Oh for a Ginkgo tree and its habit of dropping ALL of its leaves in a single day.

All these photos were taken on an overcast and rainy day a couple of weeks ago.  It's been super-dark, cold, and rainy for the longest time and I haven't been outside to do any gardening or photography--not that there's anything I wish to document, anyway.  Lots of squishiness and rot out there...not too much beauty--even for someone who is trying valiantly to see "beauty in the Winter silhouettes of dying perennials".

I'm definitely looking forward to the Solstice and the slow return to longer days!  

Arts & Crafts: Halloween 2015 Round-Up

Well--it's that time of year again: Time for the Halloween costume post. I really enjoy Halloween. It is the holiday most conducive to letting the "craft monkey" out of its cage. I love to craft, but I don't like "crafty" things. And my appreciation of fine craftsmanship does not allow me to appreciate and display the items I make. But Halloween is different. My crafting skills are the equal of this holiday and I appreciate the challenges presented by each new costume. This year, Zachary wanted to be a Jawa. When he told me this he said, "Mom--I'm giving you a really easy costume this year. You'd better do a really, really good job on it." He was ready to micro-manage every costume element, but he was especially concerned about having an accurate Blaster weapon. 

Here's how I built a Jawa for Halloween 2015:

Jawa costume 2015. Including Jawa boots that I did not write about--they were simply an old pair of sneakers that I covered in strips of frayed robe fabric and heavily weathered and distressed.

Elements of the costume were: Robe and Hood, Mask, Bandolier, Blaster-Holster, Shoes, Gloves (a ready-made item), and Blaster weapon. Although I'd planned to complete the costume elements in order of their discipline (fabric/sewing, leatherwork, hot-glue/plastic/fabrication, etc. ) I was eager to see how I'd do with the bandolier, so I started out with the that piece even though I knew I'd have to come back to leathercraft when I tackled the holster at the end of the process.

A deep dive during the research phase of the project acquainted me with the arbiters of all things

Jawa--the 501st Legion: Vader's Fist.   They publish a costume reference guide and maintain a procedure for certifying your accurately constructed costume. I quote from their website: 

Bandoliers--for 501st approval:

• At least one bandolier is worn.
• Acceptable versions of the bandolier consist of Swedish, British, NZ, Australian, Canadian, and German.
• The bandoliers may be purchased originals or accurately fabricated reproductions.
• Bandoliers are of brown/black leather or similar looking material.
• The bandolier(s) are aged and weathered. 
• All metal pieces are dull, worn and scuffed.
• The metal pieces do not appear new or shiny or have a shine to them.
• More than one bandolier may be worn at he same time.
• Acceptable configurations include:
• One bandolier across the shoulder to the waist.
• Two crossed over the chest to the waist.
• One across the chest and one around the waist.
• Two crossed over the chest and one around the waist.

I based the bandolier on the British P-1903 bandolier which was used in WWI and WWII. I made a few changes though, so I'm not sure that the 501st would agree to certify the final product. Also, I used our old and worn out cowhide rug as a leather source and the hair-on component isn't historically accurate although I'm sure real Jawas would not have cared.

Making the template for the bandolier.

I used leather from our worn-out cowhide rug to make all the leather parts for the costume. 

I weathered the leather by sanding it and by staining/coloring it with repeated coats of liquid shoe polish, acrylic paint, more shoe polish, india ink...you name it--if it adhered and created a good effect, I used it. I enjoyed experimenting with the different effects that could be achieved by varying the order of application of the same materials. I sprayed the finished items with a light coat of sandstone/fleck stone paint and smooshed that into the crevices and dusted it on the top surfaces where I thought real dust might have accumulated. This step really enhanced the stitched areas.

Jawa mask and nearly-completed bandolier. I continued to add more weathering to the leather parts. 

The mask began as an inexpensive hockey mask. I used epoxy to mount the eyes (made from those little coin-op candy containers) to the cheeks. Then, because the eyes looked as if they were on stalks protruding from the cheeks, I built up a layer of spray-on insulating foam and carved it to shape on the lower face. This step also allowed me to minimize the shape/prominence of the nose, which wasn't a feature of the Jawa's face. I painted the whole thing black, covered the eyes and ventilation holes with black scrim, and covered the rest of the mask with cloth grip tape. I finished-up by drilling holes into the backs of the eyes and mounting yellow LED lights so the eyes will really glow. To intensify this effect, I sanded the insides of the candy cups to diffuse the light and I painted the insides of the lids with chrome paint to reflect as much light as possible. Finally, I glued the candy cups to their lids and trimmed the edges with scraps of frayed fabric. I didn't invent the basic concept--a tutorial can be found here.


The hood and robe were easily sewn. The hood was lined in black flannel and I reinforced the front edge with sewn-in boning and a small triangle of stiff interfacing that I affixed with fabric glue between the lining and the hood fabric. I probably could have omitted the interfacing--enough stiffness would have been provided by the boning alone and I think the drape of the hood might have been improved without the added stiffener in the "brim-area". For the robe, I'd taken general construction notes from the internet but I still had to make sizing guesstimates and create the pattern myself. Cutting into the fabric was a leap of faith. Luckily it worked out. The fabric was brown monk's cloth that I purchased online. I washed/preshrunk it several times before laying out the pattern and cutting it. After sewing, I distressed the fabric by fraying the edges and by applying swipes and spatters of various acrylic paints in shades of terra cotta and tan. 

It's hard to see in the photograph, but I cut well into the fabric to make large, irregular frayed areas and I added layers of spattered and smeared acrylic paint in shades of terra cotta and tan to suggest dirt. I added the most "dirt" to the inside edges of the bottom of the robe and the forearms and backs of the sleeves--areas where soil would naturally accumulate the most.

Then I moved on to making the Blaster weapon. For guidance, I must have looked at a hundreds of Googled images and dredged through tens of forum threads. There are serious Star Wars nerds out there who are obsessed with tracking down every exact, authentic component that went into making the original movie props. I wanted accuracy but, reluctantly, I decided that I'd have to be satisfied with achieving the general effect. Achieving authentic, movie-prop accuracy appeared to be a daunting (and expensive) task. 

Completed Jawa Blaster weapon.

I made the majority of the Blaster with PVC plumbing parts, craft foam "foamies", a plastic drinking glass, miscellaneous hardware, and a bit of plastic needlepoint mesh. One of the best parts was a piece of plastic that I cut from an air-freshener canister.

Component parts of the Blaster including PVC plumbing parts and a plastic drinking glass. 

The air freshener lid mounted inside the Blaster muzzle. 

To create the Blaster's stock, I laminated together two thin sheets of styrofoam and carved the shape. After I got the shape right, I coated it with 5-minute epoxy to harden the surface and impart strength.

Carving the shape of the stock from a piece of styrofoam.

Close-up of the connection between stock and barrel. 

I worried about how I would attach the heavy-ish barrel assembly to the lightweight styrofoam stock. In the end, I opted to pull out some of the styrofoam from inside the stock and fill the shell with additional 5-minute epoxy. Then I drilled holes from top to bottom through the epoxy-reinforced area and used threaded rod to attach the two elements. I decorated the threaded rod (and provided the gap that was called for in the design) by threading various washers and knurled nuts and other things onto the rod. It held up on Halloween and is still in one piece--success!

Close-up of Blaster weapon--a lot of junky bits and pieces contributed to this build. 

I painted the Blaster with multiple coats of flat-black paint, silver metallic, dustings of terra-cotta and beige pastel dust that I sealed with flat polyurethane, and sandstone/fleck stone paint. Painting is the fun part--paint magically transforms everything.

Last of all (once I had a completed Blaster weapon to measure) I made the holster. 

Close-up of the holster showing the effect imparted by the fleck stone paint. 

I really liked the faux stone paint which was labeled "Krylon-Stone-Fine Texture-limestone". It was different than I'd thought it would be. I was expecting a "Hammerite" type of finish but the paint (it was aerosol) came out more like granular stone dust in a clear binder. When I applied a light coat to the fabrics, it looked just like a thin layer of dust. And when I applied it to the hard surfaces, I was able to smoosh it around and wipe it into the crevices. I was a bit surprised at first, but I ended up really liking this product. That's the fun of crafting--hypothesizing about what might work, trying new things, and learning about new techniques and products.

Jawa Costume--Halloween 2015

And that's Halloween 2015--Jawa costume. It was a big hit during Halloween trick-or-treating. Lots of people asked Zachary to pose so they could take selfies with him. One guy gave him the whole candy bowl. That's become the mark of success--someone has to say, "Wow! That's the best costume I'll see all year. Here, you deserve ALL the candy!" And, lucky for me, that happened this year. Glowing with his trick-or-treating success, Zachary was feeling generous and awarded me an A+ on his costume. A few days later, though, and he's already down-graded me to "an A- or even a B". That's how it goes in this family. :-(

Garden: Today's Photo(s)

It's that lurid time of year again, when the bright rose flowerheads of Sedum "Autumn Joy" compete for attention with the orange and yellow tones of autumnal foliage.  It's my least favorite time to view the sedums.  Although, I don't know why I blame them so exclusively--the hydrangeas present sunset leaves and raspberry bloom on the same plant.  It's probably a result of density/concentration of color.

(I took these photos in the evening with loooong exposures to gather enough light--they look dusky because it was!)

Front yard--photo taken front the sidewalk at the southeast corner of my garden.  Several of my neighbors have decorated their homes for Halloween so, even though it seems premature to me, I joined in and got out my Halloween banner.

In the foreground, the newly planted portion of the rockery features darker purple foliage and dense, low-growing plants. 

Front garden--photo taken from the walkway looking south.  The muted tones of the Eutrochium are much more appealing to me than the brighter sedum blooms.  Come mid-winter, though, I'll appreciate the structure and the burnished russet color provided by the dried sedum stems.

Hydrangea "Bombshell"--sunny, midday photo

Garden: Autumn Beauty

Some pretty things happened in my garden and I want to share them with you!

Clouds of anemones.  It's been a great year for the anemones.  These are planted on one side of the narrow side-yard path.

Good thing I took time to hunt for passion flowers!  I spied this one hiding amongst the foliage of the grape.  Passion flowers last only a single day and I'd feared that these (which budded out so late!) wouldn't bloom before being claimed by inclement weather.

Apples on the "Golden Sentinel" pole apple.

Front garden border with Eutrochium, Chocolate Cosmos, Calamagrostis brachytricha, Pennisetum "Hameln", and Sedum "Autumn Joy"

Hydrangea "Bombshell" bloom and foliage coloring-up for Fall.

Chocolate cosmos

All photos taken this morning as conditions flitted from sunny to overcast and back.  

Garden: The Eco-Lawn Project

Well, I am finally ready to share the results of my lawn renovation project.  This project was long over-due.  We'd installed a new sod lawn back in 2008 and we did a fairly good job, I think.  But it had become compacted and lumpy and it was time for a change.  I'd read about a new method, promoted by Joy Creek Nursery in Scapoose, OR, for preparing the soil and I decided to give it a try. (Info Link) (More information about this method from OregonLive)  To be completely accurate, Joy Creek does not claim ownership of this method, which has been studied and practiced by others, but I associate this method with Joy Creek because that is where I first became aware of it. The Joy Creek method utilizes a gravel mulch which is supposed to break the surface tension of the water allowing it to percolate faster into the lawn surface.  Doing this yields two benefits--1) improved Winter drainage and 2) better water absorption during Summer.  The gravel also contributes to a deeper root run and better drought tolerance.  You can choose to renovate an existing lawn by scalping it and then topping it with gravel and compost, but we chose the more drastic method of excavating the old soil and and rebuilding the lawn base.  In subsequent years, we will mulch lightly with gravel and compost.  Heavy annual mulching  can gradually raise the grade of the lawn, so I opted to amend the soil heavily all at once with the hope that I will need to apply less top-dressing during subsequent years.  I want the surface of the finished lawn to remain even with the surrounding hardscape instead of becoming mounded.

So, here's how the project unfolded:

Back in April--the 19th, to be exact--we pulled the truck into the driveway and began to strip the sod. It is a small space (less than 200 square feet) so it seemed easiest to do this by hand.  Our goal was to remove about 4-5 inches of soil in order to accommodate the new soil preparation.

As you can see, we are pros at this.  Projects like this are why we keep a truck.  We also have a couple of motorcycle loading ramps--they make it a breeze to get the loaded wheelbarrow up into the truck.

Half done!

A couple of hours later, we were about half done.  We finished-up the next day after a few more hours of work.  

The next phase of the project was to install broken concrete as lawn edging.  We went to our local concrete recycler and crawled around in their piles of dumped concrete (or "urbanite") to select the chunks most suitable for our use.  It's not glamorous, but it's free!  We had to make a couple of trips and went to several different locations to find what we needed.  

Installing the broken concrete lawn edging.

I roughly leveled the soil upon which I wanted to install the edging.  Then I compacted it well with a chunk of 4X4 fence post (makes and excellent pounding tool) and a "real" dirt-tamping tool.  I back-filled as needed with quarter-minus crushed rock to level the urbanite.  Since our yard slopes in every direction, it is hard to use a level to check the height and slope.  I used a long 2X4 board balanced across the poured-in-place pavers, the work I'd completed, and pegs that I'd pounded into the ground to represent the finished grade.  I tried to keep the lawn-side of the edging flush with the curved shape of the lawn while creating variety in the shape and width on the garden-side.

Rough fitting the urbanite.  I tried to keep a smooth edge on the lawn side.

Then, I raked the soil smooth and topped it with 2 inches of "quarter-10" crushed rock--that was about a yard and a half of crushed rock.  Quarter-10 is sharp, crushed rock that has been graded using a 1/4 inch screen and then washed free from fines.  You wouldn't want to use gravel containing fines because that would inhibit drainage.  Obtaining the gravel proved to be difficult.  Quarter-10 is common near Scapoose, in the Portland area, but is uncommon in Seattle.  I had to special order the gravel and waited nearly two weeks for delivery.  Since then, a new gravel yard has opened (The Dirt Exchange) and they do stock this product.

Sharp gravel installed and raked out.

Then, 2 inches of compost went in.  This is where the project went sort-of sideways.  I think we wound-up with really poor quality soil.  We went to the place where we normally purchase Cedar Grove compost and paid for for two yards of compost.  But when we looked at the product, it was clear that it wasn't Cedar Grove.  It was very rough and was not fully composted.  But, we'd paid and we couldn't get a refund so we chose, instead, their premium garden blend.  Big mistake.  The soil looked OK at first, but proved to be full...FULL...of big chunks of uncomposted material (including weeds).  Beyond that, it compacted hard as a rock and proved to be of low fertility.  But, we didn't realize any of this as we filled the area with the new soil and meticulously leveled and rolled it. 

Ready for planting.

Late May, now, and we finally got the new grass seeded.  I used "Rough and Ready" eco-lawn mix from Pro Time Lawn Seed that was recommended by Joy Creek.  This seed is a mix of grasses and micro-clover.

The seed really had a hard time getting started.  I attribute the difficulty entirely to the poor soil.  I ended up reseeding and topping the lawn two times with different organic supplements.  But, eventually, it ended up looking like this:

New clover eco-lawn.  It needs a trim!  Clover tends to look lumpy if not trimmed short.

Here is our new eco-lawn.  It still has a few thin spots that will need another application of seed, and it gets mighty lumpy when it needs a trim, but it should stay greener in the Summer with less added water (due to the clover and to the inclusion of the gravel) and dryer in the Winter due to improved percolation and drainage.  

Here's hoping that it lives up to my expectations!