Wood Texture Art!

Wood Art can be found in many house finishes but one wood bowl can really display the uniqueness of grain patterns.



Above wood bowl is lath carved from a hand selected piece of maple. Photo was taken sometime ago, and when I viewed it had to do a double take. Was the photo of the inside of the bowl or the backside. Illusion of the wood pattern!

Want a unique Design? One of a kind Display Art or a conversation piece?

Worth investigating, find a Hand picked carved wood grain art piece that captures some of natures beauty worth admiring.

Mum Flower Garden Display

Fall mums are a great choice! It makes one’s garden color come back when other trees, shrubs and plants are shutting down for the coming of winter months.

Some prefer the yellow mums in gardens as they seem to hold their flowers longer but mixing in another color adds a needed variety and contrast as seen below.

Save Your Deck!

Repair your wood deck, apply two new coats of stain, then you have more money for other garden improvements.

Deck Repair Decisions:
1. Top Wood plank condition and structure underneath not rotted and soft
2. Clean wood surface, free of BBQ grease, some sand deck … power wash if available
3. Ensure dry and stain coat twice for best look.

Level 2 Deck Repair is going to be expensive. Considerations are

1. Wood prices are up but taking hard look at replacing the entire deck surface.
2. Going to be some structural and rot issues which will add to the budget
3. Ok with the Standard brown wood finish color or going to stain the wood to your own tastes
4. Consider composite decking? If you upgrading from a wood deck you will not have the recommended 12″ stringer spacing needed, pushing you closer towards to a new deck redo!

Stain or Water Seal Your Deck?

Wood Deck is 3-4 years old, in great condition other than losing it pressure treated color. Sunny bleached pressure treated wood deck is being applied with 2 coats of Thompson Water seal to revive the decks appearance and to preserve from wood rot.

Refinishing the wood resulted in great revived new deck appearance!

Wood Deck 3-4 years later!

Water Seal finish was pealing off in areas calling for a new refinish repair. Otherwise beautiful finish has deteriorated away due to water being absorbed into the dry boards and popping off the water seal finish.

Because the woods surface had been clear sealed, one has to sand the decking boards to get back to the raw wood surface.

Refinished the Deck with a semi transparent stain that soaks into the wood, so that next time can just re-stain the deck!

Prefer Wood stain finish as it is easier to recoat one deck!

Wood Mulch Your Garden?

Resisting using wood mulch on your gardens because the wood pieces mix with you nice dark triple loam mix? Yup, that’s one of the downsides!

There are many mulch colors, a few Types of Mulches in bulk are Sawmill black, brown Cedar, white Pine, Playground mulch Utility, basic or uncolored natural utility mulch.

We get it! Consider adding mulch to dryer garden beds that need weed control and to retain water. Leaving other gardens with the black loam!

Mulch Garden Design Ideas

Mulch let’s you work with any shape you wish. These mulch gardens are freeform created by the brick outline which helps hold the mulch away from the earth where begonia flowers will be planted.

The garden edge has been edged and filled with mulch. Mulch can be ordered bulk, but we like the Scotts Mulch Deep Forest Brown over the years!

Wood Bridge Deck

Wood timbers create the platform structure for his older train bridge. Today’s world, wood has been passed over for stronger concrete and steel bridge construction.


Amazing the amount and quantity of wood timber needed. That’s just for one river!

Old Wood timbers from the rail lines can get recycled. Over the years have been sold for retaining walls.

One worthy note is that many wood ties have been dipped in creosote which was used to preserve the life of the railway ties. Creosote has a strong oily smell and could be undesirable near pools and patio areas.

Why a Storage Shed?

Storing big garden equipment, be it a John Deer Gator, Toro or other lawn equipment, a large shed is one of the best decision you will make that lasts for years!

PS Shed concrete pad adds to your costs, but the trade off is that shed looks professionally finished and is easy to clean, plus stops the years of critters from digging underneath, getting in, making a mess and destroying your equipment.

Pine Board Wood Fence

Solid Wood Fence acts as a solid no see through Privacy Fence by using 1″ thick 12 inch wide rough sawn pine boards.

Fence was given some unique design by increasing the height of every other board to create a castle effect. Reduced fence height when coming to meet a low metal farm gate.

What Type of Flowering Bulb?

Hyacinths can grow in just water because the nutrients are in the bulb!

Hyacinthus is an early bloomer in Spring coming in range of pinks, blues in single or double petal flowers. Hyacinths blooms only once per year and bloom each year as are a perennial plant.A favorite potted plant in the house with of it’s strong fragrant flowers.

A Mother’s Day gift winner!

Tree Garden Design

No Rules Garden Design!

Here an Old tree has been cleaned up and trimmed up .. adds visual interest and center piece to this relatively small garden.

Just got to find that narly bent tree and mount it securely in your garden.

P.S. Driftwood could be another possibly simpler alternate?

Planting Maple Tree?

New Maple Tree life starts In the Spring from a seed which has fallen from a mature maple tree in late Fall. 

This little Maple is off to a good start with 2 large leaves. “Grow where your land” said mother tree but this little Maple maybe crowded out in the future.

Maple Tree PS: Your local Garden center offers a fast convenient way to buy a Maple in a size you want – you do not have to wait, but bigger trees cost more $$’s.

Why Pressure Treated?

Here is a example of the cut ends of 2″ green pressure treated deck boards. Shown is the inconsistency of the treatment protection due to how porous the wood is and the lumber’s dryness.

Pressure treated lumber has the cheaper lower price point. Try to price cedar and you may be shocked at the cost of cedar today!

Noisy Neighbors?

Thick Cedars planted closely together create one of the best privacy Hedges!

Neighbors overly interested in your life, visitors and street doings are a pest .. so best blocked their view and get back your privacy!

P.S. This Cedar hedge could use a little trimming, the off season of winter is best time to trim, then you would better see the path with the black wrought iron gate.