plans for a rocky road
This fall, we have begun a new landscaping project, using rocks to embellish a length of road on our property.
On our travels this summer, we were impressed by the many ways home landscapers use stone as a signature element. Some of these ventures were as simple as a stone wall snaking through the woods. Some had elaborate stone benches, stone sculptures, or carefully-built piles of stones.
We have an offshoot to our driveway, intended some day to form half of a circular road. Over the years, we have added some stone embellishments to this road and its associated path, so it seems to me to be the perfect place to develop our own rock project.
To date, we have the following features in place, some in an advanced state of disrepair:
- two stone pillars, about three feet in diameter – each is a page-wire cage filled with rock
- an ‘old-fashioned’ rock wall constructed of granite stones, each about the size of a large honeydew melon
- a lopsided (fallen-down) sundial built of small angular rocks in the shape of a cone
- a chunk of black basalt, a five-sided, columnar volcanic feature, harvested from the shore where my ancestors came to Canada via shipwreck
- a stone ‘stream’ built years ago before we purchased more property and Fern Gully Brook entered our lives – this stream is a one foot wide course of small stones screened from a pile of pit-run gravel. It ‘runs’ from a small artificial pond and is now completely overflowing with dry leaves.
- existing rock and stone features on the road and path
Over the next months, we want to add some features to the road:
- rebuild our formerly wonderful granite fire pit in a new location along the road
- create two new lengths of stone wall to match the existing wall
- build a stone statue or monument
- lay out a circle of stones to mark the one area where we can see the Milky Way from our property (star-gazing is difficult since we have so many trees)
- build a stone embankment-with-moss feature to emulate a lovely roadway we saw at my brother’s wedding last year.
- rock and stone features we plan to add
Over the next year, it is my intention to report back on the progress made on our Rock Project. If you never hear another word about this project, remember – I like to plan.
Copyright Jane Tims 2011
nichepoetryandprose 
[…] Although the Rocky Road is part of our driveway, it is also meant as a hiking path where I can walk safely, using a cane or my walker if needed. It is part of the ‘rocky road’ project started many years ago and described on this blog https://janetims.com/2011/11/13/plans-for-a-rocky-road/ […]
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February 6, 2023 at 12:35 pm
Looks like you have excellent and well-thought-out landscaping plans, Jane! Best of luck on the job 🙂
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Watching Seasons
November 17, 2011 at 9:35 pm
Hi. Thanks, Tracy. We will see how we progress!!! Jane
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jane tims
November 17, 2011 at 10:00 pm
Hi Jane
Excellent maps. What software are you using?
Ah there’s nothing more then a long, long list of outdoor projects that make a property special. And I can see your list is LONG like ours …lol. But, isn’t that always the way? I don’t think I would be happy if I didn’t have a long list in front of me. Adds to a certain je ne sais pas quoi excitement in the anticipation of working and checking them off that said list.
Now, enough playing blogging. Have chores to do. See you guys soon.
-Denis
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JD
November 15, 2011 at 7:42 am
Hi. Lists sometimes doom the items to the uncompleted-forever list. However, it gives us a goal to work on. The software… belive it or not…is Power Point. I am a wiz with Power Point. Jane
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jane tims
November 15, 2011 at 5:37 pm
Sounds like a good project – looking forward to following your progress over the course of the year!
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Barbara Rodgers
November 14, 2011 at 4:15 pm
Hi. There’ll be posts to describe our progress. I hope we have progress to report! Jane
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jane tims
November 14, 2011 at 6:30 pm
Hi Jane, I like seeing stones used as a “signature element” also. That’s interesting that you have a feature that remembers how your ancestors came to Canada by shipwreck. Mine came to America from Sweden and Germany. Love your drawing as always! Ellen
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Ellen Grace Olinger
November 13, 2011 at 11:30 am
Hi Ellen. I’ll have to do a post on the shipwreck since I have quite a bit of information. I also have ancestors from Germany who settled in Pennsylvania. Thanks! Jane
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jane tims
November 14, 2011 at 6:31 am