For six years, I’ve been the unfortunate owner of an unspeakable amount of cinder blocks. Literally….the amount of blocks could’ve built a nice retaining wall around China. These blocks were unloaded (dumped) onto our flooded house driveway for some apparent reason only known by God. I moved them here and there before the flood. Then, I moved them here and there AFTER the flood. Cinder blocks are heavy, and as a violinist, I am sure I have better things to do with my time. Over the past few weeks, I finally found the perfect use for the gosh-awful looking cinder blocks, and a forever home was finally found for the ‘ol cinder-ugly blocks.
When I bought the property at the studio a few years back, it was the epicenter of rock, poor soil, stickers, drought and an oddly sloped backyard. It was as if there once was an old homestead there and it was scooped out of the earth with a big huge bulldozer, removing all soil and plant life with it.
Oh wait…….that IS what happened.
Literally…..nothing grew in the backyard except dumped rocks and stickers. And deer pellets. The last few years I have worked extremely hard at restoring the land and it is slowly paying off.
I have begun to move the cinder blocks to the back 5 feet of the yard. I am building a small retaining ledge that will should help with run-off. I have some bushes planted, but the soil doesn’t retain any moisture because the soil is actually a bunch of rocks and granite scraps. I’m building up the soil with compost and the cinder blocks should hold the soil from escaping. I plan to line the entire back 5 feet of the yard with the ugly blocks. I am digging up the Iris that tried to hold back the tide of broken granite, and I am planting the Iris in front of the blocks. Inside the blocks, I will plant chives and other herbs. This worked well at the flooded house, and the herbs distract the eyes from the horrifically ugly blocks. I currently move a few blocks every day, then soak in a steaming hot bath with Epson Salts bath every night. I should be done with the project by Spring…..atleast I hope to be finished by Spring. I still need to finish deer-proofing the garden, and finish the little wooden artistic barrier than I am creating around the beautiful old Live Oak tree. I also need to plant the 15 bushes and antique roses Luciano brought me yesterday….but that is another blog.
For now,, the cinder-ugly blocks are my main focus,, and finally have found a forever home.
Happy Gardening, my friends!!