Fence: Part 11 - End-of-Driveway Address Plaque

I finally finished the end-of-driveway address plaque/monument. I'm glad it's done. I'm not sure that I'll add the reflectors back to the front since they were smashed off a year or so ago. And I don't think the monument needs them. My biggest hope is that it doesn't get run over by a garbage truck.

Fence: Part 10 - Post Caps and Rail Caps

I finished installing the post caps and the rail caps on the front half of the fence. I drilled a single hole in the top of the post cap and counter sunk the screw. I may go back and fill the screw holes with some stainable caulk. My spouse and I really like the proportions of the post cap (it's 4.25" square), and they were only one dollar a piece (at Dunn Lumber). The only piece I have left to install is the fascia piece that sits below the rail cap (on the outside of the fence).

Fence: Part 9 - Pickets

I got all the pickets installed on the front half of the fence back in August. It's nice to have the visual privacy.

Fence: Part 8 - Post Cuts

I spent a couple of hours cutting the posts to their finished height on the front half of the fence. I used my Japanese pull saw to make the cuts and a couple of 2x4 remnants clapped to the post as guides. I made nine cuts in all. I also applied a wood preservative to the tops of the posts to help reduce rot. 

Attack on Stump Hill

My kids and I have been leveling the old hill where the old locust tree stump is located. The hill dirt has some garbage mixed in as well as some ash. We've moved about 12 wheel barrows full of dirt so far. We've added the dirt (that has had most of the trash removed) to the west end of Mount Hill where the dirt from under the house has been put. The kids have really enjoyed shoveling and raking, especially the two-year-old.

We've been meaning to get around to leveling this hill since we bought the house. The raspberries have grown so close to the hill that I wanted to level it so that they didn't take root on it. It's also something fun to do with the kids.

Eye Bolt

I've added a couple of eye bolts to the posts at the end of the driveway. Now we have something to tie balloon strings to when we have a party. My neighbors can do this as well!

Maybe I'll add another eye bolt to the post on the south side of the driveway too. That way I can hang a rope to block the driveway if I need to.

Hedge Transplant Begins

I have finally begun transplanting the hedge plants (lonicera nitida) that are inside the fence. I'm moving them to the end of the driveway where the plants are small and stunted (mostly due to some high school kids stomping on them a few years ago). This will allow me to eventually finish the fence more easily and have a some nice sunny gardening space. The blueberry plants will likely be moved when the hedge plants are currently.

I'm having to trim back quite a bit of the bush before moving it because the bush branches have grown into one another's spaces. It's also good to trim a plant back when transplanting it so as to reduce the energy needs of the plant and therefore the stress level of the transplant. Or so I've read and seen in practice.

The plant on the very end of the run is tiny and was always a runt. I will likely just end up tossing it. The next one it is very big and healthy. This is the first plant that I'm going to move.

Here's the final location of the first plant. I've planted it so that it is more vertical than it was before. I hope it likes its new home. I've given it some compost and will give it more as well as some mulch (maybe bark chips).