Why I love my new house

[Griselda]

Vines are definitely not for everybody.:) That's why I listed them last, actually.

My nest spruces seem to grow pretty evenly in all directions, and really slowly. I like the softness of them. I have one at the corner of the driveway where I need to walk by with the hose all the time. If I park too close, I can still squeeze by against the bush without cursing its existence. Plus it's tough enough that the hose rubbing against it doesn't hurt it. That one is a mature one, and it's about 4 feet high and pretty round without any pruning done to it. It took at least 10 years for it to attain that height. The ones we planted at the old house maybe 6 years ago are only about 2.5 feet tall at the moment. They get more competition from weeds and less water, though.

Cedar bushes sound nice, too. I've never had any myself.:) We have some nice little Cypress shrubs, though.

Most shrubs, at least around here, don't lose their leaves. In fact, people tend to pay extra for deciduous shrubs because they get the color changing foliage. I don't know if it would be the same in your zone, but you might not want to rule out the non-conifers if you see something else that you like.

[ShadowHM]

The steps are 3 feet wide. The junipers definitely make them seem more narrow than they really are.
If I replace them with another shrubbery, it's definitely going to be something coniferous. I'll have enough leaves to rake up as it is. I want something that will grow slowly and vertically. The pictures I saw of nest spruces look nice, but they seem to be more of a horizontal-growing plant.

There are ornamental cedar varieties that do grow slowly and vertically. A visit to a good nursery and a consultation with one of their shrub specialists would likely come up with some possibilities, if you really want another shrub there.

I planted Hicks Yews at either side of my front door, some 20 years ago. They are slow growing and have a nice pyramid shape. After all this time, they are still about 5 feet high.

No vines and no flowers! My wife and I are not flower people, and vines are just nasty. I'd like something low-maintainance to visually frame the entrance. I'm still leaning towards a pair of cedars.

Another thought for you (although they are classified as flowers :whistling:) is hostas. They are incredibly hardy - the flowers for folks who don't want to have to actually do anything. Their flowers are generally not very showy - people grow them for the look of the foliage. You may already have some - if I squint at the photograph of your house, I can see what might be hostas just to the left of your drain pipe. They come in an amazing variety of types, from small to large, with differing colours of leaf. You will be able to pile snow on them with equanimity in the winter (London's snow is famous for its volume) even if you have sprinkled salt on the driveway, and they will survive nicely.

[DeeBye]

I planted Hicks Yews at either side of my front door, some 20 years ago. They are slow growing and have a nice pyramid shape. After all this time, they are still about 5 feet high.

I just Googled this, and they do look pretty good to me. I'll put that one on my list as a definite possibility. Thanks.

[eppie]

I just Googled this, and they do look pretty good to me. I'll put that one on my list as a definite possibility. Thanks.

The question is can they be shaped like a giraffe.


A giant flesh-eating plant that can be trained would be great for the odd unwanted visitor, especially close to the front door.


Deebye, your great at creating nice (non death penalty) threads.

I hope you will have a lot of fun in your new house, it looks fantastic at least.

eppie

[kandrathe]

The question is can they be shaped like a giraffe.
A giant flesh-eating plant that can be trained would be great for the odd unwanted visitor, especially close to the front door.
Deebye, your great at creating nice (non death penalty) threads.

I hope you will have a lot of fun in your new house, it looks fantastic at least.

eppie

I believe the giant flesh eating plants are only hardy in zones 7a and larger.

[Merlinios]

Deebye, your great at creating nice (non death penalty) threads.

Ahh, I knew something was missing here. Any ideas on how to get there? "Do the idiots who wander into your flesh-eating plants deserve it?" "People with astroturf porches should be shot?" I'm open to suggestions.

--me

[DeeBye]

Deebye, your great at creating nice (non death penalty) threads.

I hope you will have a lot of fun in your new house, it looks fantastic at least.

New houses are more work than fun, I'm finding out. I'm hoping the fun starts next summer when I can actually begin to really enjoy my backyard deck and pool.

Tonight I made a trip to ye olde hardware store and bought a few things for some small projects. I replaced the low-flow showerhead in the downstairs bathroom with a regular one, caulked the basement windows, swapped the plastic dryer vent tube with a metal one, put locks on the sheds in my backyard, tarped and bungied my pool filter, and bought a barbecue cover for my naked grill.

edit: and now I think I need to make a trip to a plumbing supply store. Two of my three toilets are running constantly unless I jiggle the handles, and even then they seem to run every now and then. I was told by a plumbing friend of mine that it's likely deteriorated flappers. He suggested that I replace them by turning off the water to the target toilets and removing the chain/flapper and bringing them to a plumbing place to match them up with new ones, and then reinstall. Is this a proper course of action with a running toilet?

[Merlinios]

edit: and now I think I need to make a trip to a plumbing supply store. Two of my three toilets are running constantly unless I jiggle the handles, and even then they seem to run every now and then. I was told by a plumbing friend of mine that it's likely deteriorated flappers. He suggested that I replace them by turning off the water to the target toilets and removing the chain/flapper and bringing them to a plumbing place to match them up with new ones, and then reinstall. Is this a proper course of action with a running toilet?

Well...I guess you could do that. Or you could give it a good, swift kick. I hear dynamite also workse wonders on runny toilets. No toilet, no problem, right?

(I think I get belligerent when I'm sick)

--me

[ShadowHM]

He suggested that I replace them by turning off the water to the target toilets and removing the chain/flapper and bringing them to a plumbing place to match them up with new ones, and then reinstall. Is this a proper course of action with a running toilet?

Been there; done that. If the toilets are really old, you may not find the appropriate replacement part and will have to jiggle every time to make sure the flapper does fall where it is supposed to fall. But otherwise, yes, that is a proper course of action, and will cost you all of about $8 maximum. There is a Rona/Lansing outlet close to me that supplied all the relevant parts.

[Maitre]

New houses are more work than fun, I'm finding out. I'm hoping the fun starts next summer when I can actually begin to really enjoy my backyard deck and pool.

Tonight I made a trip to ye olde hardware store and bought a few things for some small projects. I replaced the low-flow showerhead in the downstairs bathroom with a regular one, caulked the basement windows, swapped the plastic dryer vent tube with a metal one, put locks on the sheds in my backyard, tarped and bungied my pool filter, and bought a barbecue cover for my naked grill.

edit: and now I think I need to make a trip to a plumbing supply store. Two of my three toilets are running constantly unless I jiggle the handles, and even then they seem to run every now and then. I was told by a plumbing friend of mine that it's likely deteriorated flappers. He suggested that I replace them by turning off the water to the target toilets and removing the chain/flapper and bringing them to a plumbing place to match them up with new ones, and then reinstall. Is this a proper course of action with a running toilet?

I actually just finished doing that for the four toilets I've got. In two cases the flapper replacement was enough. In the third one, I had to replace the whole flush valve assembly (same principle as replacing the flapper, but a bit more involved: you have to remove the tank from the base in order to unscrew the thing and then install the new one and return the tank to the base). The last one needed a new fill valve also (easier repair than the flush valve because you can leave the tank attached, but still involves unscrewing the supply line and draining the tank). One thought on the subject: once you positino the chain with the appropriate tension, cut off the excess. I forgot to do that on one of the toilets and got a lecture from my wife about how my actions didn't fix the problem, but when I opened up the lid I found that the end of the excess chain had fallen in the way of the flapper and prevented it from sealing. As ShadowHM points out, supply costs are low for the flapper only route, but a full kit (full flush valve and fill valve replacement) only cost me $15-20. Not sure cause I got some other stuff at the home store that day as well (including a new electric range/oven).