Centipedes At the New House

We first encountered centipedes in our last house.  It was a bi-level house with the main living area mainly below ground with the back opening to the water in what some would call a walk-out basement.  The centipedes were bad because the previous owner was a hoarder so there were ample hiding spots for them to breed.  When we moved in, the clutter was gone so we were left to deal with the numerous centipedes.  I wrote a blog post on how to control house centipedes.  I took a very aggressive knock down then ongoing control approach.  We sold that house in September, buying another bi-level house and weren't even moved fully in before spotting the first centipede.

In fairness, I think since September 1 we have only spotted 3 centipedes in the new house, no where near the number of centipedes at the other house.  It was quite common to see upwards of four or five centipedes daily at the old house.  In all honesty, we should have called in a professional exterminator to deal with the centipede and spider problem at that house.

The lower level in our new home consists of the pantry, bathroom, games rooms and storage under the stairs.  There is an exit door at the end of the hall.  Anytime windows and doors are located near or below the ground level, there is the opportunity for insects and pests to get into the house.  We did a residual spray on the lower level of the new house which was a bit of overkill because the new house has a couple of features that will help to keep any insect controlled without the use of pesticides.  Essentially is does not provide centipedes with what they need to survive but because we have a pool that creates a damper area around the house, we need to stay on top of controlling insects attracted to damp areas.  We also have a sump pump that can attract moisture loving insects.

First, the centipede population is not big enough to be of concern.  The quick knock down will more than likely solve the problem.  The house is only 17 years old meaning it is considerably better sealed than the old house.  Sealing keeps insects and pests out of the house because there is less cracks for them to get into the house.  There is no carpeting in the new house.  Did you know that centipedes actually lay their eggs in carpeting?  This greatly reduces the breeding areas for centipedes.  I vacuum the hard flooring almost daily as part of my dust control which will effectively remove any centipede eggs that may be laid in the house.  Any damp clothing or cloths are hung to dry before going into the laundry hamper.  This is just good practice anyway even if you don't have insects that are attracted to moisture.  It prevents any molding issues too.  Finally, the lower level of our new house (unlike our old house) has an abundance of natural light.  This discourages insects like centipedes that prefer darker hiding spots.

In short, I don't anticipate any problem with centipedes at our new house.  I doubt we will see more than a couple in the year, likely in the spring and fall during the wet seasons.  The nice thing is we already know how to deal with centipedes!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2011

When to Use a Residual Insecticide

Chemical insecticides can be quite useful in and around the garden when used properly.  They are available in two types.  The first is a quick action, complete no residual effect like most typical insect sprays.  The second is a quick kill with residual action that may last from 3 months to a year.  If you have an exterminator in they will use an insecticide with residual action to give you lasting protection for 6 months to a year.  So how do you know when to use a residual insecticide?

First you have to understand the insect or arachnid you are trying to control.  In many cases the use of any chemical insecticide can be avoided by manual removal and this method doesn't harm beneficial insects like honey bees.  So that should always be your first line of attack.  If you have a large infestation of something like termites, house centipedes, carpenter ants, certain spiders or cockroaches you may need to us an insecticide that has residual effects.  The reason for this is these insects are problematic to begin with causing potential risk to humans (eg. insect bites, asthma) and in the case of termites and carpenter ants the potential risk for property damage. 

Use an insecticide that kills on contact with at least a 3 month residual action that will effectively kill off any of the babies the initial spraying did not affect.  Pay special attention to any sources of entry into your house these pests may find.  Once the spray has dried go back and seal any of the entry points possible.  The next step is to identify any problem areas.  For example house centipedes feed off of other insects that like moisture like earwigs and pill bugs.  So they are an indicator species.  If you treated for house centipedes look for any areas where moisture is a problem in and around your house then correct the problem.  Spiders indoors are a sign of air leakage so check for any drafts wherever you find spider webs.  A residual insecticide gives you a bit of time to get control of these types of infestations while taking the necessary steps to correct the problem.

A residual insecticide should not be used for:

• surfaces or areas where it will come into contact with food
• insect control for edible plants
• temporary insect control
• minor insect infestations
• in high winds or adverse weather conditions or on high heat/very sunny days
• as a permanent solution to an infestation that has other corrective methods

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

We Have Wasps

A few mornings ago I'm sitting at the computer when I hear a loud buzzing noise.  It took me a few minutes to figure out it was coming from the laundry room so I investigated.  In between the window pane and screen there was a wasp making a fair amount of noise.  A couple of days later I heard the noise again so went to check and look what I discovered!

Somehow the window screen has been pushed out at the bottom allowing access for the wasps.  The first step will be to push the screen back in tightly.  Once we are sure there is no further activity we will remove the nest and replace the screen tightly in place.  This method should solve the problem without resorting to any chemical control.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

The Ant Colony

I have written a few posts here on dealing with insect control in the house.  The first line of defense in any infestation is to do a complete knock-down followed by sealing as many ports of entry as possible.  Sealing insects out is one of the most effective ways to prevent any insect problems.  For the most part I don't concern myself with insects outdoors unless they are damaging the garden or have the potential to cause problems indoors.  In some cases as with fire ants, the potential to cause physical harm is high especially for little ones. 

Spotting a swarming ant colony on the sidewalk about a foot from our bedroom window that is a ground level was a concern.  Ants swarm when their colony is disrupted for some reason meaning they are looking for another location to re-establish.  When they do this close to windows and doors there is a very good chance of them getting indoors.  The most effective way to deal with a swarming ant colony is boiling water.  Pour the boiling water directly on the swarming ants to kill them off on contact.  There may be a few stragglers let behind but unless you notice them swarming in the same location again the colony has been effectively killed off without the use of pesticides and without having to deal with problems if they get into the house.  Be warned that the boiling water method will kill vegetation and is an effective weed control.  If the ants are swarming in a location where there is vegetation other than grass you may need to use a manual or chemical control method.  Stomping is an effective manual method without resorting to chemicals. 

Here's a short video of the ant colony swarming.  There has been no digging or other disruption where this colony was so I'm not sure why they were swarming.  At any rate they were too close to the house to not take action.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Get Your Defenses Up - It's Bug Time

It's that time of year where insects like to come into the house.  While you will never be able to entirely eliminate insects from getting into your house there are ways to reduce any potential problems.  This is the time to nip any problems before they happen!  Problematic insects tend to be earwigs, centipedes, ants, pill bugs, mosquitoes and flies but there can be many more.  If you have a elder tree on your property Box Elder bugs can be an annoying problem not they are harmful but just in their numbers and the droppings they leave behind.  Here are a few tips:

• Caulk and seal any possible sources of entry including around wires and pipes coming into your house.  Use expandable spray insulation for gaps larger than a quarter inch.  Use a temporary clear caulk to seal screen frame to the outer frames so insects can't get through any gaps between the screen frame and outer frame.
• Check all screens, windows  and doors to be sure insects cannot get in.  Repair any tears in screens and seal any cracks around doors and windows. 
• Remember an open patio door or unscreened entrance door cannot keep insects out.  Keep doors and entrances closed as much as possible. 
• Remove all food sources for insects like ants.  Place open food bags or containers in sealed glass, plastic or any other barrier ants cant get through.
• Vacuum, vacuum, vacuum to keep all food crumbs, insect eggs and insect carcasses out to prevent insects that feed off of food, hatching insects and insects that feed off of other insects living or dead out of your house.  Use a handheld vacuum to keep surfaces crumb free between more aggressive vacuuming.
• Keep all damp clothing, towels and laundry off the floor.  Hang on hooks or racks temporarily to air dry until you have a chance to wash them.
• Turn outdoor lights off at night or put them on a motion sensor to prevent flying insects being attracted to the light.
• Use organic methods outdoors to create an insect barrier  5 - feet around the perimeter of your house.  Remove any dead or dying vegetation and wood chips.  If necessary treat the perimeter with diatomous earth or finely ground egg shells. 

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Insects as Problem Indicators

Shortly after moving into this house we noticed a problem with creepy crawlies.  Now I'm not terrified of insects but I would prefer them to not be in our house.  Some of these insects were to be expected given the location and design of the house.  What we really learned is insects can be a very good indicator of other problems such as moisture.  If you eliminate the causation then you eliminate the insects.  We also learned that even though you eliminate the cause it can sometimes take a couple of weeks to notice any change in the number of insects.  At times especially if the insect problem is caused from infiltration though cracks and crevices it is quite possible to seal these effectively sealing the insects in the house.  In this case it may take manual removal as well a natural die off to eliminate those insects inadvertently trapped in the house.   

Creepy Crawlies

We identified a few problem insects like the huge diving spiders (top left) and large black funnel spiders (top right).  The boxwoods edging the lower patio were laiden with funnel spiders giving them easy access to indoors.  Originally we thought the multitude of house centipedes (bottom left) were normal but after considerable research we found they were actually beneficial insects and indicators of other insect infestations combined with moisture.  Earwigs (bottom right) were quite common around the foundation and occasionally a few found their way indoors.  Other insects not pictured that enjoyed our indoors during our first year were pill bugs, millipedes, carpenter ants and a small fuzzy brown beetle with yellow markings. 

We took an aggessive approach to sealing insects out of the house that involved a lot of caulking.  However, the lower main living area including kitchen is mainly below grade with windows and patio door at ground level making any tiny gap an insect point of entry.  Despite our efforts the centipedes remained our house companions all be it in much lower numbers.  Up to the time of the discovery of our major plumbing problem in 2009 the centipede count was up to 17.

End of Day

In August of 2009 we discovered the reason for some of our major plumbing problems that caused flooding in the furnace room.  The portion of the drainage pipes were dug up from the house to the side of the patio leaving us with a lovely hole resembling a grave for a couple of weeks while the plumber did a lot of troubleshooting to discover the actual problem.  Having dealt with having the front yard dug up the year before due to plumbing problems we knew it would likely be a huge mess.   This solution resulted in running new drainage lines tearing up a good portion of our backyard.  Pictured is the backyard after the new lines were run.

With fall quickly approaching I geared up for the increased sightings of earwigs and centipedes.  Instead what happened is I spotted one centipede in mid September and that was it.  Apparently with the drainage working properly thanks to the aggressive approach we took, the area around the foundation quickly drained and dried.  During the rains the water drained quickly away.  So the centipedes were an indicator of other moisture liking insects (pill bugs, earwigs).  We have seen no pill bugs or earwigs indoors other than an occasional on that comes through the patio door.  A residual insecticide along the patio door threshold as well as the outer window sills has stopped insects before they can get inside.  Removing the moisture problem eliminated these insects which in turn eliminated a source of food for the centipedes resulting in eliminating the centipedes.  Or at least I think they are eliminated.  Spring is coming so that will be the confirming test even though we have stayed centipede free since mid September.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

House Centipede Control

I wrote about our first encounters with creepy crawlies shortly after moving into this house. Every house brings its problems as far as pests go. The house I grew up in backed onto a river and had a dirt floor basement. Oh how I hated that basement. Mice were normal inhabitants and it seemed there was nothing my Mom could do to rid the house of them. But we also had other lovelies like muskrat, snapping turtles, skunks and snakes not only on the property but they would find a way into that basement. Our first apartment as a married couple was brand new and blissfully pest free except for the occasional fly or mosquito. After several apartments all for the most part relatively pest free we bought our first house that aside from the occasional spider, flies and mosquitoes was also pest free. Our second house was on a crawspace so while insects weren't a huge problem in the house itself they were likely in the crawlspace. The third house introduced us to the joys of earwigs! The fourth house took away the earwings and gave us mice, a bumble bee hive as well as a snake nest in the crawlspace. This house continues with rodent concerns (voles, field mice), a return of earwigs, sow bugs, spiders, black ants, centipedes and millipedes, skunks, raccoons, possums and rabbits.

Dead Centipede!
April 9, 2008

Most concerning are the centipedes because they are horrid looking despite being harmless to humans. If they bite which is highly unlikely it is no worse than a bee sting. My philosophy for insect control rests with elimination followed by prevention. In order to do this you really need to know your pest. Unfortunately, the centipedes have continued to invade or more likely we are seeing the babies that have not been able to get out of the house. The problem is the centipedes appear when least expected usually when I'm holding a full cup of coffee! So I decided to do a bit of research to see exactly what I was up against.

The House Centipede (Scutigera coleoptrata) lives its entire life cycle in buildings usually on the ground level where it preys on other insects like spiders, cockroaches, termites, silverfish, ants and bedbugs. It reaches a length of 1 to 2 inches and has 15 pairs of legs that allow it to run at lightening fast speeds across floors and ceilings as well as climb walls. These menacing looking critters can live up to five years in a house. They lay their eggs in the spring. Newly hatched centipedes have 4 pairs of legs, gaining new pairs of legs with the first molt and two pairs with each successive molt. House centipedes are predators and therefore when you see them in the house they are a good indicator of other insects being present whether or not you can see them. So House centipedes are actually beneficial inside the house.

Elimination: The first rule of thumb when trying to control centipedes is to remove any clutter or hiding spots then look for signs their prey. Remove their prey and habitat, the house centipedes will move on. Aside from spiders that tend to construct webs where there is a draft, other insects may not give a clue as to how they are getting in so start with spiders. Every time you see a spider web mark that spot, remove the web and caulk. Use a pesticide with a residual effect (eg. Hot Shot® Ant Killer Plus or Spider Killer, kills up to 3 months) along cracks, crevices and baseboard. Make sure you treat all rooms and behind all furniture as this will assist you in investigative measures at the next step. A surprising number of insects can get in the house via the tiny cracks around removable window screens. Use a residual spray both inside and out on all window and door frames. Don't forget to keep doors especially patio door screens closed to prevent insects from getting in the house. Spray all outside entry points with a residual spray (eg. Raid Outdoor Ant & Roach, 4 week residual effect) such as but not limited to any wires or pipes that go through the house wall as well as where the house sits on the sill. This will effectively kill off those insects such as termites or ants that may be using wires and plumbing as a port of entry. Leave as is for 4 to 5 days then caulk well for a permanent solution.

Investigative measures: After spraying indoors with a residual spray you will need to take investigative measures. This means checking the perimeter of every room in your house at least daily for the next week. Use a post-it note to mark any location where you find dead insects. Clean up any dead insects to remove the food source for those insects that feed off of decomposing insects. Continue checking any areas where you find dead insects while also checking for new locations.

Insects are seldom found hovering near their port of entry. Centipedes will commonly be found near drains in the kitchen or bathrooms because they need moisture not because that is where their food supply is or that's how they got in. Spiders will be found near cracks because the draft helps cool their egg sack. Carpenter ants will be found in wood that has had moisture problems. The problem is if you see one insect you can be sure his bothers, sisters and all other relatives are happily living in your home as well. You should only need to use a residual spray once in the house with the exception of window and door frames that are being opened provided you continued prevention. The residual spray accomplishes three things. First it kills off those insects present in the house and continues killing them off for a period of time. Second, the residual effect will often kill invading insects quite close to where they are entering the house so that is the area you should focus on first for sealing. Third, a residual spray will give you a time frame within which time you should be able to seal all entry points. That means if you discover a problem in the winter when getting outdoors to seal with caulk would be difficult a residual spray will buy you enough time for the weather to start warming so you can seal.

Prevention: No house or building will ever be 100% insect free but with preventative measures they should be relative pest free. Ok, so you have done your initial elimination and investigation so now it is onto prevention.

• habitats: Any moisture problems such as dripping taps inside or outside, standing water, damp laundry on floors and similar should be fixed. Hang any damp clothes on a rack off the floor if they cannot be washed immediately. Inside keep rooms clutter free and clean! Clutter provides a wonderful pest habitat allowing them to reproduce without you even knowing they are there except for an occasional sighting. Remove centipede habitats such as decaying mulch, English ivy, and decaying clippings to create a 5 foot barrier around your home. Correct any moisture problems such as faulty drainpipes or standing water near the house foundation.
• food source: Centipedes will not go after your food supply but they do prey on other insects that will enjoy a free food handout. All dried foods (sugars, flours, pastas, cereals and etc) should be stored in glass, metal or plastic containers. Be warned that some of these foods can introduce insects to your home so I go as far as to isolate new purchases right away to prevent any introduce insect invasion from spreading. Also be warned that a determined rodent can chew through plastic so if rodents are a problem use glass or metal containers. Keep your counters and floors squeaky clean. If you have windows at ground level as our main living area has, keep all food in the fridge and off the counters or keep the windows shut if you have problems with rodents, skunks and etc. Vacuuming regularly will remove any eggs insects have deposited as well as dead insect carcasses other insects feed on or catch the occasional insect that got through your defenses. Again, keep your home clutter free! Silverfish are prey for centipedes and earwigs. They feed off of glues in book bindings and magazines as well as photos, sugar, hair and dandruff. So if you have a large population of silverfish in your home hiding in those stacks of paper clutter in your basement, you will likely have a healthy population of house centipedes and/or earwigs. Store these types of food sources in sealed cabinets or plastic bins. Eliminate the silverfish and you eliminate the centipedes.
• keep them out: Caulk any entry points regardless of how small they appear. Careful caulking using a high quality (20 year plus) caulk will help keep pests out. Use weather stripping on screens to prevent spiders and other creepy crawlies from getting underneath. Continually check for any cracks especially in the spring and fall months. Seal any cracks that you find immediately. Keep a constant look-out for any signs of re-infestation so you can nib those in the bud before they become a problem.

Using these methods we have almost entirely rid our house of centipedes. They no longer see our house as a friendly place to hunker down because both their prey and habitat have been eliminated. We are still checking for cracks and other points of entry on a regular basis. We still see the occasional centipede but that's to be expected until the house is fully sealed and given the fact that we have likely sealed a few centipedes from getting out.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2008

Creepy Crawlies

We have creepy crawlies! This is to be expected living on the water in a house surrounded by lush vegetation. Given our house is earth bermed with at least three windows at ground level and patio doors, the conditions are very favourable for insects getting indoors. For the most part I do not mind creepy crawlies in the garden but I do mind them in the house. As with any pest whether in the garden or house the first step is identifying to determine if they are beneficial or harmful. The second step is removal if harmful, poisonous or invading the house. The third step is prevention.

Creepy Crawlies

There are several spider species here ranging from very small to a couple of larger, ominous looking ones. Daddy Longleg and Cobweb (Pholcus phalangioides) spiders are quite abundant as well (not pictured). I think the smaller one on the right is a Domestic Spider (Achaearanea tepidariorum) a common but harmless spider found around the home. I haven't identified the larger spider on the left yet. We also have centipedes that do have a poisonous bite, menacing looking earwigs, pillbugs and numerous smaller beetles.

For the most part, identification has been made. This is important when mounting a plan of attack with prevention being a key part of the attack. Spiders almost always construct their webs in areas where there is a draft. Centipedes are predators to spiders so eliminate the spiders and the centipede go away. Earwigs and centipedes like moist, dark areas. I'm not sure what attracts pill bugs as they just seem to march along. Ants are generally attracted by a food source.

My plan of attack after identification starts with elimination. This means removing any and all creepy crawlers usually by manual methods. Any heavy infestations may need to be controlled by chemical means. The next step is prevention which includes eliminating food sources, hiding spots, nesting areas, along with any other attractors as well as sealing entry points. The following highlights some of the measures I'm taking for our situation. It will be an ongoing project that will require constant vigilence but less action over time.

Materials Needed:

• glass jars with lids
• paintable caulk
• caulking gun
• expandable spray foam
• broad spectrum insecticide (Bio-Mist by green earth)
• specific insecticides (Spider Ban by CIL, Raid Max by Johnson)
• pressurized sprayer
• safety equipment - mask, disposable gloves
  

Elimination Methods:

If the insect is something harmless like a cricket then the easiest thing to do is catch it an release. It is quite helpful to mark any entry points if you can see them. In the case of spiders I always tag the area with a post-it note before removing the spider. These are areas where air is infiltrating so need further attention. A vacuum cleaner is ideal for sucking up these kinds of critters too whether dead or alive. If need be use a spray like Raid Max to quickly kill off larger numbers of the creepy crawlies but only use this method if you can't eliminate them manually without chemicals. One creating but satisfying gadget is the Bug Zapper.

Bug Zapper

I have a hand held bug zapper as one way to manually take care of creepy crawlies. This is a nifty little gadget When the button on the side is pushed the wires electrocute the insect that can then be vacuumed up. Warning: This gadget looks like a toy but should be kept well away from children. It can do serious harm. Never touch the metal wire whether the unit is on or not. For your protection ground the unit before storing. Ok, so that's the high tech, slightly sadistic way of dealing with creepy crawlies and it does work.

Prevention:

The first rule of thumb is to keep the invaders out. Build up your defenses so they can't get in and if they do the environment is such that they will want to move on.

little things: I'm very careful to hang anything that is wet or damp whether it is for the laundry or not. If left on the floor or laundry hamper it provides the perfect spot for earwigs. I store all dried foods in sealable glass containers that prevent any pests from getting into. The kitchen floor and countertops are kept squeeky clean. Garbage is taken out nightly. I also careful to vacuum regularily something that would be done anyway.

sprays: Once you have the creepy crawlies out of the house you want to prevent more from getting in. I use a few methods for this. Spiders can be controlled indoors and outdoors by using a product called SpiderBan by CIL, a rapid knock-down product. This product contains Permethrin and while it has low mammalian toxicity, caution is needed. There is a residual effect so it keeps working after dry. To use dilute 20 ml into 1 L of water. Put it in a sprayer and spray areas until wet. Indoors focus on baseboards, cracks or other areas where spiders hide. I decided not to use this product indoors if at all possible but I did use it outdoors spraying liberally the areas around windows and doors as as any areas that I found spiders on the house. I plan on repeating this treatment at least once before the cold weather sets in. Bio Mist, a broad spectrum and rapid knock-down product by earth green is ideal for controlling centipede and earwig infestations. It is used much the same way as SpiderBan is used except it is for outdoor treatment. Remove any decaying vegetation. Mulched areas near the house should be sprayed as should bushes. Special attention should be paid to cracks and crevices. If the infestation is bad, call in a pest control company that will do a knock-out then proceed to preventing further infestations. Note: When using sprays follow the instructions and use safety equipment.

sealing: Cracks, holes and gaps allow insects and other pests to enter your home. At the same time they cost you money by letting causing drafts and letting heating air out. So it makes good economical sense all the way around that these entry points need to be sealed. The easiest way to do this is to caulk. Keep a tube of caulk ready to go so that you can seal cracks as you notice them. Outside, remove old caulk and re-caulk. Pay special attention to gaps around pipes or wires entering the house. For larger cracks or gaps, use and expandable spray foam.

We have already noticed a dramatic decrease in spiders and centipedes in the house using these methods. I'm sure I hit at least one breeding spot for the centipedes as since spraying we've found two dead and two alive. The last one is thought to have come in through the kitchen window left open at night. It's at ground level and the centipede was in the sink. I've since sprayed the area around the kitchen window again and so far no other centipedes have been spotted. With diligence I'm sure we can keep the creepy crawlers out in the gardens where they belong!


Garden Gnome
© 2007

Let's Talk Sod

When we decided to by this house we had the main goal of buying waterfront property for family use. If you have read any of my other blogs you will know what a strong emphasis we put on family. We loved the look of the new backyard aka our outdoor living space that ends at the water's edge and has a park-like setting but we knew we would have to make some modifications. While during the week it is my husband and I at home the kids are home so there are usually nine of us but with the soon to be new additions that number will be thirteen. We do a lot of entertaining that includes extended family members and friends so we often have thirty or more for weekend outdoor events. Since the water plays a large roll too, it was important to use to create a comfortable and useable outdoor living space.

Before

Unfortunately the backyard was quite overgrown. The larger picture shows part of the backyard and deck after we removed a large forsythia bush that prevented entry onto the dock (1) and raise the tree bonnets so we could see the water. Removing the bush made the dock useable but we needed to repair the area in front of the dock. Under all the trees there were small, overgrown gardens (2) with five cedar bushes surrounding one (3) silver maple. The cedar bushes were mosquito and spider magnets. An old and neglected pathway of stepping stones (4) led to the dock but we decided they had to go as well.

Prep work including removing all of the overgrown gardens, cedar bushes (3) and stepping stones. Not shown in the picture is a circle about 6' diameter at the start of the stepping stones that originally was paved with a fountain the original owner somehow forgot to leave behind. Removal of the vegetation took a few days and a few trips to a relative's burn pile. The cement was recycled for errosion control by a friend. The cleaned areas were raked well and topped with top soil just before laying the sod.

The sod came in rolls on a flatbed trailer and yes it is heavy (5). This is a DIY project but because of the time factor getting the house ready for the anniversary party, we hired it out. The weather was working against us, very hot and humid. Once part of the sod was laid where the cedar bushes had been (6) we knew we had made the right decision. New picnic tables (7) were assembled for the party (more on that later).

The sod was looking rather sad during the installation process (1). The temperatures were blistering hot and the summer had been unseasonably dry that I think the only thing that saved the existing grass was the copious amounts of shade. I took a picture from the upper sunporch of our newly gained yard space that hopefully would be ready in time for our anniversary party.

The sod went in on the Thursday before the anniversary party so we kept the water going until late Sunday afternoon. The sod was practically swimming! We let the ground firm from then until the party. While it did not look like a pristine, well manicured lawn it was considerably better than it had been and held up well with the extra traffic of almost seventy people. The following day we watered in the morning only then continued doing that for the following five days.

Now

This is not the best picture as it was taken from the upper level sunporch through the screen. The numbers show all the areas where we sodded. As you can see the space is now expanded to fit our needs. The sod is doing nicely and thanks to Mother Nature we haven't had to water as much. Oh and just up from 5 we removed an entire small garden something I forgot about when preparing the picture.

It is always very important to us to create an appealing outdoor livingspace for our family and friends wherever we live. We are very pleased with the results so far. In the spring we will be working in more vegetation, mainly herbs around the perimeter but keeping the centre portion open and user friendly. An overgrown sloping garden with English Ivy ground cover will more than likely be replaced with an herbal garden since it is close to the kitchen. We've decided to keep what vegetables we are growing out of the backyard ares and while that is proving to be a bit more challenging it fits in our scheme of creating a warm, welcoming and functional area to entertain larger groups of of family and friends.

Garden Gnome
© 2007