Birds & Blooms gave me the idea last summer, with this picture...
Then last Jan, I finally got to the Wildflower Center while on a business trip to Austin, and saw this.
That crystallized the concept for me. The picture I took in Austin is pretty much exactly what I'd like in my front yard. I haven't talked to my local pond guy since getting my final concept, but I know it will be cheaper than my original huge pond concept. And he's a neighbor, so he'll give me a good deal. AND he'll let me do as much of the digging as I can, to keep labor costs down that way, as well.
But first I need the retaining wall built. Pond guy says I need to do it all at one time, because each piece flows to the next, and we would be using the same rubber liner for both the bog and the other part. I, however, am very much my mother's daughter. We tend to be a little more unconventional in our approaches to things.
My idea is to do it in 3 phases, as I can afford it. 1) build the retaining wall with the drain pipe running underneath it to the yard. 2)use one of my dog's old wading pools for the bog pond, cutting a hole in one side of it for the drain pipe to enter, and cutting the hole for the drain pipe in the other side of it, but somehow blocking the flow there. 3) dig the streambed, etc.
As for financing it... no plants to sell here - I don't propagate, I just enjoy.
And if I did propagate, I'd have a hard time letting them go to new homes.
And if I did propagate and sell, I'd have probably 10 other uses for the proceeds that are higher priority, and that's just in the yard.
(I have house ideas too, but they're on a 10-15yr plan)
