Posted by Snow in 
Heat got you down?
Use this weekend or next to create a greenspace on your property that can become the next special place for people at your place to meet, share a drink, talk things over or just rest from the orchestrated, formal, scheduled round of obligations that keep the earth turning.
Following is a recipe for a green space to provide a shady cool spot in any yard or garden. Adapt to your landscape plan, earth type, or weather conditions.
Before you dash out to the home store to start loading up your cart, browse the Freecycle or check out the neighborhood for ‘spare parts”. This project is perfect for making out of discards and castoffs.
The nice part about a green space project coming together is that almost nothing is “wrong” to use or do, and every type of item can probably make some contribution. List the steps you’ll need, anticipating any problems along the way. Feel free to substitute materials or ideas of your own.
Use this plan as a blueprint for a variation of this kind of project with assimilating environmental idiosyncrasies. You may want to soften a yard fence corner, or build some interest in that bland flat grass part of the backyard. The circular design of the well revolves against a sun angle in every direction to form shade, sunshine and plant cover all day long.
Coolness from fresh plants and the fresh air make an outstanding relaxation spot to watch stars, enjoy companionship, and entertain. The cooling border ising above the lip or “shoulder” of the ground creates airways that make even triple digits bearable with a little water application to planters and pots that hold the moisture in the green space “well.”
Green spaces start with the setup. Find a breezeway or place where hair whips around and eyes crinkle even if the area looks like flats where it lies. Dig down in the middle, drawing a circle from the centerpoint. Clear earth and sand about two to three feet down, less if necessary. Give the circle a few days to fully dry out. If necessary, cure walls with the appropriate mineral washes. Plastic barrier can be removed every few months for disinfecting.
Depending on your area’s climate and temperature average, lay down a plastic barrier between the earth and greenspace floor. This prevents ground critters from advancing against feet while people are relaxing in the greenspace. The curve of the greenspace well will enhance and deepen and breeze or wind. A path to the green space can be lined with different earth or sand that continues down into the “well”.
Depending how deep your “well” is, plant ‘flagpoles” of concrete beds or trellis poles based in a hexagon shape positioned around the inside of the well. One side green spaces (or two sided) can work with some repositioning of elements.
Lay down brick or concrete blocks, cross hatching the items to tamp down earth and secure trellis poles but allow air to flow between earth and air. Plants placed here will keep the green space cool.
This is a fantastic way to re-use flagpoles and umbrellas poles with cement bases. If the poles are placed sturdily enough, bricks can also be used to build a few inches (or feet) in the green space well shoulder. Found stones boulders or rocks can be embedded in the ground or walkway down into the well for design and texture appeal. Trellis panels can be hung with hanging planters, screws with curling hooks for plants, and the well area lined with brick or cement block arrangements stacked in different heights
Elevate the “shoulder’ of the green space well by using trellis and rolling trellis panels (framed trellis panels with wheels) above level ground. Rim the well circle to form a heightened shoulder to the green space well. Like a surfing wave, this should extend the height from well bottom to shoulder height to something like four to seven feet.
Anything from lawn furniture to inflatable chairs to leftover granny flat stuff can make way for human. This is enough space for a laptop user or escaping mom to get a breather. In case of emergency, dismantle everything and reassemble when ready.
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