Backyard of the Port Washington Home
T-Square's Childhood Home
Painted by My Grandpa

Word of the Day

Sassitude - A position of the body or manner of carrying oneself in a fashion suggestive of arrogance; cockiness; superiority.

Last summer my folks gave me three paintings that my Grandfather (T-Square's Dad) painted along with a couple of paintings done by T-Square's Aunt, and a colorized photograph. One of these paintings, done by my Grandfather, illustrates the end result of the following article, written by my Dad, T-Square on March 24, 2013.

How to Landscape a Yard

With six inches of snow still on the ground, that may seem like a strange title for an essay, but Spring is just around the corner and it’s best to be prepared.

Let me take you back a few years...well, quite a few actually. The year was 1936. My parents had just completed construction of our new house at 1016 West Grand Avenue in Port Washington, Wisconsin. We had moved in, unpacked, and it was Spring. Time to undertake a few site improvements, such as, landscaping the yard.

Now, you have to appreciate the soil conditions in and around Port Washington. The glaciers that formed Lake Michigan had deposited a thick layer of red clay over the land. Red clay did not make for good landscaping. You had to “improve” the soil in order to develop a good lawn. Not a problem...just import several loads of black dirt, buy some grass seed, connect up a sprinkler on a hose and you have all the ingredients you need. Well, not exactly...you need to add some fertilizer to the mix. “Milorganite”, a product of the Milwaukee sewage disposal plant ought to fill the bill!!

However, before you can plant a lawn you have to level the “playing field”, a task that involves a wheelbarrow, shovel, rake, and two young boys. My brother, Bill, and I were given the task. Now to find the equipment...one wheelbarrow (check), one shovel (check), one rake (check) and the necessary manpower (check). Now, then, we are ready to begin.

Well, not exactly...

Let’s see, where’s Bill? Well, it seems he has a summer job at the Canning Factory in Knellsville stacking cases of canned goods in their warehouse. Or, was it as manager of Smith Bros. new fast food venture called the “Boardwalk” in the old Gas Company Building down by the harbor. Well, he might be available on weekends.

And so, the task begins. Level and rake the front lawn area .(Check). Install black dirt from piles deposited by the contractor. That requires some manual labor involving, wheelbarrow, shovel, rake and distribution. (Check) Don’t forget to apply the fertilizer. That would be from the bags of Milorganite, a product of the Milwaukee Sewage Disposal plant. (Check) “Does that look level to you??” More raking!! Plant the grass seed with a hand spreader. Bring out the hose and sprinkler and water in the grass seed.

Oh yes, we also want to add a few shrubs...two mugo pine trees, two arborvitae bushes, and a maple tree. Where did we get a maple tree...remember, it was for winning a prize for our outside Christmas decorations last year. How do you plant a maple tree?? Well, you dig a hole, 4' x 4' x 4' deep. Let’s see, that requires a pick, shovel, wheelbarrow and some black dirt. Also, a bit of backbreaking labor! The two arborvitae on either side of the front porch should be a snap after that!!

Now, all we have to do is tackle the backyard!! That consists of a garden plot behind the garage, a stone retaining wall, and leveling the yard back to the rear lot line at the alley. What alley? “Never mind, someday there will be an alley.” Where can we get some field stones for the retaining wall? Well, there’s that old barn foundation across the street behind “Lefty” Hoehn’s House, maybe you could salvage enough from there. All you need is the wagon, a pick and shovel and a little manpower!!

After several weeks of removing field stones from the foundation, hauling them across Grand Avenue, dodging the traffic, depositing them in the back yard, and digging a trench for the foundation between the two garages, we were ready to roll!!

Now, what about a garden?? The space behind the garage would be a great place for the garden!!  All we need is a couple of loads of black dirt, levelled and then spaded in with a spading fork. How do you spade a garden?? It seems the labor force had much to learn. However, per the directions of our Grandmother, .”You dig straight down 6-9" with the spading fork, before turning over the soil.” Per instructions, the garden was correctly fertilized with Milorganite, spaded, tilled, and planted.

Now, about the iris from the Grady House...wouldn’t they look nice along the top of the stone retaining wall?? Check...Mission Accomplished!! And we have these Washington Plume bushes from the Edgerton House in Beaver Dam. Wouldn’t they look nice behind the garage?? Check...Mission Accomplished!!

Add water...Did you turn on the sprinkler?? Isn’t it time you moved the sprinkler?? I think we need another load of gravel in the driveway??

Who would guess, looking at the completed project that it would consume the better part of the summer?? Well, maybe two summers! Mission accomplished.

That’s how you landscape a yard!!

Written by My Dad - T-Square

Random Quote of the Day

He hoped and prayed that there wasn't an afterlife. Then he realized there was a contradiction involved here and merely hoped that there wasn't an afterlife.

- Douglas Adams (1952 - 2001)