Project to Beautify Your Backyard

  You can beautify your back yard landscape by turning unsightly tree stumps into stump planters. Stump planters are tree stumps that are hollowed out, filled with soil, and then seeded. The resultant mini-garden can have any number of appearances, depending on the color of the tree stump and the types of plants that grow in the garden.   Below is a description of the essential steps you must follow to create an attractive tree stump planter:

1.    Hollow out a bowl in the wood to a depth of three to six inches depending on the type of plant you are growing. Annuals, which have shallow roots, only require three to four inches. Six inches is sufficient depth for most other plants. In most instances you should leave two to three inches of wood around the perimeter, unless you want a smaller bowl.  

2.    To make the bowl, use a pick ax (mattock), hand ax, or other sharp tool and start in the center. If the wood is soft you can use the claw end of a hammer or blunt edge of an ax to remove the material.If the wood is hard, you might consider putting some potted plants on top of the stump. Over time the water that drips from the pots will rot out the top of the stump, making it easier to hollow out.

3.    Use a hand drill or electric drill to add drain holes. Drill out and down from the bottom of the basin you have created. The holes tend to clog, so you can prevent this by adding a layer of small pebbles in the bottom of the hollowed out receptacle.

4.   An optional step you can take to improve the project is to cover the stump's bark with epoxy. This will prevent the bark from falling off, and thereby preserve the stump's natural beauty. 

5.    Now you are ready to add potting soil.  Add a mixture such as Mel mix, 1/3 Vermiculite, 1/3 Peat (or Coir), and 1/3 well-blended compost. The compost provides all the needed nutriments so no need to fertilize over the summer. Just add more compost as needed.

6.    Now add your choice of seeds. You can use seedlings, nursery plants, bulbs, or plain seeds.

Resources: For the best in landscaping projects in Westchester County and Putnam County, NY., call the Turf Barbers at 914 302 2469; 2929 Quinlan Street Yorktown Heights, NY 10598; http://www.theturfbarbers.com for the tops in back yard landscaping.