The azaleas are in full bloom...
 

...I hate azaleas. And my once thought to be a low maintenaqnce "naturally' landscaped back yard. I feel like I'm living in a poor man's Callaway Gardens;)

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1271116124.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1271116151.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1271116176.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1271116205.jpg

Have to tackle cleaning/ppressure washing deck and treating with Thompson's...next weekend

hate? looks nice to me

set a BIG BBQ up next to any azalea you hate - cook for a few weeks, move to next bush you hate...

Ours haven't begun to bloom up this way.

There is a fantastic Azelea garden right outside the Art Museum here in Philly (yes that art museum of Rocky fame). Our wedding photographer took some excellent engagement photos of us there. I've always liked them in our yard. You can't beat the low maintenance nature of them.

Jim,
Why do you hate azaleas?

Best,
Tom

Yea- bummer your yard is plagued with those aweful looking plants;)

Yeah, that's an eyesore. You wanna rip those out and plant cactus and yucca plants.

Well, "hate" may be too stroing a word. I grew up in the deep south and azaleas were so common. And the flowers only last a few weeks...and then they wilt. They do keep green leaves throughout the year in this climate. Nothing like the beautiful and vibrant flowers seen in the PNW.

On the plus side, you can see my entire backyard has a thick tree canopy and very little else will grow in this shade. In lieu of grass our back yard is essentially covered with moss as a ground cover.

Got it.

Thanks Jim

Tom

What a beautiful setting. Is that a cane pot in your back yard?

Thanks....yup...a cane pot. We had just cleaned it out. Have a fountain we put in it with gold fish. Racoons had a feast on the last batch of fish.

I have always wanted a cane pot - just kinda hard to come by in So Cal. My family were cane farmers west of NOLA.

Jim - BTW, I hear the Thompson's is a low quality, highly advertised stain/sealer.

I will be collecting man cards from each poster that remarks on flowers....

Ok, now seriously, avoid the Thompsons. I have a deck that I built using Brazillian Redwood, so I know a thing or two about stain. I would try either Cabots Austrailian Timber Oil or Messmer's. I think you can get Cabots at Lowes, but you may have to go to a local speciality place to get the Messmer's.

No matter what you do, take plenty of time cleaning up / disposing of the rags and anything that has stain on it.

And before you ask, yes a pair of latex gloves I wore a number of years ago staining my deck spontaneously combusted. Fortunatly the scrap pile of wood that was near them was some of the brazillian redwood, so it smoldered for hours. By the time it flared up and caught the side of my house (outside garage wall with two 5 gallon dirt bike fuel cans right on the other side) on fire my wife was home, and someone walking by saw the flames. My wife was able to put it out with some quick thinking and the hose and called 911. The FD still cut a big hole trying to determine the cause of the fire.

Lucky for me it wasn't bad at all, as it basically just barely burned the siding.

Bill

Rwebb/Bill...I've strongly suspected Thompsons was as such. Do you either have a recommendation for a CLEAR sealer/protectorant? I have to do the whole house this summer and I don't want to color the natural wood (rough cut cypress, BTW).

TIA