River Of Life

Stevie and I were gone for 4 days to see my family outside the Detroit area. It takes just over 4 hours to drive there if I make no stops, which is easy if I have some interesting tapes to listen to.

Steve goes with us a couple of times a year, and he doesn't mind me going extra times so I can see them more often. I wait til he has some time off work, that's easier for both of us.

For at least 12 years my parents have had a tree "snake" of Impatiens in their front yard by the street. Mom calls it a river of life, it looks like it flows out of the tree. Dad puts a soaker hose along it so it doesn't dry out and stays full and showy. It makes for a pretty photo when we get our pictures taken by it.

The top picture is with the one they made last year when it became a little sparse, so you may be able to see how the flowers are planted into the snake.
For some reason the photos appear fuzzy, but you can click on some of them to see them clearly and bigger.

It is quite a job to plant the holes each year but the display all summer is well worth it. Mom always used to make the "snake" every 5 yrs or so (because the chicken wire rusts and breaks, then dad would tie it to the tree and place the soaker hose on top, then she'd plant the flowers in each hole. This year my sister Sue (pictured at top), her daughter Nichole and dad made a new snake, hung it and planted it.

The materials are landscape cloth, a 2" chicken wire, hot glue (to make the cloth into a sack), a "soil" made of pearlite and coconut bark, something to tie it to the tree and a black soaker hose. Depending on your tree size you make it as skinny or wide as you want, and as long or short. Theirs took 5 flats of Impatiens. If anyone has questions about specifics just leave a comment.

Wouldn't we all love to have this beauty in our own yard? Maybe someday I'll have the enthusiasm to attempt it. Mom says it wasn't difficult, especially if you have someone to help it go faster.