Time to Play with Some BIG Rocks!
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- Опубліковано 7 лют 2025
- Almost a year in the making, I'll show you a backyard landscaping project involving some much larger rocks than you usually see on this channel. This was a fun project, and if you like gardening, you might enjoy it too.
- MERCH -
Buy Michigan Rocks shirts and other merchandise here.
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- HIGHLAND PARK LAPIDARY -
Highland Park makes some high quality tools at reasonable prices. I have two of their tumblers. They're the most rugged tumblers I have seen. They also make a wide range of other lapidary tools, including saws, sphere machines, cabbers, etc. They also have the best price on grit that I have found.
I make a commission if you buy something through this link. I doesn't cost you extra.
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- KINGSLEY NORTH -
Kingsley North is a lapidary store in Michigan's U.P. They make a great cab machine and sell many other brands too. They have a huge selection of rough rock, tumblers, grit, jewelry supplies etc. at good prices. If you buy using the following link, I make a small commission.
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This is the cabbing machine I use:
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- THE ROCK SHED -
I buy a lot of lapidary supplies and rough rock from The Rock Shed. I don't make money from your purchases there, but they have good prices and good service. This is where I buy my finer grits and polish.
rockshed.com
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- FACEBOOK -
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Anyone who loves to garden will appreciate the amount of hard work that went into that lovely addition to your gardens - it's beautiful.
Thanks. I love doing projects like this. It's been awhile since I did any major landscaping projects.
Whatever you do, do not tumble those bad boys, Rob!
Beautiful yard! 💕
I don't think you have to worry about that.
This is easily my favorite UA-cam channel and UA-cam is all I watch.
You’re my Kardashians.
I take it that's a compliment then?
@@MichiganRocks It sure seemed like one last night after drinks on my patio.
Wow, it turned out really nice. Your hard work paid off.
We are happy with the results.
Nancy is a darn good helper. Not every guy who starts a project this big gets that much help.!
Yes, she is. She's not into gardening, so it was really nice of her to help so much. She did a lot of work on this.
OK. I'll say it. I enjoy watching your videos so much, I swear, you could do a video about sweeping out your garage, and I'd enjoy it..., especially if Nancy is working alongside!!
Are you saying that this was as boring as sweeping the garage? It did go a little longer than it should have. I usually blow the garage out, by the way. It's loud and exciting.
@@MichiganRocks No, no!! Not at all!! Truly enjoyed seeing the project progress from start to finish!! Inspiring for my own plans around my home!!
@@enjoylifesteve3925 I know, I was just kidding.
BTW, I am a quartz-aholic!! When you don't keep some of the very pretty quartz minerals you pick up and show us in your videos, all I can think is, "Ya killin' me!! Ya killin' me!! I''ve got a literal ton of smooth beach quartz in storage to build a labyrinth / gathering area at a new "Grieving Retreat" that's going to be built in Maryland. It is a new concept for people who are grieving to be able to go somewhere for counseling, compassion and caring.
I'm going to put up a small "Charlie Brown / Lucy-style," sign for people to be able to buy some rocks if they want to take some home:
Small Rocks - 5 cents
Medium Rocks - 10 cents
Large Rocks - 15 cents
Heart-shaped Rocks - FREE
(because you can't put a price on love!!)
Take care,
Steve
@@enjoylifesteve3925 I like your sign idea. I know a drive a lot of people nuts by leaving so many rocks behind. I just don't have a use for that many rocks, so I only take what I have time to do something with.
I’m so impressed with your enthusiasm and vigor to take on a large landscaping project. It turned out to be tranquil and natural. Nancy was amazing help. Wish we could’ve loaned you our skid steer to move all the rocks and dirt but your ingenuity to move the huge rocks made me smile.
The idea of a bird bath on top the rock is ingenious especially with your skills. As long as it holds water, I think the birds will love it. A job well done! I applaud you two!
A skid steer would have been awesome once I learned how to drive it.
Impressive! Especially how you moved those large stones. I wish you many years of admiring your efforts.
It would have been smarter to schedule the rock delivery in the other order. I really didn't think those rocks would be that heavy. The little ones don't weight quite that much.
I admire your work ethic and determination. Nature will reward your labors manyfold.
From a fellow "Yard Rock Mover", congratulations. It was great watching "Newtons First Law of Motion" turn into real work on the way to the back yard. Nicely done.
I'm not sure we did it the best way, but we got the job done.
You have created an absolutely gorgeous, serene piece of heaven on earth. Thank you for sharing this with us all.
You guys did an amazing job! Beautiful yard all around. And i love that you put lights on the tree for Nancy last winter. 😊
That tree had several dead branches this spring. It's pretty tall, and the lights got sort of tangled in the top branches when I put them up and I think I did some damage trying to extract them after Christmas. I'll have to figure out something different this winter.
Beautiful gardens you have made.
I love watching a couple work towards a common goal. Great video. Extraordinary garden. That banded rock is stunning. Thank you.
Absolutely Awesome!! Gorgeous, Beautiful, And Outstanding!! I cannot imagine the hard work that was involved in rebuilding your yard to look like this, but the reward of watching it, being out in it, out weighs the hard work!! I would be out in the yard all the time! Forget about cleaning indoors and fixing meals, you'll find me outdoors!!! Thank You for Sharing!! Be Proud of Your Property!!! 🤗🤗🤗♥️♥️♥️
We had this house built, so there was no rebuilding, we started with a clean slate. I do try to get outside as much as possible.
@@MichiganRocks I am really glad to hear you take advantage of your yard and get out as much as possible!!! It was a neat Video of how you reconstruct the yard!! A great Job Editing!!! Nancy is a Hoot!! You guys are a neat couple!!!! Have a Great Weekend!!! 🤗🤗🤗
Beautiful home!!!!!
Wow beautiful property yall have there . Great use of the downed trees too. Thanks
I was happy to have them for that. Now I need to find some more wood to replace the other compost bin.
Your yard is so beautiful! It's a lot of work - but years of enjoyment after.
You both are very good at creating beautiful spaces. Very nice video, you work well together! Your landscaping is gorgeous.
“Michigan Rocks & Gardening”. I like it. Nice job. Jealous of that rock with the bands. 👍👍👍
Heavy on the rocks, light on the gardening.
That really came out looking beautiful❤
Gardening and landscaping is a hard work,so 10 points to u and Nancy 🎆.
I really love that stone with veins that pop out💕
That veiny one is by far my favorite.
This is already one of my favorite videos of yours. (And I like a lot of your videos!) You have a beautiful home and it has been fun watching you work on a different kind of project. You really hit home with your comment about the "What have we done" point in a project!! I'm glad your project turned out well!!
It sure does look different out there, but we both like it. It's a nice change after looking at the same tree for over twenty years.
Beautiful garden and the project turned out really well. Great job.
Thank you for bringing us along. My ancestors were lumberjacks in the UP. You did an amazing job.
They were probably better at moving heavy things.
I love the new rocks especially the one with the veins. The new grass and the new garden look beautiful and peaceful. You did so much work. Thank you for sharing. Now that I've watched your older videos about your yard, this video makes so much sense. I love your new chairs. They look perfect in that space. I'm glad you pointed me to this video.
I think this video was a little better done than the old ones.
Wow. I was expecting a big puddingstone in there! Well done, pretty yard and garden
I think I actually like the big veiny rock more than a puddingstone.
Looks great 👍 you two make a great team! My wife has told me several times," a happy wife makes a happy life". Have a wonderful weekend in your beautiful backyard.
I'm not sure she was a happy wife while we moved those two rocks. She was a good sport though.
You really have mastered the art of the before and after video, Rob! 👏👏👏 This was so much fun to watch!
Now can you make a video showing how you put the stone on the cement block house foundation? 🙏 I’ve been wanting to do that for years and have plenty of stone, I just have no clue how to do it! 🤷🏻♀️ Yours looks great! 👌
That's not real stone. It's called "Cultured Stone". A stone mason put it on the front of the house when it was built, but I did the back and side of the house. It's not that hard to do. Just do some reading or watch a few UA-cam videos before you start.
@@MichiganRocks Thanks for the tip! 👌
Looks wonderful.🎉
🙋♀️❤ Your yard is lovely! You and Nancy make a great team! Pretty soon the grandkids will be climbing all over the rocks! Love the compost bins! You two are giving me motivation...... um. Naaa😅
Composting is almost as much fun as gardening. I like slow moving hobbies: Gardening, composting, and rock tumbling.
You have a beautiful home and outdoor space… that was a lot of hard work and so worth it… Now you have great spot to enjoy and Nancy got her Christmas Lights…. the cherry on top 💜💜💪🏻💪🏻
I put up a lot of lights in the front and that tree was worst than all of them. I'll have to find a smaller one this year.
We move our large rocks by rolling them onto a round metal snow sled, attach a choke chain with hooks, and then attach the hook to the trailer ball on our riding lawn mower. The person not steering the mower is in charge of pushing forward on the rock to aid in the forward movement. It really helps if the soil is very dry and hard. Love the large rock with the exposed veins. Good job!!!
No riding lawnmower here, so that's not really an option. I have head of doing the same thing with an old car hood, also something I don't have laying around. We got the job done eventually. Only took us something like five hours.
dang I wish I lived closer. i would love to have those stumps to turn into furniture.
Those stumps turned into smoke over the winter. Oops.
@@MichiganRocks I have plenty to work with thanks to a tree that went down in my yard
Wow, Rob! The property and surrounding yard is absolutely beautiful. You have quite the green thumb. It was super fun watching the transition from beginning to end. You and Nancy are a very hard working team. My husband and I also play Backgammon everyday, as well as Yahtzee. We don’t quite have the lovely deck to spend time on though. I live in Texas where everything has been burning up with triple digit temps. We actually had our first rain in 50 days just this past Thursday. Thanks so much for sharing even if it makes me feel envious 😉.
We have only been playing backgammon for about two years. We used to play cribbage when we were first married. Nancy beat me about two games to one. We're very equally matched in backgammon. I'm currently ahead by about 8 games with probably about 2000 games played.
I liked the lawn chair idea 💡 😂.
Your property makes me homesick. I miss Pennsylvania and living in a rural area with woods and a big yard. Nice place you have there. ❤
I have to admit, we didn't actually try the lawn chair plan. I should probably trust my wife more.
You have a beautiful yard
They sure are a Lot easier to move around when you can just drop them into your beach bucket! 😉 You are the first person I've seen that dug out their own tree stumps. Great job! Does that dogwood get enough sun back there? Your property is Beautiful! 🌲🌳🌲🌳
I have dug out quite a few stumps. It's slow work, but I sort of enjoy it. There's a real sense of accomplishment when I get one out.
Dogwoods grow in some shade. I'm not sure that one is going to get enough sun, but I'll find out. I have another one on the north side of house that is also under a big oak that is thriving. I has been there for at least 15 years.
You did a great job!! I love the rocks, great choices. You have made a beautiful place to live.
I just love that one with the big veins. The other two complement it well, I think.
What a lovely garden you have and a big house ! ♥️🇬🇧
Thanks!
I love your yard! Big difference w/ trees removed; sad, but good decision. That compost is super nutrient rich! My dad was into composting; it paid off for him. Don't forget that sand will help breakup clay. Dad bought multiple truck loads of dirt, top soil, & sand over 16 yrs for the property. It was well worth the effort. He was from Peoria, Illinois, & he got me hooked on rocks. We would grab huge granite boulders from bridge areas & drive thru the yard to deposit them in the vicinity of his next landscaping project (Slidell, La). You can always fill in small spaces with beach rocks. Well, the Egyptians would be impressed w/you. Don't forget to put out a hummingbird feeder. You both have done a beautiful job landscaping your home. Enjoyed the timeline. Hello to Nancy.
I have plenty of sand. That's what all the native soil is on my lot. Compost is almost magical. It improves both clay and sandy soil. I love making my own, but I only turn out about a yard a year. The city also makes it, so when I need a lot, that's where I get it.
Rolling that big stone reminded me of the pyramid-building scene in deMilles' classic 1956 movie "The Ten Commandments.". It's always hard to cut down trees, but what a great transformation you've made.
I think a lot of people make the mistake of never cutting shrubs or trees. If you're debating about it for a long time, it's usually a good thing in the end. You don't miss them when they're gone. This is especially true of huge, overgrown shrubs around a house.
On the other hand, it drives me nuts when someone buys a wooded lot and cuts every single tree leaving a bare rectangle in the woods to plant their house on.
You have a lovely home. I love rock gardens. They are so natural. 😊
What a wonderful hubby!! Great job.
I need to show this video to my husband,,,,he said that's not possible! You have worked so hard for your beautiful yard! You should be very proud! By the way I watch all of your videos! We are leaving for Lake Superior on Sunday August 27, 23, it will be our second trip to the area!
You're going to get me in trouble with your husband! Hope you have a good trip and find a few rocks.
Wow! That’s some determination. And what beauty for all that hard work.
* You did a great job of working out how to move things. you worked well as a team moving that boulder.. It went better down hill than up. & I was happy that Nancy didn't get her foot run over by the PVC pipes.. The ferns will hide most of your boulders.. Nice cobblestone path thru woods.. It can grow as you find the right sized rocks..
I want the plants to grow up enough that the boulders don't look like they were just plopped there out of the sky. If they get too covered up, I can always pull plants out and put them somewhere else.
Glad you enjoy gardening-It is a good way to place all the other rocks we find!
I suppose it is!
Beautiful property. All the hard work paid off very nicely👍👍
With persistence and a tolerance for pain, you can do a lot! It does look great!
Beautiful yard! This was fun to watch! I love that vein-y rock, so cool! ❤
That rock is my favorite too.
Now that's determination!!
That was an epic video over a year. Your garden and home looks well cared for and I love that you have a forest. Introvert heaven. That was a lot of back bending to shuffle that rock to its new home. Nancy is a trooper. Retirement looks good on you both 😊.
I especially loved the big rock with the exposed veins. 🪨 🌲
That veiny rock is my favorite too. I love it.
I gotta say you have a beautiful plot of land, hope you have many more years of making fond memory's there
I like the look all opened up. That looks like a lot of hard work, especially the stump removal.
We like the way it looks now. I don't really mind removing stumps. It is a lot of work, but it's really satisfying work.
What a lovely garden you have 😊
You two did a great job. Your home and yard are beautiful.
Thanks!
Wow!! That's a lot of work!! Everything looks great. 👍👍👍
Thanks.
Ha, this is great, so many just don’t realize what can be done with some figuring and hard work! You had me though when you were digging those stumps, I’d have burned them or just rotted them out, what an animal! Great job!
To burn them, I'd still need to dig underneath. I did that with a huge red pine once because I couldn't lift the stump out of the hole. I didn't want to soak it with any sort of fuel since I wanted to plant something there. I have never been successful in rotting a stump out, although I've tried many times. I didn't have time for that in this case anyhow. Digging them out has been the most successful method for me, and I don't really mind doing it that much. It's a fun challenge.
Wow! What a great video. You have created quite the woodland oasis! Love the veined rock.
Thanks. I love that veined rock.
Wow I just love your landscaping! Great idea taking out the 5 trees. It really opened up your back garden!
Yeah, it was hard to let them go, but we're happy with the results. When we first built the house, the yard was a little bigger, but those darn trees just kept growing.
I would think the deer would devour every plant you have on the property! Your landscaping is really nice!
Nah, I have been pretty good about planting stuff they don't like as much.
I love working with my plants. It's really relaxing. You have a beautiful set up. ❤️❤️😃
Yep, plants are fun. Rocks are fun. But plants with rocks is the most fun.
@@MichiganRocks That's so true.
Very nice Rob. ❤. Hope you and Nancy are well.
I should do a follow up video. That area is looking really good this year.
What a gorgeous, gorgeous yard. wow.
You and Nancy put in a lot of work! But it looks great!!! 👏🏻👏🏻
Gorgeous! Great Job 👏
Looks fabulous! Not sure I would have the energy and/or determination to dig out those stumps or roll those boulders!
I don't really mind doing stuff like that. I really like seeing the big change when I'm done.
Beautiful job! Lots of hard work! Love the big rock with the vein!
That was quite the project. It looks beautiful. Your yard is gorgeous
'Down the basement' made me smile. I haven't heard anyone say that since my (MI) grandparents. Your yard is beautiful. A good balance of manicured and natural.
I don't remember referring to my basement. Are basements a Michigan thing? Did I say "down the basement" rather than "down in the basement"? If so, I don't think that's what I usually say. Maybe I say it without realizing it.
Looks like you went full Egyptian on this project Michigan Rocks, well done on those big ones. It looked to me like your first load of dirt was heavy with sand and clay, so mixing that compost in fixed it right up. Thank you for showing us this mixed media project.
I'll never order dirt without seeing it first. That stuff was really bad. The city compost seems to have lightened it up pretty well.
Your garden is lovely and you did great with the rocks. It kind of reminded me of Stonehenge being built (not that I was around for that) 😆
I think Stonehenge probably took even longer than the five or so hours we spent on this. The garden is really filling in nicely this year. Maybe next summer I'll do another follow up video to show how it has changed.
That's alot of work!! Looks great!! ❤
Thanks!
Hard work! Well done! Looks lovely! Enjoy! Suzy AZ USA
That turned out so beautiful. I still have a lot of work to do with my flower gardens. It is a process for sure.
Turned out beautiful, well done.
Thanks!
Such beautiful project!!
I'm happy with how it turned out.
Lovely rock work room and also lovely layout in the property. Very nice I love the garden. It is a shame that the deal love just about everything you plant.❤
Actually, the deer leave most stuff alone. I've avoided planting most of the stuff they really like.
Beautiful project, perfectly executed and documented. You have many talents! I don't know how you pull yourself away, I might never leave the yard
But there's the beach, bike trails, and all the rock toys in the basement!
outstanding job.....now its time to haul some of those big rocks from the beach!
It turned out beautiful, I love how open it is now.
This is right up my alley. I love using rocks in the landscape. Looks like a fun project.
I love rocks in the landscape. I just have to be careful not to overdo it. Too much of a good thing can become a bad thing.
that is awesome! and the Christmas tree is a nice touch - that veined rock and the big one make the project! good job guys 💚💫🩵
I like that the big rock is light colored, one small rock is dark, and the veined one is both.
Really great video! Thanks for showing process during different seasons.
WOW, what a beautiful property!
You have a very beautiful property! Thanks for sharing your amazing yard with us.
You're welcome!
Oh wow what a huge job to dig out those stumps
Haha!! The neighbor that came over and chatted with you, he didn’t offer to help move those huge rocks?? 😂😂 You two are a hoot!! Thank you!! It looks fantabulous!!
He actually offered a lot of help. We had one long board and a couple of short boards for under the rollers. He offered a full sheet of plywood to make things go faster, and we accepted. HUGE help. We have good neighbors.
@@MichiganRocks it’s awesome to know that there’s still really good neighbors out there and that you actually know them!! We know most of our neighbors, on our street/cul de sac, very well!! Wouldn’t have it any other way!!
@@jacqulynjohnson653 We talk with our neighbors a lot in the summer, but we hardly see each other all winter!
Wow! Love this video! Absolutely loved watching your yard progress! What a beautiful property u have! I know you said you make more projects then u do rock collect but omg u have so much space to collect amazing rocks,.I'm shocked u don't collect more! Love the transformation!
Too much of a good thing can be a bad thing. I have a lot of rock around my yard, but I think if there was much more, it would start to look bad. Same with rocks in the basement. I try to control myself so I don't just have a hoard of rocks that I'll never be able to use.
Spruce needles are pointy and hurt like heck if you tap your finger on the tips. They are also lighter green then BF. The trunk of Balsam Fir have sap bubbles on the trunk. Spruce usually don't. I love gardening too!
I think those were balsams.
That was some crazy gardening you had going on there. But it looks really good!!
Beautiful! Great project. Thanks for sharing with us.
What great team work! And work should be capitalized. Looks great
There was a fair amount of work in this project, but it was well worth the effort. We're really enjoying the finished product.
Beautiful yard, Rob!
Great job looks awesome 👌
Beautiful yard !!!!!!!!!!!!!
A labour of love that turned out beautifully.
Oooh c'est magnifique, quel travail, un très beau jardin et une belle maison. Merci pour ces instants avec vous au jardin.
Glad you took the sucker down. What we do is slowly cut the branches up from the bottom so it’ll give you an idea of what it’ll potentially look like. THEN, if you don’t want it gone, you haven’t cut it down unnecessarily down. But too late I see!! 😂😂 It looks great!!
I limbed it up before I cut it just to make it easier to get to the trunk. I really dislike balsam or spruce trees with the bottom limbs removed, though. They look really unnatural. Not that putting in gardens is natural.
Your yard is beautiful. I like the firepit area. Your hardwork sure made it nice. I love the big rocks.
Yeah, I really like the fire pit too. That was a much bigger project.