Another Great Marketplace Find

I hit the jackpot this past August with another great Marketplace find. In October 2025 I posted a blog about our beautiful Crape Myrtle tree and now empty spot where I removed a large Pampas Grass bush.

This past August I decided to come up with a plan to do something with the bare spot where the pampas grass was. I started by putting a boarder around the small Crape Myrtle tree in the now bare spot.

After I finished the border around the tree, the bare spot looked a little better. It was a few days later when I hit the Marketplace jackpot! Someone had free stones, just had to dug them up around their flower garden. So I messaged them and they only lived a few miles away so I didn’t waste any time going to get some buckets filled. When I got there, I saw a huge section piled up which someone had already “claimed” and the owners directed me to where I could start filling. I could put 6 filled buckets in the large box and fit another 6 filled buckets in the back of my Equinox. As I left I asked if I could come get more it still available. He told me this was my section (he motioned to how far) and I could take how much I needed! It took my five days, some were two trips a day and I ended up filling up 61 – five gallon buckets! Each bucket weighed between 60 and 74 pounds so I estimated I got about a ton and a half of stones for free!

I made a border from previously collected border blocks and as I brought filled buckets home I backed my car up to the area and dumped them around the area, one bucket at a time. As I got to the front I had to take a stone break to pull some bushes up and then dig up some huge roots! But I got them!

Five days later I completed my stone garden! It was hard work but I love the finished look. Once I set my mind to something, there is no stopping me.

Now I needed some flowers around my stones. It just so happened another Marketplace ad had plants for $2 – $5. So I met the nicest plant lady and for $10 I got a great variety. Then my neighbor was moving and she had some adorable animal statues that she couldn’t take and asked if I wanted them. Well of course I said yes and I told her I would take good care of them for when she comes visit. My daughter and son-in-law put the butterfly flag in my suitcase when I visited them and I didn’t find it until I got home. My stone garden is the perfect place for it. My next plan is to get some bright colored mums to put in some big planters I have, also from Marketplace. I guess I should call this my Marketplace garden!

Rich loved gardening and was always working in the yard. Once again I know he had his hands in this project with me.