Vince had worked all weekend trimming things that needed trimming, cutting things back that may or may not be alive. Our burn area was full. We had crazy wind all weekend, all day Monday and most of yesterday. It was a couple of hours before dark last night and Vince said “There’s no wind . . I’m going to burn what’s in the burn pile before it rains and it all gets wet.”
It wasn’t a rip roaring fire but with the pampas grass clippings, it burned quickly. He said “I’ve burned more here in less than a month than I burned in 10 years of living in Texas!” Right . . because there was almost always a burn ban in Texas and it was risky to even fire up the BBQ grill.
Vince has been working hard to get the limbs all picked up and get the shrubbery cut back. There’s a lot of it we’re going to take out – some of it is just overgrown and woody; some of it is way too close to the house but . . it doesn’t all have to be done the first year we’re here.
LIz says
If some of your bushes are just too big, see if you can severely trim them. It may take a year or so for them to look better, but you never know. Many years ago, I trimmed a holly bush with the intention of digging out the roots later. It actually came back and looks good.
With the October ice storm and then the frigid week this winter, I have a lot of yard damage. The oaks are sprouting small branches like crazy and most will be trimmed down. I trimmed some of my azaleas yesterday with removing the limbs that aren’t showing some greening. I can reshape the plants next year so they look better. One bush had been crushed by a big oak limb and I had trimmed the branches during the cleanup, Yesterday, there were new leaves coming up from the base. But, my main concern is the new sun garden that I have – I’ll be moving some of the shade plants around this spring.
But, if you don’t like the bush, then it’s not worth having it around. The previous owner had planted lots of hollies and barberries – both bushes which have spikey leaves which scratch. IF you don’t like something, then it is a weed.
Judy Laquidara says
Most were planted too close to the house and have just grown out of control. They are woody and the roots are taking up the entire beds. In my opinion, even if it’s in the landscaping, if it doesn’t bloom or you can’t eat it, there’s no use in keeping it.
Liz says
There is a evergreen tree (I think it is the Blue Atlas Cedar) that I call the “Charlie Brown” tree since it is skinny with branches sticking out. However, if you read about the tree, it grows to 30-40 feet tall and 4-10 feet wide. I have seen some people put three of these trees close into their home. A new neighbor has planted two, but one is at the property line and the other is far enough away from the house that it should not be a problem.
While I like blooming trees & edible plants, I also like have evergreen bushes and trees for screening areas as well as having some green during the entire year. I’m planning to add some evergreens in the back yard once some of the oaks are taken down.
Judy Laquidara says
Vince is a Master Gardener so he has some ideas about what goes where and we both know what we want. I have no use for evergreens that don’t bloom but the variety in everyone’s yards is what makes the world a pretty place. The magnolia tree stays green all year and it blooms. There are several huge evergreen trees on the back side of the house and on the driveway side that we’ll leave, though once Vince decides if he’s going to put in a shop, the evergreens along the driveway will probably have to go. Otherwise . . it blooms or produces food or it goes. That’s pretty much always been my rule with landscaping.