LOCAL. SEASONAL. SUSTAINABLE.

LOCAL. SEASONAL. SUSTAINABLE.

Monday, March 26, 2007

Sometimes a Gardener Needs to Destroy Plants

I am not one of those who believe all plants are sacred. Some of them are just a nuisance and a waste of good growing area.

So it had to happen sooner or later. The monster in the backyard had been appeased and ignored long enough. it had even been coaxed and cajoled to no effect. Today was the day.

No more negotiation, no more Miss Nice Girl.

I called in the big guns, the tree service. Three young men with chain saws and a giant chipper. The Laurel Hedge, aka, the beast, needed to be tamed. It had claimed 3 or 4 feet of our backyard as well as 3 feet and all the sun from our neighbors. It stood at least 25 feet high and showed no signs of stopping.

So in a couple of hours it was turned into a sedate swath, a polite wall. I hope I'll be able to keep up with it. I know it will try to recreate all the mass it lost today. Everyone will get more sun. The power lines and cable will no longer be in peril. We'll have more planting area in the backyard and maybe a place to sit and enjoy the winter sun.

Now we just need to get rid of the creepy hot tub and the rotting deck.

Upwards and onwards.

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