"Getting rid of everything that doesn’t matter allows you to remember who you are. Simplicity doesn’t change who you are, it brings you back to who you are."

Sunday, January 26, 2014

Pruning Season

Warm days this winter are few and far between but last week I had a decent day out and spent a bit of it in the backyard cleaning up.

It's pruning season.

Last year when I started pruning the shrubs in the front yard I wasn't happy with how overgrown it had all gotten and ended up asking SM to yoink out all the bushes up by the roots.  This gave us a nice blank palate to reconsider what we wanted up against the house.  

Out front, I wanted low maintenance and softness.  It's still a work in progress but I've already planted spring flowering bulbs, perennial grasses and lilies. 

Out in the backyard it's a slightly different story.  Privacy is one desire but beauty and function are also important.  

I'd like the veg garden to be somewhat attractive with pine bark mulch walkways.  Fruit trees blooming with perennial flowers and shrubs underneath them.  I want something pretty to look at during the growing seasons.  

I suppose that's the fun thing about gardening.  As it grows, it changes and then your opinion of it changes.

Our backyard shrubs have grown into monsters.  Fifteen years ago when we bought the place, we planted them strategically to create a natural privacy fence.  And every year we would trim them back but they just kept getting bigger and bushier.  Some of these monsters I don't mind too much as they give us the desired privacy from our neighbors that we'd hoped for. 

Kids bouncing on trampolines is not my idea of scenic wonders so some of the monsters will remain.

But there were a few that are getting big enough to block our view and interaction with the apple trees we'd planted so it was time to take them down.

Way down.

I went out with the loppers and attacked one bush and promptly broke the loppers.

"Well they were old."  SM said and ran out later that day and bought me these.




The regular loppers were great but these extension-expando type blew big time.  Very awkward to handle and had a dull blade.  SM took those back.

While he was gone, Tami got busy and created lots of huge piles for a future bonfire.



I took them down as far as I could but I want SM to take them all the way down to the ground.  He'll need to saw them they're so thick.

That's the things about bushes...They always grow back no matter how far back you cut them. 

It's supposed to hit 50 today so I might head out and do some more pruning while we're in a warmer break.   Mid week it's forecast to head back into frigid.  

Brr Freakin Brr!


3 comments:

  1. We have a bush we desperately need to get rid of. I keep hoping for warm weather, but all it does it get cold or be warm during the work week when I can't do it. Sigh ... maybe soon. Glad you got some things done though!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I still need to get out and work on the peach trees, I usually use a saw. It has been so cold for months now, that I can't get my trees set out, I have chestnut and wild plum to put out.

    ReplyDelete
  3. This is what we need to do, but I have to say it's been no fun in such cold. Also need to dormant spray they. So much to do!

    ReplyDelete