Lush Heritage

Celebrating a conservation-leaning approach to living well and the DIY spirit.

Decluttering a Triangle of Trees

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As you know, I am a very big fan of old trees – maple, birch, willow, linden, to name a few. Mature specimens of many of my favorites dot the property. Luckily, I can enjoy their unparalleled beauty through virtually every window in the house. I’m very grateful to the prior owners of the past 200+ years who cared for these trees so they could reach their full potential or who selected species of trees that have so enhanced my little patch of green.

Keeping these trees clear of underbrush and vines is an ongoing priority as they add a graceful grandeur to the property that I doubt any manmade feature could.

Two weeks ago, I finally cleared beneath a stately old maple that lies west of the house and fire pond. 

Doing so emphasized two nearby accent trees, a golden arborvitae and bald cypress that together with the maple form a lovely triangle. One that was overdue to be decluttered.

The Maple

It’s one of the grandest trees here and has survived decades of vicious New England weather with very little damage. However, an unsightly “bracelet” of underbrush had grown beneath it, diminishing its presence. I strongly believe that a tree trunk should be largely unobstructed in order to properly showcase the tree.

It took only two hours to cut and remove the unwanted vegetation. I was very pleased with the result which is shown in the featured image for this post.

Why did it take me three and a half years to finally do this? Well, a major reason is that I was worried about cutting any deliberate understory plants. I could identify only invasive bittersweet and burning bush and a deciduous azalea which was almost completely hidden by mystery greenery (even when loaded with gorgeous lilac blossoms). Fortunately, my two neighbors whom I’ve known for most of my life are very knowledgeable gardeners and have been answering my gardening questions.

Green Trash vs. Green Treasure

Two weeks ago, one of them kindly walked with me around the maple and identified the only other keeper hiding the trunk:  fothergilla. I’d never heard of it, couldn’t remember it looking or smelling spectacular and would have cut it, if she hadn’t told me what it was.

Based on my quick research: fothergilla is a shade-tolerant North American native and has wonderfully fragrant bottlebrush-like white flowers in spring; it also pairs well with azaleas and rhododendrons. I don’t know which variety grows here, but given its size I suspect it’s Fothergilla Major (Mountain Witch Alder). If that’s what I have, it’s also the recipient of the Cary Award which recognizes outstanding plants that thrive in New England. As I’ve noted in other posts, I think it’s a good idea to postpone cutting a plant until you know what it is! Of course, if the plant poses an imminent threat, then it should be removed as soon and as safely as possible.

What else did my neighbor identify? Invasive honeysuckle. As soon as she said it, I was itching to cut it to the ground! No doubt, it and the burning bush had outcompeted the fothergilla. As we pushed back the invasives we also discovered lovely stonework, a clump of yuccas, and what appeared to be a type of geranium (or, possibly violet) ground cover. Such lovely surprises. We’re both eagerly awaiting next spring to see what other desirable plants may be growing there.

No Herbicide Yet

In this location, I would have preferred to eradicate the invasives permanently by dabbing the cut stems with an herbicide that I’ve had great success using. However, once plants go dormant in the fall, they likely absorb less herbicide, rendering it much less effective. Cutting and dabbing is slow work so when I do it, it needs to count. That means spring and summer. Also, my tree guys were scheduled to be here in a few days to do another big job of sawing and chipping leaning dead trees and big cracked branches, so I wanted to clear as much as I could before their arrival. They chip and remove everything – or, at my request, dump the chips in a big pile at the edge of a hayfield.

Golden Arborvitae (of Some Sort)

Once I begin clearing around one tree, I seem to see underbrush and fallen or dangling dead branches everywhere.

After I cleared around the maple, I examined the nearby golden arborvitae. I don’t know the exact type, but it’s about twenty feet tall with an oval shape. It was a mess.

The poor thing was swamped with bittersweet on top and crowded by aging lilacs at the bottom. I hadn’t really noticed the tree until my neighbor pointed it – and its snapped branch – out to me.

I regret not removing the bittersweet vines when I bought the property; their heaviness likely contributed to the central leader succumbing to one of last year’s snowfalls.

Many lilacs were growing almost parallel to the ground. My neighbor identified them, but I’ve forgotten their name. She also told me that they had stopped blooming some time ago; she has the same ones growing on her property and they have also petered out. I cut the lilacs to two feet, in the hopes that they will generate new growth that I can keep at about six feet tall.

The Remains

As soon as my tree guys cut and hauled away the refuse, the shape of the remaining arborvitae was evident. Sadly, I could see that at least one-third of the central leader had been lost, bent beneath a blanket of bittersweet. A few branches had been badly damaged as well, leaving one side somewhat sheared. The photos below show the dead leader section (with berry-laden bittersweet) next to the surviving arborvitae; the lilacs, prior to cutting; the tree from different angles; and the awful jungle of thick bittersweet snaking out of the ground and onto the arborvitae. I hope this upland neighbor of the maple can recover over time and may consult with an arborist to improve its chances.

Bald Cypress

The golden arborvitae’s dramatic reveal led me to survey the surrounding area. What else could I cut while my tree guys were here to haul it away? I settled on one of the two biggest bald cypresses. Its splaying trunk was hidden by weeds, and a few bittersweet vines had climbed almost to the top of the tree. Just ten minutes of cutting resulted in another welcome sight:

Later this fall or winter I will cut the bittersweet from the other trees in this area. Once spring arrives, I’ll do a fresh cut and dab the bittersweet with herbicide. Then, monthly brush hogging and weeding will need to occur so that these lovely trees (and the foot bridge in the above photo on the right) are clearly visible.

I’m grateful that the maple tree and bald cypress are healthy and that the golden arborvitae still shows such promising signs of life. As with all of the trees here, I look forward to enjoying their beauty for many years to come.

Eight Ways to Conquer Tough DIY Landscaping Projects – Part 2

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Please pardon my delay in posting. Spring and summer got away from me – we all know the feeling, especially during these challenging times.  In my last post, I shared four ways in which you can triumph over really tough landscaping projects.  Here are the remaining four. I hope you find these tips helpful:

5. Set Realistic Goals and Pursue Them In Logical Order

Goals should also be specific and measurable. When I originally wrote this post in March 2021, my goals were as follows: “Within the next 45 days, I plan to finish my spring cleanup, rehabilitate the road salt-ravaged south lawn, plant forty Japanese irises along the vernal stream, and finish clearing the overgrown corner of the main lawn in order to create a low-key outdoor dining area.  I’ve been cleaning up the flower beds in 30-45 minute increments each day during the week and devoting several hours to this task during the weekends. Progress is steady and not too exhausting; the flower beds will be done in a few days.”

Real-world update:  I couldn’t clear the dining area this spring/summer and just began that work last week.  However, I did complete the other four tasks – with a couple of asterisks, of course:

First, I did rehabilitate the south lawn, but we didn’t get much rain for weeks on end so it took a while to green up.  Then the heat of summer fried the newly grown grass and the crabgrass returned.  I assume that area still has a too-high concentration of prior winters’ road salt/sand which will only worsen in subsequent years. The solution may be to rototill the area each spring to incorporate a heavy amount of fertilizer and fresh soil before re-seeding.

Second, I did plant all 40 Japanese irises (20 Silverband, 10 Silent Thunder, and 10 Thoroughbred).  They survived though I think they will be competing with champion-sized skunk cabbage for dominance. I’m excited to see if they bloom next year.

Only you know what your priorities are for how you want your property to look and how you need to balance that against all of your other responsibilities in life. So while your property may look less than great for several months, or even years, if you’ve set the right goals in the right order and you keep going, you will see a steady and noticeable transformation.  It will make you happy. You will not quit.

6. Plan for Each Work Day (and Have a Backup Plan)

This tip seems obvious, but I have wasted up to two hours on a Saturday morning by not being prepared. If your work time is relegated to the weekend or maybe an hour or two before or after work during the week, you simply cannot waste time deciding what you want to work on that day, only to discover that you don’t have the right tools/supplies, you’re out of gas, or a battery has died. Especially if you have only a three-hour window before it rains for the rest of the weekend. Even if you’re working from home, time management is critical.

Plan everything:

Food/Beverages (preferably easily portable)

I’ll eat the healthiest breakfast I have available on intense work days; nothing sugar- or fat-laden since that’ll just sap my energy. Whether working in cold or hot weather, it’s important to stay hydrated.  If I’m not near the house, I bring a thermos of water with me.

Outerwear/Protective Gear

  • If you’re new to bushwhacking, you’ll likely need:
    • Sunscreen
    • Sunhat/sun mask (and a portable umbrella, if you’re feeling extravagant)
    • Folding lawn chairs
    • Mosquito/tick spray (preferably organic)
    • Noise-cancellation headphones
    • Protective eyewear
    • Filtration mask (if you’re working during a high-pollen count, or if your lawn has deer and other wildlife droppings as mine does and you’re concerned about what raking and mowing will release into the air and your lungs)
    • Work gloves (preferably long-cuffed)
    • Light-colored, outdoor work clothing (it’ll be easier to find any ticks that latch onto you; normal shirts and jeans/pants likely will be shredded at some point and won’t protect your skin as well from thorns)
    • Waterproof boots (insulated for winter)
    • Cell phone (with portable solar charger)
    • First-aid kit
    • Blaze orange (during hunting season)

A special note:  If you are not savvy about hunting, check your state’s website for the current and upcoming hunting seasons, mark each of those dates on a calendar (make note of the hours), and check it before you go out. If it’s hunting season and you’re working in or near hunting territory (even if you’re on your own land and you have posted legally-enforceable no trespass/no hunting signs), it’s smart to wear the appropriate “blaze orange” outerwear so you are not mistaken for quarry. Sadly, there have been many news reports of hunters shooting people, sometimes when the victims have been on their own property. I’ve seen roofers wearing blaze orange vests when they’re working atop houses hundreds of yards from where one can legally hunt.  Make sure to outfit your dog, too, if it will be outside with you.

The Right Tools

  • Loppers, snips, shovels, rakes, push mower, riding mower, tractor, brush hog, chainsaw, weed trimmer, whatever you need for the task at hand.  Make sure all tools are properly maintained, sharpened, gassed up, charged up, and ready to go. Luckily, my brother handles maintenance and repairs for me.
Speaking of food, this Sunday roast-sized frog barely budged when I was just a few feet away from it cutting back a thicket of artemisia near the former koi pond.

7. Know When and How to End Each Work Session

Before you start work, know when you’re going to call it a day.  From Daylight Saving in March through mid-June, I prefer to work between 8:00am – 2:00pm.  Earlier than that and everything is usually wet with dew. Later than that, and I’m likely worn out anyway or it’s getting too warm. I tend not to work between 10:00am and 5:00pm during summer and look forward to the cooler weather that typically returns in late September.

Give yourself enough time to clean up your worksite, clear/stack whatever you cut that day, and clean your tools so that you’re done at the appointed time. Re-fill gas cans and make sure all electric tools are re-charged before your next work day. You may be rained out, get sick or have other commitments that will prevent you from completing your project per your original schedule. You don’t want to leave stacks of brush or other mess to greet you the next time. The few times I did that I regretted it; I felt like I was wasting time and energy that I couldn’t spare cleaning up last week’s work. Each work day is a fresh work day, and you’ll appreciate the psychological lift when you see how much you truly completed the last time.

Loading the cart yet again with artemisia…

Two summers ago, my lawn got a little long and my sister volunteered to mow it after work. The clippings were so long they would have killed the grass if she’d left them on the lawn. She was tired, but she raked the clippings onto a big tarp, rolled it up but didn’t empty it.

Yep, one week later when we unrolled it a dozen baby mice shot out of that thing.

And the urine-soaked, fermenting clippings stank. Really bad.

8. Don’t Give Up

I have wanted to, more than once. I’ve been stressed out thinking about how much more needs to be done, how physically hard it will be, and that I won’t be finished before the heat, humidity, and bugs kick in. I’ve set this year as the year that I complete the reclamation stage of my major projects and then move onto hopefully easier maintenance. I don’t want to miss that goal.

I know I’m making progress. I’m working cleanly and thoroughly and I don’t have to worry about someone doing a substandard job and charging me through the nose for the privilege.  Your home is likely your biggest investment.  Do whatever you can on your own so that when you need to hire the professionals you can better afford to do so. Every square foot you take back (or smartly return to nature) increases the value of your property, and every step you take is another dollar in your pocket.

I almost didn’t see this beautiful dragonfly early one morning as I was about to enter the barn to get my tools. I took its presence as a sign of good luck.

9. Bonus Tip: Forgive Yourself

Weeks or months (or years!) into your landscaping project, there will be times when you just don’t have the energy to drag one more tree branch to the brush pile. Don’t punish yourself. Take off and do something fun. Or just rest. You’ve earned it.

Eight Ways to Conquer Tough DIY Landscaping Projects – Part 1

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If you’re reading this post, you probably own an old homestead with substantial acreage that you’re trying to rejuvenate yourself – when you have the time. Congratulations, and welcome to the club! Are you wondering when your paradise will actually resemble what you’re envisioning?  I know the feeling.  You have a multi-year plan like I do just to reclaim your grounds, and sometimes you’re overwhelmed by the enormity of the undertaking. After hours and hours of backbreaking work and trial and (more than a little) error on my 25 acres, I’d like to share eight ways to conquer tough DIY landscaping projects.

Maintaining the right mindset, being mindful of why you’re working so hard is key.

Basic Landscaping Headaches

But first, if any of the following sounds familiar, you’re in the right place:

  • Sections of your lawns are compacted deserts where nothing but a few struggling weeds grow. Other sections have tall grass lying on its side and thigh-high weeds.
  • Invasive vines have latched onto everything they can – trees, bushes, buildings, stone walls.
  • Desirable sightlines and landscaping features (natural and manmade) are hidden by overgrowth.
  • Unwanted vegetation (including saplings and trees) have overtaken flower gardens and pastures and narrowed the perimeters of hayfields.
  • A graveyard of huge, downed branches and entire trees is hidden in the thickest overgrowth.
  • To top it all off, you’re pretty sure that there are areas teeming with ticks, snakes, and mice.

This is just some of what I’ve been tackling, but I had no idea about the snakes and the mice.

Whether your home is on five acres, five hundred, or somewhere in between, if you have exterior no-go zones that you want to beautify on your own, here are some topline tips that I hope are helpful:

1. Take Before-and-After Photos and/or Videos at Key Stages

Otherwise, you won’t remember how rough your property looked (and your friends and family won’t believe you either). Cataloging works-in-progress is very satisfying, and you’ll need every bit of encouragement as you labor over several days, weeks, or months. This photographic evidence is a great incentive to stay the course. When you’re done it’ll also be a wonderful reminder of your fortitude and maybe even encourage you to take on tougher tasks.

I began gathering my own photographic evidence in 2014. I’m always amazed when I look at photos of the thicket of ten-foot high rhododendrons that used to block the entire north side of the little house. Unfortunately, I used an ancient phone to take them and haven’t figured out how to post them. I probably spent just a weekend or two cutting down and stacking the rhododendrons. With a rented chipper, it took my sister, brother, and me a few hours to dispose of them. 

Unintended benefit: The money that I saved by cutting and chipping myself allowed me to splurge on mahogany for the new porch boards instead of settling for a less durable wood.

2. Be Patient

Time and weather will be constant challenges that will often defeat you – at least temporarily.

The power of their one-two punch will be compounded if you’ve bought a house whose grounds you don’t know well, or where you don’t live full-time or even close by.

Tackle the smaller projects first and divide the biggest projects into a series of discrete jobs, otherwise you’ll feel overwhelmed. Devise a plan for each. Always play the long game, with conservation in mind.

Where to Begin?

Let’s say you have a big, overgrown lawn, tangled areas of mystery plants, and an obstructed hillside view.

Handle the Smallest, Discrete Projects First

In my example, that’s reclaiming the lawn. You want an immediate, visible reward for your efforts, and the results will improve with each mowing. I was thrilled to see how beautiful my main lawn appeared after mowing an area that had reverted to meadow, and that has kept me going as I’ve dealt with other, more physically demanding projects.

Be Prepared to Keep Detailed Records

For the scary section, unless you know every plant and its life cycle, simply document what is growing and blooming there for at least one year.  Yes, one full year. There’s no other way to know if you have hidden treasure or trash.  Be optimistic! I discovered lovely Kousa dogwood bordering my main lawn this way.  I might have cut them down to have a better view of the stone wall running behind them if I’d rushed. You may be host to beautiful apple or cherry trees, or fabulous perennials such as irises, hyacinths, or peonies. Maybe you’ll be lucky and discover productive blueberry bushes or masses of wild strawberries.

If you still think you’ll forget where your valuable plants are, take photos of them while active/in-bloom and while dormant, mark them with stakes, rope off the area, or attach color-coded ribbons or waterproof labels to them.

Put Away the Chainsaw

For your hillside view, do not clear-cut anything or aggressively limb trees until you are sure what its impact will be – on the environment, you, and others. Trees provide critical wildlife habitat as well as privacy, and sound and wind breaks (lower heating bills!) for you and your neighbors. Has a developer bought the land on the other side of what you want to clear? Do you really want to see the effect of that? What if an abutter decided to aggressively clear their land, leaving you exposed if you act similarly?  Be very conservative when clearing land; rash decisions cannot be corrected quickly, if at all.

A Tale of Impatience

A few years ago, I hired someone to clear a weedy jungle bordering a vernal stream so that I could see the hayfields on either side of it. Per my instructions, he chopped down just about everything. I didn’t even know three clumps of pussy willow trees were there because they’d been swamped by vines. The felled trees, around fifteen feet tall, burst with catkins months later!  That was when I’d realized what had been lost. I can’t fault my contractor. I was tired of the jungle and hadn’t done the proper research to know what was growing. Also, if I had cleared that area myself, I would have done so by hand, painstakingly removing the unwanted growth from the trees then seen the catkins.

3. Research

Research which plants to keep or (re-) introduce onto your property and which ones to eradicate, taking into account three main factors:

Biodiversity

I favor native plants since that seems the easiest way to maintain balance and biodiversity.  I also like plants that thrive in my local culture without any special effort on my part.  There is no single, correct approach.  Just make sure you don’t retain or plant any invasive species. Sometimes the maturation of beneficial species takes longer, and unfortunately, this often leads people to landscape with faster growing trees like the Bradford pear. I understand their appeal, in part because they’re awash with pretty white blossoms in the spring.

Bradford pear trees are also invasive, and it is now illegal in several states to sell them. In the last couple of years, I’ve noticed how groves of these trees dominate the woodlands along the sides of highways in the Northeast.

Check your state’s guidelines about which plants have been declared invasive. If you discover any on your property, eradicate them in an environmentally responsible manner. Consider your hardiness zone, sun/shade availability, soil condition, and the ease of maintenance when choosing substitutes. I discuss how I’ve dealt with certain invasive plants here.

Animal and Human Welfare

Plants (and brush piles) provide food and shelter for animals.  They encourage balanced and diverse populations of prey and predator which leads to healthy ecosystems.

Always have plants that attract pollinators such as bees and butterflies. Pollination is necessary for plants to reproduce, and most of the crops that we consume and that provide most of our nutrition are pollinated by animals, most commonly insects. UMass Amherst’s The Center for Agriculture, Food and the Environment and Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences are wonderful sources of information on this topic and related issues; there are many others.

I have a somewhat messy triangle in a small corner of my main lawn, and it’s likely going to stay that way for one reason: it’s the home of a few dozen milkweed plants, which butterflies love. No “suburban perfection” here! I envision creating a mini-retreat in the 17’ W x 40’ L space next to it:  removing the weeds and all the bamboo, installing a couple of pollinator-friendly flower beds, then adding a dining table, chairs, and umbrella should do it. The photo below shows what the area looks like today.

Aesthetics

We all want our properties to be lush and beautiful. Sometimes, what seems to be an easy decision to achieve that goal really isn’t. Isn’t all grass the same basic green? No, it isn’t. I found this out the hard way when I planted Kentucky 31 (also, KY 31 or K 31), a tall fescue, one fall.  I wanted to finish clearing and then re-seed Maple Tree Row so the area wouldn’t look so barren the following spring. All I wanted was a grass that grows in sun and shade. The seeds soon germinated and sprouted a light, bright green. The surrounding area has darker, more attractive grass. So, I think I’m going to thin the KY 31 with other grasses (including perennial rye) and hope for the best. A slight aggravation in the grand scheme of things, but one that could have been avoided if I’d researched grass color more.

Finally, as always, research the tools that you’ll need to accomplish your landscaping goals most efficiently.  I post product reviews on this site.

4. Embrace Nature and Your Property’s History

Conservationists are stewards of the land, respecting history while being forward thinking. If your homestead has recent manmade features, particularly those of unremarkable material, character or workmanship (a crumbling patio, a too-small swimming pool, a pergola of questionable stability), think about whether each feature is worthy of the time and money it will take to repair, re-build, or maintain it. Does it reflect the property’s unique history or the region’s in some way? Does it fit your (life)style, or the style of the house and grounds?  Does it add imperceptible value to your property in terms of your sheer enjoyment of it? Does it actually detract from the true beauty of your property and the surrounding area?

The answers are all subjective, but you’re likely driven by a love of open spaces and healthy, natural environments and an appreciation for historical relevance.  Let that be your guide. The prior owners of your property may have made some unfortunate decisions. Don’t be afraid to undo them.  Conversely, the prior owners hopefully made thoughtful, long-term decisions to maximize the value and pastoral beauty of your grounds and neighboring land. Continue their legacy, in big ways and small.

The Corn Crib

I own an old corn crib, dating perhaps from the 1800s.  I’d never heard the term before I bought the land it sits on, and I’ll probably never use it. It had such a severe lean that if you looked at it the wrong way, it could have collapsed.  But it’s a part of this property’s history as a working farm, and corn cribs aren’t so common anymore. My contractor told me that mine appeared to have its original hardware, which made it that much more unusual. I had him repair the building a few years ago and splurged on cedar shakes for the roof.  It now sits proudly behind a big barn and should withstand many years of tough New England weather.  

Elegant Inspiration

By embracing nature, you can keep things simple and save money. Home-improvement shows often highlight elaborate outdoor kitchens that are equal to or better equipped than most people’s sole, indoor kitchen.  Why try to replicate your interior outside and spend a small fortune doing so?  Nature is its own wondrous escape, full of sights, sounds, and scents that a lot of hardscape diminishes.  Would you rather dine under a grand oak tree surrounded by lush greenery or on a slab of concrete surrounded by stainless steel appliances? 

Take a look at Southwood Estate in Upstate New York for timeless inspiration. This stunning 86-acre estate runs along the Hudson River and is nestled in the Catskill Mountains. It lies serenely within its surroundings without interrupting the spectacular scenery.  All of us should strive toward such responsible land ownership and management.

Thank you for reading, and stay tuned for the last four tips in my next post.

My Top Five Reasons to Landscape in Winter

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Do you live in a cold climate and are you anxious about all of the outdoor work you didn’t finish during spring, summer or fall? Winter might still a great time to accomplish some of your landscaping goals. Newer owners of extensive acreage (like me) learn quickly that it’s often impossible to get everything done during the warmer months and still enjoy their property. As long as there is no snow on the ground where I’ll be working, it’s not windy, and the base temperature is at least 25 degrees Fahrenheit, I’m willing to work outside. If you feel like you don’t have any time to lose and need encouragement to bundle up and get back out there, here are my top five reasons to landscape in winter:

  1. (Virtually) No Insects. Though ticks can still be a threat, it’s a relief not to worry about being bitten by mosquitos, horseflies, deer flies, etc.  Also, bees are not as active (I think they stay in their hives when it’s near or below freezing, in survival mode).  A swarm of yellow jackets chased my sister and me two summers ago. Luckily, we suffered only a few stings, but each one was very painful.
  2. Easier Terrain to Navigate. Some areas here are prone to bogginess from snowmelt or heavy rains; winter is a great time to work in them. Once the ground is rock solid, if I use heavier equipment such as a brush hog I can more easily navigate wetter areas. I cover more ground in less time and use less energy – that’s a win-win!  And, if I need to drag any big logs across the hayfields, I don’t create unnecessary ruts. On a project-specific basis: while the ground is firm this winter, I plan to clear the remaining thick brambles that grow near the vernal stream. They had all but eclipsed the views of this lovely feature.
  3. Greater Visibility. With bare plants all around, I can see much more clearly how vegetation is growing and target cuts more effectively. I don’t mean the pruning of shrubs or flowers, but the removal of an entire plant. Also, I can see stumps and rocks, serious trip hazards that can also damage cutting blades. I’ve been studying what’s growing here for the last few years so I know what I want to get rid of. If you aren’t sure what is growing on your property, you may want to wait a season or two then decide what to keep. On the flip side, winter may make it clear that you need more privacy from your neighbors or passersby, in which case you’ll want to fill in your landscape come springtime.
  4. Lighter Debris. Deciduous vegetation has shed its leaves so without all that bulk, I think it’s easier to move. Again, I remove only what I’ve determined during the growing season that I don’t want.
  5. Ice.  Sometimes ice is helpful when moving vegetation. I still need to clear some of the fire pond’s perimeter. As I stand on firm ground at the pond’s frozen edge it’s much easier to drag cut branches over ice than it is to pull them out of water, especially after they’ve leafed out. I would never venture onto the pond itself and know that working near any body of water at any time of year can be very dangerous.  It’s best to have an arborist handle this type of work.

On my 25 acres I have a few large overgrown areas left to clear and several fallen, mature trees that need to be cut for firewood (or maybe furniture!). During the last few weeks, I’ve cut what I can with my electric chain saw, stacked some firewood, and added the rest to my chipping pile. My brother will cut the bigger pieces with his more powerful, gas-powered chainsaw.

Unfortunately, we’re expecting at least 6-12 inches of snow starting tomorrow morning . . . so, this week I’ll only be moving snow and waiting for the temperature to rise.

Winter can be very taxing on the human body and negatively impact the performance of certain tools/equipment. It can also create dangerous conditions on the ground and overhead. Let’s all be careful out there!

The information contained herein is for entertainment/general information purposes only. Neither Lush Heritage nor any individual or entity affiliated with this website is or shall be responsible for any actions you may take based on content found on this website. Any reliance you place on such content is therefor strictly at your own risk.

Overgrown Gardens – Honoring the Past, Designing the Future

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When I bought the little house and the main house, both had stunning flower gardens that were no longer at their best. An avid amateur gardener and professional landscape horticulturist/garden designer created them, respectively; their exceptional taste is still apparent amidst the weeds. I recall seeing these overgrown gardens in their full glory, such a great inspiration. They deserve to be reclaimed; it has never occurred to me to rip them out and grass them over though that would be the far easier course of action.

While I’m grateful for the prior gardeners’ expertise and efforts, I have to decide how much of their aesthetic to keep and still realize my own. Among homeowners who are living with someone else’s extensive landscaping, I suspect I’m not alone in this predicament.

I’ve selected the flower bed pictured below for my first, multi-year garden reclamation project. I’ll discuss the specific plantings in a future post.

The Garden Details

Location: The garden lies between a lawn and a long stone wall; hayfields stretch behind the wall. Since it’s toward the bottom of a gentle slope the ground is slightly moist and well-drained.

Dimensions:  11-13’ W x 106’ L (probably a bit longer due to the garden’s undulating border)

Sun exposure:  full sun

Level of difficulty: 4 out of 5 stars

The Plan

First, remove the debris and weeds on both sides of the stone wall. Then lay down mulch. Lastly, install 350+ bulbs (hyacinths, daffodils, and peonies) this fall; this phase will be detailed further in a future post.

My debris and weed removal has been inefficient.

In Summer 2017, my sister and I spent several weekends cutting and removing weeds and Phragmites that bordered the hayfield side of the stone wall. Without clearing this area, there is no sight line from the house through the lawn and garden into the hayfields which is one of my main goals. We should have used mulch after we cut everything.

Then, in Fall 2018, I hired the main house’s wonderful garden designer to remove a few years of dead growth and weeds and do a hard cut back of certain specimen trees. I didn’t quite know what was in the garden and didn’t want to remove anything by mistake. I had him use mulch on another garden, but not this one. Bad decision!

The following spring, a dense wall of weeds and Phragmites sprouted once again.  However, I was busy working on other outdoor projects last year so I didn’t tend to this garden.

Which brings me to this spring and summer – and the pandemic which has forced me to work from home since mid-March.  In April and May, I cut back the bamboo, grasses, and weeds. Then the heat and humidity of summer drove me out of the garden.  From June through August, the bamboo shot back to almost four feet and a sea of tough grasses returned.

This month, I returned to the garden, determined to stop endless weeding by using the one thing that I have an almost irrational dislike of: mulch.

Mulch

I generally dislike mulch because I think it’s too visible in most gardens or it’s an awful color. However, I’ve accepted that it’s an essential for me, and I can control its visibility and color in my application.  Given the number and size of the gardens at both houses, I just don’t want to spend a fortune every year to replenish it.

Luckily, I have access to a yearly supply of free mulch but didn’t realize it until this year.

Wood Chips

When I pruned and cleaned around a row of maple trees two years ago, my tree guy chipped all the branches then hauled away truckloads of wood chips. One pile was left on-site for my sister’s gardening needs, but she never used it.  The wood chip pile sat, a slight eyesore under a layer of fallen leaves, for two years.

You may have guessed correctly: that wood pile decomposed into dark brown mulch. I found compost in the center, presumably the hottest section.

It takes an hour to shovel it into a cart attached to my riding mower, ride it back to the garden then shovel it in the garden. But, it’s so worth it!  I love that the land is giving back to itself – and it’s at no additional cost to me.

I’ve just bought a wood chipper, which I’ll discuss in a future Lush Heritage product review.  I’m very excited to make my own mulch and compost annually and keep the property neater looking at the same time.

Fallen Leaves

Chopped leaves are another good (and free) mulch and will be my second choice here. One benefit to owning so many big deciduous trees is that I have easy access to a huge amount of autumn leaves.  I only need to chop and bag them with my riding lawn mower, or shred them with my DR Leaf and Lawn Vacuum. I think I’ve timed this project just right – leaves have already begun to turn and fall.

Perfect Mulch Partners

Mulch can be even more effective when used with other materials. Plain, brown cardboard boxes and black-and-white newspapers provide an inexpensive, opaque layer beneath mulch and an extra assurance that no sunlight will penetrate the mulch. Also, unlike plastic landscaping fabric, as they decompose they’ll add beneficial organic matter to the soil.

I remove all tape and sticky labels from the boxes, break them down flat, then soak them with water using my garden hose. When they’re good and soggy I lay them on the freshly cut weeds in the garden, overlapping as I go then cover them with my wood-chip mulch.

The garden is so big, that I’m sure I’ll run out of cardboard long before I’m done covering the weeds. 

When that happens, I’ll lay down 6-8 sheets of water-soaked newspaper (black-and-white only), then cover that with my mulch. I may resort to plain brown shopping bags for the base layer before I start mulching bare ground.

That’s it for now.  I’ll update this project over the next several months.

Good luck to all of you who are also doing fall preparation in your flower and vegetable gardens!

Healthy Lawn Report: Grass Re-Seeding Disaster

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I haven’t posted in several weeks for two reasons:  it suddenly became too hot for me to want to be in the blazing sun for hours so I haven’t made much progress on outdoor projects, and I’ve been under the weather recently. I’m feeling much better, but it’s only getting hotter and more humid.

Lush Isn’t Always Pretty

It feels dishonest to feature only picture-perfect photos when the property is (still) a mess or when a project goes awry, so I’d like to share a grass re-seeding disaster that occurred in late May/early June:

I have a secondary front lawn and sizeable flower bed across the road from the main house. In recent years my town has been using a more caustic road salt that has slowly killed a swath of grass that is at least 6 feet wide and several hundred feet long. Because the ground slopes, that salt has migrated in certain spots and created other dead areas of lawn where only a bit of crab grass and weeds grow.

It looks awful.

Why Is the Grass Dying On My Watch?

Last year, I’d applied gypsum to desalinate and de-compact the soil, with the intention of over-seeding in late summer/early fall, then top dressing with organic horse manure. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to do either so this spring I found myself looking at an ugly lawn that had once been lush and green. I don’t know how the previous owners kept the lawn in such good shape; some road salt must have always migrated onto the lawn – for decades. I know they used a mulching mower, but their lawn care activities are otherwise a mystery.

Fed up with how bad it looked, I had six cubic yards of screened loam delivered in late May.  It couldn’t be dumped exactly where I needed it because of the slope and the limitations of the truck used to deliver it. So I shoveled the dirt by hand into a cart, hauled it across the road, and spread it by hand onto the area to be re-seeded.  It took at least four hours to move less than half the pile. 

I figured it made more sense to have the seed sitting on the fresh loam instead of the almost-barren soil bed.  So, I lightly raked the loam then sowed fresh grass seed, sprinkled organic horse manure, covered it all with tacky straw, and watered it using a handheld sprayer and three five-gallon buckets of water.

The below photo shows about one-quarter of a long section of decimated lawn. I covered it quite heavily with the tacky straw, but the bottom of the photo shows a patch of how poor the area was. Notice how just a few blades of crabgrass are poking through soil that is covered with a sand and salt mixture.

High Hopes, Quickly Dashed

Anyone who has successfully seeded a lawn (as I have) probably knows that it all went downhill from there. Here’s what happened:

  1. The next morning, I went outside shortly after 7:00am to see that wild turkeys had been scratching at the straw and disturbing the seed – there were deep gouges in some places. Other birds were picking up bits of straw, presumably for nesting material, but I sensed that the turkeys were going to be the real spoilers.
  2. Upset but undeterred, I filled my buckets and sprayed the area by hand.  The battery on the sprayer died after 30 minutes but gave me just enough power to empty the buckets.  The soil appeared saturated but when I checked an hour or so later, it looked bone dry and when I dug my finger into the soil, it felt that way too.
  3. Still, I awoke earlier than normal each day for two weeks, took note of the continued turkey disturbances and straw theft then watered the soil for 30 minutes.  It always felt dry shortly after I finished watering it around 8:00am even though the temperature topped out in the mid-seventies (Fahrenheit) and the lows were in the fifties.
  4. It didn’t rain for at least ten days – not one drop.
  5. Nothing came up.
  6. The turkeys visited at all times of the day and evening, one time appearing less than a minute after I’d finished watering.  Other times, they’d stand several feet away, almost as if they were just waiting for me to leave.  Yes, I directed harsh language at them.
  7. After about ten days, we had a very light rain.
  8. I finally noticed a few green shoots close to the roadside – success!  My 7:30am waterings had been worth it.  Excited, I then sprinkled some year-old coated mini-clover seeds.  Within a few days, baby clover appeared!
  9. I watered for a few more days, bringing my project to about the two-week mark.
  10. My sister told me that much of what I’d thought were mini-clover were in fact baby weeds sprouting.  What?!
  11. Around Day 14, I went outside to water.  No mini-clover. The new grass seemed to be gone too, but all the weeds were present.  And bigger.  Weeds that I hadn’t seen anywhere on the property before – or at my parents’ house just up the road.  What had been in that loam?  More importantly, what had happened to the mini-clover?

I saw hoof marks at one end of the seeded area, but the deer didn’t appear to have been near where the mini-clover had sprouted. I doubted the turkeys had eaten it – they seemed much more interested in scratching at the straw to look for grubs.

I’m sure it was the rabbits. They’d been pretty sparse this year – I assumed due in part to the coyote that I’d seen a few times. Just when I’d noticed them, they must have noticed the tender green shoots and feasted on them. Strange, as they seem to have no interest in the sizeable amount of white clover that is spread throughout the other lawns.

The area is as ugly as before, now with a new variety of weeds as seen below.

So, I will pull all the weeds then re-seed/fertilize the area in mid-late September.

So Many Mistakes

For now, I’ve taken stock of everything I did wrong:

  1. Poor seed-to-soil contact. I should have raked the seeds into the loam instead of having them sit on top of it.
  2. Bad timing. Although the temperature stayed between 50-75 degrees Fahrenheit after I seeded the area, it gets full sun and the soil likely gets pretty hot after baking in the sun all day in mid-spring. I should have seeded the area in late March/early April even though we had one or two snowfalls during that period. The snow melted within 24 hours so I don’t think it would have killed the seeds. We also had frequent rain then and those extra weeks would have helped the seeds to germinate. 
  3. Insufficient water. I should have paid attention to the weather forecast and waited to re-seed until we had a good amount of rain coming.  The seeds needed sustained moisture more than anything for the first few weeks. How much better the outcome would have been.

Due to the lack of rain, I should have watered twice a day or better yet, I should have used my heavy-duty, tow-behind sprayer that needs to be hitched to my lawn tractor’s engine (PTO, I think) to spray a drenching mist – probably in the evening.  But, I needed to secure the sprayer to the one cart I have which would have meant that I couldn’t use it to haul brush. I just couldn’t spare it, and the hook up of the sprayer and cart is tricky (to me anyway) since my brother had taken care of it for me last year.  In hindsight, I should have tried to connect and de-connect them myself – like my sister suggested.

4. Attracted wild life.  I think using tacky straw is a good idea – it’s supposed to stick to the soil once wet to keep the seeds in place, retain moisture as the seeds germinate, then disintegrate.  For me, though, my first time using it just made the area too attractive to wild turkeys which disturbed the seeds every day, several times a day. I’ve successfully seeded areas without straw (and once, without watering the area at all). So, I doubt I’ll use it again.

Looking Ahead

I am not defeated or angry that I spent so much time on what turned out to be a disaster because I’ve learned from this experience. At the very least, it has reminded me that I have to be patient and persistent. This lawn will need to be majorly rehabilitated every year due to the horrible effects of road salt/sand and runoff.  That will take time, energy, and money, all of which could be spent elsewhere.  But the only alternative is to have a half-dead, weedy lawn in front of the house.

That’s unacceptable.

So, it’s onward and upward.  The wild turkeys don’t visit as much now, but I see many more rabbits all over the property. They look plump and healthy, but at least I know it’s not from gorging on fresh clover shoots – not mine, anyway!