Young House Love

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Removing Weeds From Our Paver Driveway

Perhaps this screenshot of our old header will give you a hint as to what we tackled in this outdoor update (which is most likely number 7 of 582, since we like to tackle outdoor stuff in bite-sized stages so we don’t get too sore/overwhelmed or blow the budget)…

Tree Header

Yup, that’s the Camellia tree that we first mentioned back in March (you guys actually helped us identify it). It’s a beautiful tree, but we’ve always bemoaned the fact that it was growing just inches (maybe even just one inch?) from our foundation… which made us tres nervous about permanent damage if we allowed it to stay.

Tree Before Side

Tree Before Trunk

After showing it to a few plant expert friends of ours, they all recommended removing it asap so the root systems didn’t cause any issues. And we had to admit it was kinda like a bushy, overgrown sideburn on our home’s pretty little face anyway. You know, the tree equivalent to a mutton chop? Or maybe one of those weird extra long “feeler” eyebrow hairs? Whatever the face-hair analogy you prefer, it wasn’t good.

Tree Before Full

Unless you enjoy the whole tree-tickling-the-gutters look.

Tree Before Leaves Roof

Long story short, we finally decided to serve Miss Camellia an eviction notice.

Our first instinct was of course to transplant it. We generally liked the look of it and figured there was no reason not to at least try to save this gal. So I got out my shovel and went to town on her for about 30 minutes. This is as far as I got:

Tree Roots Dug Up

It may look like progress, but certainly didn’t feel like it. The roots were so tight that it was hard to maneuver around them… and I was in constant fear of knocking out a brick or two from the house as I dug into the earth with some pretty serious force (we have very dense hard soil here). So after about another hour of digging (where we discovered just how close some of the roots and the foundation really were) and some thoughtful discussion, we knew what we had to do. We apologized, told her we had done our best and that it was just the wrong time and (more importantly) the wrong place… and I got the saw. It was sad, but it was necessary. And we made a promise to plant another camellia somewhere in the backyard in memory of our gutter-tickling friend.

When it came to the removal process, first I took off the big limbs and then I spent the bulk of my time sawing through the trunk right at ground level. About another 30 minutes later, I was left with this little stump that (after snapping this pic) would be low enough to bury with level dirt so it wouldn’t be seen. I contemplated further cutting it out, but was still waaay too nervous to upset the ground more around the foundation, so I decided just to leave it be and cover it up with dirt so everything was nice and level.

Tree Roots Cut

I generally don’t like cutting down perfectly healthy trees. At all. So this bummed me and Sherry out more than we should probably admit. But we consoled ourselves with the fact that we had already planted six new trees since moving in (remember these) and reminded ourselves that removing this one poorly placed camellia meant that we were making room for new better-fitting plantings in that spot, that would, among other things, not lean on our house or threaten our home’s foundation.

Tree After Side

The replacement plantings will definitely be smaller and more low-profile. It’s our general theory that short stout houses like ours need lower, airier landscaping to help them look taller (aka: not so darned squat). Our last house was so weighed down with a a heavy row of azalea bushes when we moved in that it practically made the thing seem half as high (see how we remedied that in this old post). So taking out this taller-than-the-house tree helped us earn back some much needed visual height (thanks to the fact that a tiny tree no longer towered over our house, making it appear even shorter).

Tree After Full

Though when I stepped back I realized that one very overgrown bush was undoing all of my hard work. Sheesh. You know you’re in trouble when a bush is taller than your house.

Tree Big Bush Before

So I gave him a little haircut with the ol’ clippers.

Tree Big Bush After

Not amazing at all. But better. That whole swarm of bushes is something that we’d love to transplant in order to open things up as we go. We’re actually really looking forward to revamping our front yard because the house still feels very closed off to us. Pretty much the only thing not blocked by greenery is the carport, which (though it has grown on me) is not exactly the part of our home that I want to highlight (we still very much look forward to turning that into a proper garage down the line).

Maybe now that it has cooled off a bit we’ll finally gain some momentum outside. Heck, late last week was so beautiful that Sherry did some weeding in the driveway to keep me company (and Clara and Burger “helped” – which means they pranced/toddled around and played with sticks/leaves). And yes, I did just say that Sherry did some driveway weeding. As much as we love our double-wide paver driveway, the fact that we’re one of the few folks who have to weed our driveway doesn’t escape us (as opposed to all the blissfully weed-free paved ones out there).

Tree Weeded After

See, the driveway is very long. And, thanks to the weed-friendly paver-ness of all those cracks, it’s proving to be pretty impossible to keep free of super annoying green sprouts. We’re not down with those chemical spray-on weed killers since we have a bean and a pup who play outside (they’re not supposed to be great for the planet either), but we’ve done our fair share of research when it comes to more natural weed killing alternatives like these:

  • Pouring boiling water on them
  • Using course driveway salt
  • Implementing a mixture involving vinegar

Sadly after a bit more research (like calling the paver manufacturer directly) we’ve learned that using salt or vinegar on our pavers can permanently damage them (leading to erosion, cracking, etc). So we’ve only tried the first method (using gallons of scalding water from the stove repeatedly dumped over various sections of the driveway). The result? Cue the sad trombone sound effect. It didn’t do nada. Even after waiting a few days (holding out hope that it might take a while to burn down to the root or something) those weeds were still sitting there smiling up at us. Grr.

So we decided to give up on the boiling-pots-and-pots-of-water technique and resort to good old fashioned hand-pulling every so often. Which isn’t exactly every day (yup, we’re those neighbors with the weedy driveway). So if you ever come over, forgive us if the front of our driveway looks like this (here’s hoping it’s at least partially weeded, which seems to be our pattern). And maybe someday we’ll get around to using polymeric sand which is supposed to cut down on weeds…

Tree Weeds Still There

Okay, now someone make me feel better about having to take out the camellia. Has anyone else has had to move/remove a tree or other planting that wasn’t working for them? And if you’ve ever had success moving a tree with dense tight roots right near the foundation, what are your tips? I just couldn’t keep digging away without crippling don’t-break-the-house anxiety. We’d also love any and all driveway weeding tips. Especially the all natural ones that might be more paver-friendly than salt and vinegar.

Comments

  1. Amy says

    After living in our house for over 10 years, we finally bit the bullet and cut out a tree that was planted 4-6 inches from the foundation – a huge, gorgeous Japanese maple.

    Yes, we cut down a tree that (due to its size) was probably worth at least $1,000. Alas, we spoke to several arborists and even if we could afford to have it transplanted by a professional (which we couldn’t), there was only a 50% chance it would survive.

    I’m still in mourning. And the house looks so odd to me still.

    Reply

  2. Melissa says

    For the weeds on the driveway you can try sweeping some of the current sand out and replacing it with polymeric joint sand.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Yeah I keep trying to convince John that it’ll solve the problem but he keeps pointing out that there aren’t many deep grooves for those weeds and they still pop up. It can’t hurt though so I think that might be on the agenda for later this fall when things die off a bit more!

      xo,
      s

    • Sheila says

      yep, polymeric joint sand is your best friend. Doesn’t have to be much between the joints, just enough room to seal it off. Key is to sweep-sweep-sweep it in…this is the step most DIYers slack on, and the problem is that little voids are left and just waiting for a weed. (then water in, sweep, wait, water…whatever, read the instructions).

      But once it’s fully hardened, no more weeds! I had your same problem, got this done, no more weeds.

  3. KellyA says

    Yep! I had to take out a willow tree that was dead when I moved in. Especially after it cracked in high winds and nearly crushed my car!

    At least you got the tree taken care of before it created additional, more expensive problems for you. Prevention! (it must be a weird day because I totally sounded that out in my head like “Tradition! Tradition!” as if I was in Fiddler on the Roof)

    Reply

  6. Ashley says

    We have a gorgeous old magnolia a few feet from our house. We have a 60’s split level, and when we replaced the carpet in the downstairs level we realized that our floor was cracked and water was seeping in – right next to where the magnolia is. We sealed the floor, but the tree needs to come down. We don’t have the money right now, and it’s going to make me sooo sad to lose that beautiful tree and the shade when the time comes.

    Reply

  7. Caroline says

    Hi John,

    I know I might be outting myself as a complete amateur here (eekk), but what happens to the roots underneath the soil? Are those not going to continue to grow (possibly into the foundation)? I have some plants in my backyard which I would like to remove, but on the off chance they must be cut (like yours), do I not need to worry aobut the roots in the soil?

    Thanks, Caroline

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Once the tree is no longer alive (it dies when you cut off 90% of it) the roots won’t continue to grow. You can always have those roots ground if you want to plant new things in its place (we might have to dig more out or grind them when we move on to replanting that area).

      -John

    • Callie says

      I guess trees might be different than bushes then? We had a couple tree/bushes planted too close to our house that we dug up/cut off after moving in, and we still always had shoots growing up from the stump/roots. A botanist told me to drill into the root with a wood bit on my drill to make a hole as far in as I could and then pack it with salt to kill any part of it still growing.

    • Meghan, UK says

      The drilling/salt tip is so helpful! I knew I read the comments for more than just gratuitous time-wasting! Thank you!

  8. threadbndr says

    I hear the pain. I have pin oaks. Two of them. They were planted too close together – back in 1930. They shed their underneath limbs. A lot. And make acorns. A lot.

    BUT they are mature trees and I hate to cut them down, to say nothing about how much the arborists want to do that.

    Be grateful that your little tree was one person-sized. Mine are at least as big as the back tree that killed the neighbor’s roof.

    Reply

  9. Heidi says

    Did any of your plant expert friends recommend putting a little Round-up or other herbicide on the stump of the camelia? If they didn’t, you might want to consider it: the root system is still alive, and it will likely send out a ton of shoots for perpetuity, in an attempt to sustain itself. Your other option is to yank up the stump, or cut out the main chunk (easier to do if you’re not trying to save the tree).

    Reply

    • Martha says

      Don’t be too afraid of Round-up for the driveway either. Because it works so well, there is a lot of misinformation out there. Call your local extension for research-based info. It is systemic and does not leach into the soil. I would keep the little ones off for 24 hours and then spray any residual off the plants. It will kill the existing plants, but I suspect that you have seeds germinating between the pavers. For that you would need to sprinkle something (Preen?) that prevents seeds from germinating. Again your local extension office will have information.

    • Maren says

      I just saw something on our local PBS station about how to use Roundup to kill stumps – you don’t need to brush it on the entire stump, since only the outer ring is the alive – so dripping or brushing the Roundup only on the outer part is enough, and limits exposure to the chemical (wear gloves too, of course!) Sadly, this doesn’t work on our Poplars…who, ten years after being cut down, still send up shoots from the roots and where the stump was (even though it is covered by lawn now). Weedy little jerks.

    • Chrissie says

      My father in law came around to spray our weeds with round up a couple of weeks ago (how nice is that? He lives like 40 minutes away!) and he told me the pro tip with round up is to mix it with washing detergent, which breaks down the water and ensures the round up gets through to the weeds faster.

      I was nervous about using poison – while our animals don’t spend much time out the front there are cats that run around the neighbourhood, and of course concern for the environment too, but he told me that you could let your animals loose on that stuff within 30 seconds of spraying! Obviously we’d leave it a LOT longer than that, just to be on the safe side, but it is a comfort to know.

    • Tabitha says

      We have a poplar in our backyard that we had to cut down this spring. It was only 10 to 15 years old and already 50 feet tall. Our friend who worked for his dad’s tree removal service said it would double it’s height once it hit full maturity. Not safe when it’s right in between our house and our neighbor’s! My husband and I didn’t feel so bad taking it down knowing it to ensure our safety. But now the jerk keeps sending up suckers to spite us so we know how you feel, Maren!

      We do have a lovely silver oak that’s reaching it’s golden years though. Will be sad when we have to take it down. I could cry thinking about it.

  10. rachael says

    We don’t have any weeds in our driveway so I can’t comment on that, but we did transplant a Rose of Sharon bush once and its roots were so close to the foundation and so so so tight we had to take a recipricating saw (sawsall, anyone?) to get it out of the ground and it actually lived!! I’d be very watchful of your tree growing new sprouts though. Just keep checking, you might have to do more digging if it does.

    Reply

  12. Christine says

    Chopping down the tree/bush that was blocking our lovely huge picture window in our living room was the first thing we did after closing. And we may have to sadly get rid of a lovely kousa dogwood next year – we’re building a deck and it’s right smack in the way (and we’re not building a little hole around it – not worth it). I want to replant elsewhere in the yard but we really don’t have that many spots for planting things (huge tree in the center of the backyard = limited spots of consistent sunlight) so it may sadly go bye-bye.

    Reply

  13. Amy says

    We had to remove a three foot tall azalea bush along with a rose of sharon tree when we moved in for the same reason. I can’t quite figure out how they managed to plant it so close to the foundation. I never even got to see what color the azalea was:(

    Reply

  14. Margaret says

    We had to cut an small pine tree in the front yard because its root system was so weak. It leaned farther and farther until after a snow storm, it looked like it it was at about a 45 degree angle. We literally got booed by some of our neighbors as we were cutting it down. But the tree was doomed, and we saved it from falling on someone’s car.

    Reply

  15. Colleen says

    We had two giant Holly Trees just feet from our house. Our neighbors vine climbed up them and across our roof, nothing could grow around the trees for at least 5 feet and they were wedged in between our two houses and sort of dangerous. I didn’t want to cut them since they were so old and shady, but it was a good move. Now we have a nice garden there and wonder why we ever put our house in danger.The roof damage, the prickly leaves and the poor looking yard are all perks to removing the poor trees.

    Reply

  16. Lauren @ chezerbey says

    Don’t feel bad about the Camellia. We had a similar one right up against our house and had to move it when we repainted a few years ago. We painstakingly dug it up and replanted it in our side yard, but it never made it. (We did our best to remove as much of the root bulb as we could, but I guess it wasn’t enough.) Now we’re digging up all around our foundation (to waterproof and put in new drains) and we’re still finding remnants of its gnarly root structure!

    Reply

  17. bw1426 says

    Can’t wait to see how you landscape the front. As for your weed problem in your driveway, have you considered spraying out the cracks, letting it dry and putting in fresh polymeric sand? That would considerably cut down on your weed problem.

    Reply

  18. Kristen @ Popcorn on the Stove says

    Bummer about the tree but it had to be done! I think the house looks nicer now and when you put in smaller plants, you won’t even remember that tree! That shrub looks great, too!

    Boo for the weeding but if you figure out a method beside manually pulling them all out, please share!

    Reply

  19. Allyn says

    I’ve got a giant tomato plant that has seriously overtaken our front bed. He’s crushing all of my poor peppers and lillies. He will be beheaded soon.
    Every time I see your cute yellow door, it makes me want to paint mine. Though I want ours blue, like so many of the doors we just saw in Scotland. Wonder if I can talk our landlords into letting me try. White house+white door=snoozefest

    Reply

    • Cameron says

      Tell them you’ll paint it back to white before you move if they don’t like it. I did this in every rental house I lived in, and I never had a landlord not like the finished product and make me paint it back!

  21. Tom M says

    I’m in the same boat re: round-up and other herbicides – I’d rather not use them. I haven’t tried a weed flame thrower myself, but the WTOP garden expert (Mike McGrath) has recommended them as an alternative to chemicals.

    Reply

  22. Casey says

    could you guys get your hands on a butane torch for the weeds? My husband and I live in Germany and pesticides are not allowed for private use over here. In order to keep our driveway & back porch weed free we bought a butane fueled weed torch that burns them and then you just brush them away! Much, much better than pulling them out by hand! We were worried that things would catch on fire easily but we haven’t had any scares yet. If it’s a larger weed we will burn it a bit and then come back to it later just to be safe. I’m not sure if they sell the torches in the States (we have lived here for 3 years and didn’t need one when living in the States) but if you can get one I think you would love it!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Oh man, John might love that a little too much. But it’s a great idea! I wonder if the pavers are ok with high heat like that? I worry they might look ashy and burned like stone under a firepit?

      xo,
      s

    • Casey says

      Ooh, I’m not sure! We have used it with different types of pavers at 2 different houses and they have held up fine, but the German construction might be different – who knows! My husband loves usig it and I’m my complaining as long as I don’t have to pull weeds by hand!

    • Casey says

      Wow- typos galore in that last comment! It’s clearly time for me to put down the iPhone and go to bed :)

    • Sam says

      I echo the use of a flame thrower/butane torch. My old landlord loved to use his on errant weeds (I don’t recall it doing any damage to his pavers, but they look different from what you guys have; don’t know if that makes a difference).

    • Ambierre says

      This is what I was going to suggest too! My sis-in-law’s gardener uses this method on her flagstone patio. Works like a charm and no burn marks. You can be pretty precise with a torch like this and I think you could try in a really inconspicuous place once or twice and see if there’s any damage. Good luck!

  23. Chrissi says

    Try Vinegar, Orange Oil & Dishwasher soap to kill weeds organically. If you google it you can find the exact recipe. I use it at my house, but my mom always mixes it up for me!! It works and is safe for human kiddos and furry kiddos! Might take a couple of applications – just sprayed on the weeds – and they will be gone!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Thanks for the recommendation Chrissi! Sadly the paver manufacturer that we called said anything with salt or vinegar was out since it could erode the pavers and lead to cracking and other gross stuff. Sad.

      xo,
      s

  24. Pam the Goatherd says

    Round-Up will get rid of the weeds, won’t hurt the pavers, and will break down so that there are no dangerous chemicals remaining behind to poison the pup and bean.

    Reply

  28. Amy says

    Oh! I also forgot to give you another tip. We had to cut down a very large tree a few years ago (it was heavily damaged in a wind storm). We left the stump, but used a big drill bit to drill a bunch of holes in it, then dumped “hot” compost and blood meal (you can also use fish meal). The compost and meals help introduce more bacteria into the stump and root system, making it decompose faster. It’s not quick, but I didn’t want to add any chemicals into the soil of our yard.

    Reply

  29. Liz says

    I’m actually having a stump removed in my front yard as I type this! There was a large cottonwood tree there when I bought my house last year, and unfortunately the roots were growing way too shallow in the direction of my foundation. My father cut the tree down, but the roots have been sprouting everywhere (including the backyard), which we take to mean that the stump has to go as well. Another unfortunate event – a water line has been bent in the process of removal! I hope you have better luck with your stump, because mine has been nothing but a headache!

    Reply

  30. Lesley says

    I really felt your pain in having to cut down your camilla. I believe you did the right thing because it was the best for the both of you. He would have suffered eventually being so close to the house. You might have to think of it that way.

    Reply

  31. adria says

    I haven’t removed them yet, but we have three GIANT hosta plants in front of our house..so big, they take over the front stoop and the sidewalk in early summer. If you’ve never googled “how to remove a hosta plant” you should try it. There are only websites about how great they are and “why would anyone want to remove/kill them???”

    I’ve felt too guilty to tackle them, but the time might come this fall!

    Reply

  32. Zoe Feast says

    I have a paved driveway too and while it does look gorgeous the weeds are a real pain AND I have a moss issue. I am real anti using chemicals in the garden too but I have resorted to using roundup to control the driveway weeds. There is one on the market that you spray once and it keeps everything at bay for a good few months.

    Oh and in case you have a deer problem I have a really good no chemical home made spray that really does work and costs next to nothing. Check it out here http://www.creativeinchicago.com/2011/05/homemade-deer-repellant-spray.html

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Thanks for the natural deer spray recipe! We don’t have any deer issues (although a ton of them hang in our neighborhood, I guess they’re too good for our flowers/bushes, haha).

      xo,
      s

    • Chrissie says

      If you spray the weeds early in their growth cycle, before they have a chance to go to seed, they should stop growing after about 5 years (that’s how long weed seeds can lie dormant for)

  33. Ang says

    I know that guilt all too well. I currently have mismatched beds in front of my house because the one of the evergreen bushes that the previous owners planted had died, but I don’t have the heart to dig out (murder) its perfectly healthy twin on the other side.

    Reply

  34. Lindsay says

    Pour baking soda on the pavers and then sweep it around so it goes in all of the cracks, it will help prevent weeds.

    Reply

  35. Barb says

    You aren’t the only ones who have had to eliminate foundation plantings that have overstayed their welcome. When we moved into our 1960’s CAPE…we dug out (for days, I might add) 16, count them, 16 evergreens that were ugly, overgrown, and shaped beyond ugly. Digging the roots was a task that I conquered while my husband was at work. I called it “my job.” Grueling task, but it had to be done. WHile the neighbors ate Easter dinner…we dug out the ugly evergreens. And to top that…many neighbors walked by and were sad they were being disposed of. What is that about??

    Why do people plant ugly evergreens is beyond me.

    We have since then planted lovely giant hostas and wegelia and it is stunning.

    Good riddance EVERGREEN FAMILY!

    Don’t feel guilty. You have done yourself a “good thing.”

    B.

    Reply

  36. Kris says

    When and if you plan to put polymeric sand in those joints, I highly recommend getting a compacter to run over the driveway after each brushing of sand. I have no weeds coming up in my patio where I used the compacter 6 yrs ago vs. where I didn’t on the paver patio sections I added later.

    Reply

  37. Jen says

    Hey John and Sherry,

    I’m so glad you decided to remove that tree when you did. I mentioned in one of your earlier posts about the extensive damage a tree did to our house because it was too close. Our tree was 100x larger, and had been growing for a few more years than yours though. We were told that the root ball is like the heart- it’s what keeps a tree alive- even if you cut the tree down. So if you don’t remove the heart, it keeps growing new shoots, and the damage causing roots continue to grow. At the very least, you need to cut all the main “arteries” or large roots that lead away from the stump. Once those main roots are severed, then the stump will most likely die.

    Here’s our tree removal if you’re interested.
    http://jenandfranz.blogspot.com/2011/08/beforeafter-different-kind-of-project.html

    Good Luck!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Thanks for the tip Jen! We have learned a few great methods for being sure the roots are 100% dead (commenters = amazingly brilliant) so we’ll be sure to finish her off. So cruel, but so necessary.

      xo,
      s

    • Jen says

      Yes sad indeed. I remember seeing a huge limb lying on the ground, and the sap was a deep orangy/red color. It looked like the tree was bleeding- and in fact it was. I felt horrible, but there was no way around it.

  38. Meredith says

    I had to remove some sort of crazy, SUPER STRONG bush from a planter when I bought my house. Unfortunately I found out afterwards it was the only thing holding my fence up! Poor fence lived held up by wood screws for a few years until a complete replacement a few months ago!

    Reply

  39. Jon Senge says

    I spent three summers removing a mature jacaranda stump with an axe. It was like an ice berg. It seemed small and manageable from the get-go, just hard work. Then I kept getting deeper and it just would never end. I’ve since learned jacarandas can have root systems 3-4x the size of their canopies. Our tree was 50 feet wide before we moved in. I finally got enough of it out thanks to a really incredible Fiskars axe and a whole lot of sweat. The site is in the process of solarizing right now, and come mid-October, new grass will be planted for little Alice to run and play on next Spring.

    Removing trees is NO fun. Take heed where you plant them to begin with—they will grow!

    Reply

  40. Stephanie says

    We have the most beautiful magnolia tree growing right next to our foundation and through the pergola that covers the sidewalk leading up to our front door. It looks really cool and has lovely flowers in the early summer, but it really does need to go. I completely feel your pain – I hate the idea of chopping down a healthy, mature tree. It just dropped little seed pods all over the yard, though, so maybe we can grow another one from the seeds of the original.
    Also – we’re the neighbors with the weedy driveway too, except ours is because the asphalt is so cracked. I told my husband we should just let it go natural – I’m sure the neighbors would be totally cool with that.

    Reply

  41. Audrey says

    If it makes you feel any better about the weeds, I tried the vinegar thing and it didn’t work, so I had to pull them all.

    Reply

  42. Jenni says

    Your outside is coming right along! My husband actually power washes the weeds out of our cobblestone driveway. Works pretty well. We hope some day to have some professionals seal the driveway; they fill in the cracks with something that is supposed to prevent weeds from springing up.

    Reply

  43. Ali says

    Well, if it makes you feel better, we have three trees like the camellia that are right next to the house and we have to get rid of them. :( Our neighbors had the same ones and didn’t and it caused ($$$) foundation damage. Sigh.

    Reply

  44. Jaime says

    We have a small property (4200sqft) and I have cut down 4 of the 5 trees that were on the property. Two 15′ cedars, a large lilac tree that took up half our small backyard and another smaller, bushy tree (not sure what kind it was). We did leave a large Ash tree that tucked nicely into the corner of our backyard. I would have given them away but it was far too much work to try and dig up the root systems for them to be able to attempt survival.

    I didn’t really feel bad about digging them up (though my husband did) because they were too big for the property and looked out of proportion. I truly believe that just because something is there, does not mean that it is right for the house. I have since re-planted our gardens (and made new ones) with more appropriate sized plants and slow growing trees so that we don’t end up in the same situation any time soon!

    Why do we feel so bad about digging up a tree but don’t hesitate to take down a wall?

    Reply

  45. Donita says

    It looks like several others addressed the issue of regrowth from the roots. I just wanted to add, that does happen, speaking from experience. You have to use some type of root killer or remove the roots, or you will get new growth. When you said you were going to put dirt over it……my first thought, that should make the new growth much faster. LOL J/K ya, but really, our experience is that the roots will have new leafy growth. Hope it helps!!! HEE HEE Have a great day.

    Reply

  46. Kari says

    The juxtaposition of the tree removal and the weed removal on the driveway is appropriate. I always figure that any plant, regardless of how beautiful it is, if it’s in the wrong spot is a weed (such as yours–waaaay to close to the house). After all, a great big field of dandelions is actually quite attractive–it’s just that, in a lawn, they’re in the wrong spot.

    We even went so far as to remove a maple on our neighbor’s property (with his permission–he probably hadn’t even notice it was growing there until we pointed it out) because it was invading our property and was in the totally wrong spot for his yard, too. Nearby we planted a much more attractive Eastern Redbud and I figure we replaced any damage to the air quality by doing so. It’s only a matter of months before we must talk to our other neighbors about their quaking aspens that, though their shade is nice, have totally overtaken the fence between our properties (again, wrong spot–I’m sure they were planted by Mother Nature–nobody deliberately plants a tree 2 inches from a fence line).

    House is lookin’ good!

    Reply

  47. Chelsey L says

    We pulled a mulberry tree out of the back yard of our first house. It was lovely, but the berries were all over the back yard, and our pup constantly stepped in them, which meant they got all over his feet and he tracked them in. We were afraid our carpet was going to be permanently stained purple.

    Reply

  48. Marlena says

    We had two arborvitae next to our front door/foundation when we moved into our house, and not only were they unattractive, they were wayyyyy too close to the foundation. Along with some massive limb cleaning up on our 100-year-old silver maples in the back, we had professionals come in and remove them and grind the stumps. We then followed up with a roto-rooter call, which sure enough, cleared roots in the system.

    Reply

  49. Krystle @ ColorTransformedFamily says

    When we first bought our townhouse there was a dead tree in our roughly 10’x 10′ front yard. We chopped it down and ground up the root. Now four years lataer there is no evidence of it. I am so glad it isn’t there now. I don’t know why someone would have planted a tree smack dab in front of the house!

    Reply

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