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)…
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.
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.
Unless you enjoy the whole tree-tickling-the-gutters look.
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:
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.
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.
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).
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.
So I gave him a little haircut with the ol’ clippers.
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).
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…
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.
Rebecca says
Try the weed flamer! I bought one at home depot. You hook it up to a regular propane tank and then just wave the flame over the weeds. You don’t actually burn them, just heat them up and kill the cell structure. They wilt away in a few days.
You can actually use the flamer on weeds in the yard, or in a bed, but it works best on pavement, or under a fence where you can just kill it all.
The package also says you can use it to melt ice and other jobs.
Mandi says
If you do get sprouts, have someone yank the stump – otherwise, you’ll be on Sprout Patrol for.ev.er. My neighbor cut down a too-closer forsythia, and the next year ended up yanking the stump.
I always wonder what people are thinking, when they plant so close! Maybe it looks right when the tree is a little sapling or something, but even so . . . I wouldn’t plant a tiny-stemmed, one-season annual flower that close, you know? It’s the equivalent of burying cash right there next to the foundation (the cost of the tree at the nursery) and letting it rot . . . and then having to pay more when the foundation has issues, too.
When we moved into this house, there was a “stick” shoved into the ground right next to the house – I assumed it was from kids playing. I was very surprised when I pulled it up, and found roots! I planted it away from the house with some compost and mulch – and surprise, it’s a cutleaf sumac! They run more than $100 at the nursery around here, so I assume someone actually paid that once (there aren’t any nearby to have yielded a volunteer tree.) Five years out, it has doubled in height and has some pretty leaves – I’m glad it got saved! It was definitely dying next to the house – no branches or leaves of any kind.
Robyn says
My dad uses a torch to burn the weeds between their pavers away with somethign like this (hope the link works)
http://www.homedepot.com/Tools-Hardware-Power-Tools-Torches-Soldering-Irons-Torches-Tanks/h_d1/N-5yc1vZbudc/R-202539563/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053
… I know it sounds a bit like a crazy pyro thing to do, but its fast and kills off the weed without pulling up the sand from under/between the pavers. Its pretty fast too, you just fire it up and run it along the cracks with weeks sticking up and see ya later weed!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh man, that thing does look fun!
xo,
s
Kara J says
random question…
Does your (Clara’s) crib have a drop rail? It doesn’t look like it. If not, do you find that a problem/nuisance getting her in and out. Sherry…I’m talking to you shorty!
Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
Nope, there was a drop-rail recall a while back so I don’t even know if they make those anymore. I’m 5’2″ and don’t have any issues getting her (she has been on the lowest setting for about 6+ months now). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Cheryl says
I seriously don’t know how you have time to read all of these comments. Here’s one more! This site reccomends leftover cooking oil on weeds. It may be worth a try!
http://www.dailydanny.com/?p=5146
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks!
xo,
s
Tricia S. in Iowa says
Please please please do not use polymeric sand in the joints. You’ll loose the permeability in the driveway and any rainwater that hits it will get heated and then sheet off into the street. Fast moving runoff carries pollutants(including grass clippings and leaves)and the temperature will kill aquatic life in a stream. Once it hits a stream it will end up causing erosion and will degrade the water quality impacting aquatic life. With the regular sand in the joints, some water will perk through the driveway where it will be naturally cleaned and recharge the aquifer. Consider getting a weed burner. The heat will kill the grass but unless you use the thing like a blow torch, it won’t damage the bricks. It’s a much better solution that hand weeding or boiling water.
Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the info! The polymeric sand that we used on the back patio is completely porous to water (it’s like raw unsealed concrete, water goes in like a sponge), so we’ve seen rainwater drain down those cracks and runoff doesn’t seem to have changed much (clippings end up sticking in the cracks the same way they did when it was just sand, and then I sweep off to the side of the patio when the sun comes back out). It definitely would be baaad if water couldn’t drain down through the pavers though, so we’re glad it’s porous so rain can still do its thing!
xo,
s
Amy says
We had an enormous blue spruce that was right infront of our house. It was so big you could hardly see our little ranch from the road. While we still have a large “bald” spot in our lawn we put some lime down to neutralize the acidity and with all of the rain we’re getting we’re waiting a few more weeks to dry out a bit before planting grass seed. (Yes, we’re the ones on the news with all the crazy flooding off of the Susquehanna River. Thankfully we live on a hill and have only a little bit of dampness in our basement.)
We also have a japanese maple seedling growing next to our foundation in our backyard we’re going to put in the front yard where the old spruce was. We also cut down a yew tree today (well it was more like a bush).
One thing I’ve learned is that it’s MUCH easier to pull weeds right after it rains. The soil is looser and the whole root pulls out quicker since there is less friction.
Our front yard is going to look completely different by the time we’re finished. It will take some time, but doing a little at a time works best for us too!
Any suggestions on overall lawn care? We have a LOT of weeds in our lawn (the previous owner didn’t really take care of it so well) and would like to have a nice, plush lawn come spring-time. We get a LOT of rain where we live so weeds tend to get out of control quickly.
YoungHouseLove says
We wish we could help – we just weed the yard by hand too. But we hear having a healthy yard helps it fight off weeds, so maybe just pull weeds early in the season if you see them so the lawn can fill in and get lush without having the weeds growing bigger and crowding out the grass?
xo,
s
Carrie C says
I just stumbled upon this blog and it made me think of your post from a couple of days ago. This might be worth trying:
http://fullofgreatideas.blogspot.com/2011/07/natural-weed-killer-made-with-basic.html
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the suggestions guys!!
xo,
s
Maya says
We took down a very small tree close to the side of our house shortly after we closed. It had been attached by a sapsucker or woodpecker and when the contractor and inspector told us that type of tree was nicknamed “the widowmaker” because it’s so difficult to take down safely (eep!), we decided it needed to come down now while it was still a manageable size. It was sad to lose the lovely dappled light, but we’re so glad we dealt with it then!
susan and mark says
Love your house-and you did the right thing removing the tree. We just redid our entire front yard-it had been abandoned weeds for two years before we got to move in here and make the house smile again.
We used polymeric sand-it ROCKS (ouch sorry bad pun unintended lol) and there are two types-the fine stuff, which is good for what you guys have(small spaces) and the bigger, coarser stuff, made for use like mortar with flag/field stone.
we also used it on our backyard brick path
(we didn’t lay that, but kept it in our re-design) and I have NEVER had to weed since – that’s two summers now :)
you just sweep it over everything, brush it off the places you DON’T want it on/in/near, and wet it down. easy!
Mona says
http://fullofgreatideas.blogspot.com/2011/07/natural-weed-killer-made-with-basic.html
Melissa says
Re: Driveway weeding tips:
Get one of these. It’s like $30 and it has been one of the most fun things we have ever bought. It is PERFECT for removing weeds from driveways and gravel paths. It sounds like an aircraft carrier taking off but it is amazeballs.
http://www.harborfreight.com/propane-torch-with-push-button-igniter-91037.html
We bought one within an hour of trying our friend’s out at his place. Then we showed it to our neighbors and they went out and bought them the same day.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, thanks for the tip! It does look pretty fun…
xo,
s
Katy says
http://fullofgreatideas.blogspot.com/2011/07/natural-weed-killer-made-with-basic.html
Just saw this post today and thought of your driveway! ;-) oh and you too!
Christy Carlson says
Hi John and Sherry! I found this post about natural weed killer out there on the internet and immediately thought of this post so I had to come back and share with you! If you try it, I hope it works for your weeds!
http://fullofgreatideas.blogspot.com/2011/07/natural-weed-killer-made-with-basic.html
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks!!
xo,
s
Julie says
We just put in a paver patio and I’ve been doing research on how to do it so I don’t have to pull weeds. I kind of like this guys thinking – don’t use polymeric (it’s very bad for you to inhale and it’s pretty hard for some of it not to be inhaled because it will be on your clothes and hair and ….)- he says use normal paver sand (not play sand), proper sealer (not the stuff you get at Lowes or Home Depot – go to a paver manufacturer – he gives the brand names of the sealer – spray it in a cheap garden sprayer cause it’s impossible to clean the sprayer so just throw it out – and it will last for 2 or 3 years when you have to do it again. It’s not a long or expensive job though – a couple of hours every 3rd spring isn’t bad – no weeds. Oh – and he says pressure wash the weeds out, then redo the sand, then seal. Here: http://www.merchantcircle.com/blogs/Brick.Doctor.Bill.Ann.Arbor.MI.734-657-4690/2009/5/Brick-Paver-Repair-Cleaning-and-Sealing/242361 Hope it helps.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the tip!
xo,
s
Julie says
I feel ya on this one. We just recently trimmed the big tree in our yard and I was so nervous taking out some big limbs. A) Because my husband had to climb the tree like a squirrel to reach the branches and B) Because there’s no going back! I can’t imagine taking out a whole bush/tree. I’d probably have a meltdown in the process, even if it would look better! Thanks for sharing- good to know other people have the same plant dilemmas!
Julie
http://doordiy.wordpress.com/2011/09/09/love-me-some-tree-ninja/
Allison says
I CANT WAIT to see if you find a family-/eco-friendly solution to those darn weeds/grass – we have the same issue in some rock drainage “beds” we have between our house and flower beds…they’re driving us bananas!!!!
Katelyn says
Have you ever tried spraying vinegar on the young grass and weeds? It’s supposed to kill them in one dose and it’s eco-friendly!
YoungHouseLove says
Sadly vinegar isn’t ok with our pavers (it can degrade them). We wish we could try it!
xo,
s
Ariane says
Hello,
I’ve just come across your blog through House*Tweaking and I really like it ! My hubby and I are renovating a 1880 mansion in the countryside of France (Auvergne) and I’m planning to switch career (from journalist to Bed and Breakfast).
Anyway, I’m really into alternative ways to take care of the garden and here is what I recommend : “thermic weeding” (??? just translated it word for word, I don’t know if it makes any sense !).
Just for your record, you might want to take a look (it’s in French though) :
http://www.leroymerlin.fr/mpng2-front/pre?zone=zonecatalogue&idLSPub=1222182642&renderall=on
You need to purchase something but then you’re ok forever ! (Or use a hair dryer !!).
Take care. Ariane
ps : I didn’t read all the comments, maybe you already had something like that :)
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks so much for the suggestion!
xo,
s