Alternate post title: Trees: 0. Sherry: 2.
You might not remember what our first house looked like when we bought it so I’ll remind you:
And this is what it looked like five hours after John left and I went crazy with a clipper (surprise!):
Three cheers for being able to see the house. And we gained a view of the neighborhood from our front windows. You know, instead of the view of a dense “tree fence.” So much better. Plus it was free and gave me a nice little arm workout.
Of course that house’s curb appeal was a pretty constant four and a half year evolution (these things take time) so when we left we finally had it looking like this:
Isn’t it amazing what removing some stuff and bringing in some other stuff can do? And we’re huge fans of craigslisting bushes and trees that you don’t need to give them a second life (we post “you dig ’em up and they’re yours for free” ads and people come and do all the work to clear our yard – it’s pretty amazing).
But I digress. Back to this house and my “me vs. tree” tally. I decided to surprise John while he was out picking up these craigslist chairs, so while he was driving to Mechanicsville and back (about an hour and a half round-trip) and Clara was inside napping (miraculous!) I realized I was free to go outside and go crazy on our giant blocks-the-entire-house-and-it’s-all-you-see-out-the-window magnolia.
You think I’m kidding. Here’s the giant ranch-hiding magnolia:
At first we thought we needed to get it taken down (it’s just way too big to be right smack in front of a small ranch, and it blocks so much light). But when my mom visited she recommended that we try limbing it up as an it-can’t-hurt solution to see if we could keep it – at least for a while. So I decided to give it a go. Couldn’t hurt right? Although I was kinda scared my tree tally would end up tied (since the magnolia is a lot more monstrous than the other trees that I tackled by myself at our first house).
Here’s what I used: a Corona branch clipper and a WoodZig hand saw, both from Lowe’s about four years ago.
And here are my other supplies:
A baby monitor, my cell phone, and the house phone. In case Clara woke up, I needed to be ready to drop the clippers and spring into action. And in case John called, I needed to be able to answer the phone and act like I wasn’t outside cutting down giant tree limbs so as not to ruin the surprise. John actually did call a few times so I tried not to sound too out of breath as I hurriedly dragged giant branches to the back of our property (one good thing about having nearly an acre of land is that there’s always a wooded spot in the back for dumping trimmings).
My method was basically to use the branch clipper to get all of the thinner branches that I could reach from the ground (since the clippers were so long they extended my reach quite a bit) and then to use the hand saw while standing on a nice sturdy wrought iron lawn chair (I probably should have gotten the ladder but I’m too wimpy to carry it by myself) to get all of the thicker branches that the clipper couldn’t handle.
The hand saw part of the job was the hardest (it only took about ten minutes to clip all of the low-hanging branches that I wanted to nix, but it took about 15 minutes per giant branch that I had to saw manually. And I tackled three of those for a total of 45 arm-cramping minutes spent sawing away. Oh well, still a better solution than me with a chainsaw (which I’m pretty sure would = death). Plus I am now the proud owner of Arnold Schwarzenegger arms.
Just kidding but how disturbing is that mental picture?
Anyway, the other hardest part of the job was dragging what felt like an entire tree into the back of our lot after trimming everything back (including a few dead boxwoods that I cut out from the front yard’s perimeter while I was at it)…
….while panicking that John would pull up mid project or Clara would wake up and start screaming for me. Luckily I got everything to the back just in time to snap a few “progress” photos (let’s face it, they’re most definitely not curb appeal after pics)…
… and run inside, toss all of my muddy clothes into the wash, and even take a quick shower before Clara woke up and John got home. And since some of my best ideas happen in the shower, it was there that I hatched the plan to videotape John’s arrival (I snickered at the thought of catching that what-the-heck-did-you do look on his cute surprised face). So here it is:
That’s right. He didn’t even notice that the bottom of the magnolia was missing (!!!) because he couldn’t tear his eyes away from his weird wife waiting in the carport with the Flip cam. Foiled. But when he did walk around front to see my handiwork he was definitely shocked and extremely happy that I did all the work without him. Haha. Mission accomplished (I kept saying that all I wanted for my birthday was to limb up the magnolia so I finally made it happen, if not a bit late).
I’m sure our front yard will continue to evolve over the years just like our first house did (we’ve got a long way to go), but for a free 1.5 hour afternoon undertaking, it was totally worth it. Even if only for the light that now floods into the dining room and a view of the neighborhood that we gained (instead of a big old mass o’ leaves out the front windows).
Point: me.
But come to think of it, I did end up with a clipping-related blister:
So maybe the tree deserves half a point for putting up a good fight.
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Tovah says
That video was so cute, haha. And the sharnold picture was AWESOME. Glad you bettered your view but that the tree still got to stay.
Becka says
Wow! I can’t believe you did that all yourself!
Jana says
You are awesome Sherry! The view looks so much better! You are an encouragement to all of us inspiring DIY gals. Get on with your bad self ;D
Katy says
I LOVE the driveway pavement. So Mr. Rogers neighborhood picturesque.
caitlin says
As an ISA Certified Arborist and tree-care educator, I just want to interject in the comments that sometimes there are very real consequences to pruning a tree yourself! You can always get some advice from a trained professional if you need it and you can find other certified arborists in your area here: http://www.isa-arbor.com/faca/findArborist.aspx
If you do like to prune on your own, there are just a few things I would tell you to keep in mind:
1. clean your tools. you dont want to spread infection, which can happen easily and kill a tree that you love! it’s just like spreading infection between people! ya gotta mind it. you can spray tools with alcohol or a bleach/water mixture to do this.
2. Read a bit about proper pruning techniques so you don’t readily invite infection into your tree, and so it looks nice when you are done. here is a good site: http://www.treesaregood.com/treecare/pruning_mature.aspx Proper pruning helps the tree heal well! Trees don’t heal like humans and they will contain the wound in them forever…so make sure you didn’t leave stubs so the tree can heal over that cut part, and if you are cutting larger branches use the ‘3-cut method’ so that you dont rip that important bark off the tree.
3. have a reason to prune! safety, aesthetics, and structure and important, and since it does take trees some time to recover (think years) you dont want to take all their energy-providing leaves off with all the branches at once. think about it in tree-time: patient and slow.
Looks like you guys did a good job, but I just wanted to throw this info out there since it is my full time job. I teach residents to prune city trees often!
xo
caitlin
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for all the info Caitlin!
xo,
s
Kim says
Sherry – you are AWESOME!!! I mostly do the trimming in our family too – but hubby does the big lifting and harder jobs. I have NEVER attempted a tree though – good for you! Looks sooo much better and makes me pine even more for our spring to really arrive so I can get out there and start trimming things up, planting, etc.!
Emily says
Well done! Love the picture! ha. We got that book as a gag gift for a friend. I think it was called “Body Building for Men.” It looks so nice there, compared to snow.
jbhat says
I’m really glad the tree got to stay. Trimming it really does make such a huge difference in hour your property looks. Way to go, Sherry!
jbhat
caitlin says
oh and I saw a question about the spray-tar stuff, and I wanted to mention regarding that:
Wound dressing is a BAD IDEA. You don’t need it and it keeps a tree from healing. It actually can trap bacteria and fungus against the tree and encourage rot, disease, etc. It should only be used when pruning Elms or Oaks during the spring and summer, because there are fungi in the air that are specifically killing those trees.
So don’t get the wound dressing, you don’t need it :)
YoungHouseLove says
Good to know! Thanks again for your expertise!
xo,
s
Katie @ Epistle says
I’m glad you didn’t cut the tree down entirely (at least not yet). I love magnolias! But the trim was desperately needed. :)
karen says
Oh your good Sherry! That sounds like something I would have done…EXCEPT…i would have left the branches neatly tucked by the bushes and wait for my husband to remove them.
OR I would have napped when the baby napped.
You. are. good.
SouthsideShellyP says
Sherry: you are a BEAST! Aren’t you like five foot tall and fine boned? You tackle projects that grown men would shy away from. Once again, you inspire the heck out of me.
YoungHouseLove says
Yup, I’m 5’2″ of pure beast. Haha.
xo,
s
Karen Nelson says
Does this Magnolia tree bloom? If so, I would become ill to see one cut down!! They are gorgeous! But your trim job looks much nicer!
YoungHouseLove says
We’re not sure, but we have high hopes for big gorgeous white blooms. Fingers crossed…
xo,
s
caitlin says
if you still have some branches, you may be able to ‘force bloom’ one in side and see if it flowers. in the northeast, magnolias don’t bloom til much later in the warm weather, so I am not sure if you would get lucky with that in Virginia, where it’s warmer!
Kim says
BTW-our kids are pre-teen and teen now, so I’m curious-what’s a monitor pad and how does it work? Didn’t have that fancy stuff back in the day (14 years ago-ack!)
YoungHouseLove says
We got an Angel Care monitor, which is a sound monitor (as opposed to video) that monitors breathing and movement (and sounds an alarm if there’s no breathing detected in forty seconds- which is where the sensor pad under the mattress comes in). It seems paranoid but I sleep like a baby and never have to get up a million times to check if she’s breathing. To us the peace of mind has been awesome.
xo,
s
Mandie says
I am so proud of you! It totally transforms the house and the yard! You go GIRL!!
Stephanie says
I like that you haven’t gotten rid of the magnolia yet. It will make a fun climbing tree for your little one in the future. I’m a NC/VA transplant in Philly, and it’s my goal to find a tiny potted magnolia that will survive the winters (and that fits in our very full back “garden”).
I just discovered your blog. You have great ideas and are an inspiration! I hope you can keep it up as the baby gets older and more mobile. It’s not easy trying to potty train a 2-year-old while navigating drill bits and sawdust.
bhh says
You wrote that you may want to reduce your grass footprint. Give a look at wooly thyme and sweet violet as alternative — and fragrant!!! — easy ground covers.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the recommendation! Sounds so sweet and charming.
xo,
s
Amanda says
Great job Sherry! This upcoming week my hubby and I are going to be tackling the mass amount of leaves in our backyard from the fall/winter. I’ll try to channel the power of Sharnold to get it all done!
Anne says
Sherry,
Your trimmed looks great! However, be warned: magnolias drop things all year long, from pods, leaves, and old flowers that we used to refer to as “dirty diapers”. We lived in an 100 year old home for 11 years, and it had a huge magnolia trimmed like yours, but ours was over our slate patio. We were constantly having to clean up under the tree. And you can’t clean up those large leaves, etc. with anything but manual labor. These droppings go into the center and ground of an untrimmed tree, but the trimmed ones onto the open ground. Your work is ahead of you! But magnolias are worth it, though some days you will doubt that! : )
Anne
YoungHouseLove says
Yup, we know all about those droppings (our old house had a few magnolias) but the light that we gained (and an un-hidden view of the house from the curb) seemed well worth it. Hope those aren’t famous last words!
xo,
s
Erin says
Here’s the difference between people like you and people like me: if I had an hour and a half that my kids were napping and husband was away I would open a diet coke and watch some tivo’d episode of HGTV or Glee. You are so motivated, I need to get some of that! It’s inspiring to see what you guys both accomplish by tackling smallish jobs when you can. You really don’t need any entire weekend (or longer) to make significant change because all these little changes really add up and make a huge difference. Way to go!
Erin C says
HA HA! Love the video, “Sharnold”. You guys are so cute. And I love that you roared your woman roar and told that Magnolia who’s boss. Looks great!
We recently ripped out all the ugly, overgrown, view-hiding boxwoods in our front yard. What a difference!! And so satisfying on so many levels. :D
Barbara H. says
Great job! Since you’ve done research I’m just reminding other readers that you want to make sure you leave the collar (where the limb joins the trunk) intact. I’ve discovered that a plastic tarp (6×9 works best for me – I’m short & female) is a fantastic way to haul yard debris. Also, those carts that folks use to haul groceries in when they are walking works great for hauling several tools at one time to the work site. I put a packing box in the bottom which just fit so the tools don’t slip through and it has made my yard work much easier because it’s wheeled in front with the legs in the back so it stays where I put it.
YoungHouseLove says
Ooh I love the tarp idea! Sounds a lot faster than the 500 trips I made!
xo,
s
David Shearn says
Now you have to do something tree friendly you could hug a tree or perhaps plant some new ones.
Margaret says
I must agree with the sawzall. I just removed almost an entire tree from our back yard with a sawzall and a stepladder. When I bought the tool it was for home improvement(demo), but it has been great for tree trimming. My neighbor even has a cordless sawzall. I think they are really called a reciprocating saw.
Tricia says
Once again, you amaze me! I love reading your blog to get my daily motivation on house projects. Now let me jump off this sofa and start doing something. :) Love your work!
Katie Truelove says
Very impressive! That is a GIGANTIC tree!!! How often do you think you’d need to do that type of trimming to keep her clear?
YoungHouseLove says
Oh I wouldn’t imagine it’ll be much more than minor trimming for the next few years (that’s all the magnolias at our old house needed). We’ll definitely have to clean all the leaves and pods it drops though…
xo,
s
Angela says
Sherry, I’m so impressed you did all that work on your own. Cutting down larger branches is hard work! Well done. :)
mribaro says
Oh, I am soooo glad you kept the magnolia tree – it has the most beautiful and elegant flowers (to me) in the early spring. And now that you had trimmed it, it actually looks a lot more like a real tree :) Nice job!
Jen @ zeelah says
i’m so amazed! that’s 100% better and FREE–i’m totally looking out at our trees seeing which one i can hack during nap time tomorrow… :)
Jen @ The Decor Scene says
Love it!!! I actually think the tree will thank you for this little hair, I mean, tree cut. LOL! Go Sherry, Go Sherry!!!
Kari says
I also get most of my ideas while I’m in the shower! I read a great tip from Parents Magazine about a year ago…keep a bathtub crayon in the shower so you can jot the idea down! I do this for to-do lists, too! Once you get out and can write it down on paper, or just complete the task, it washes right off the shower wall!
Hollie says
This is probably the creepiest comment you’ll receive because it’s definitely the creepiest thing I’ve witnessed. Probably even more creepy for you since you don’t know if I’m a weirdo. (I’m not.) Regardless, here it goes….
That picture of your hand (note: NOT the pic where you are just super-sexy chillin’ with your guns & ‘bells) gave me the chills because your hand looks exactly like my hand. All of your hand creases match mine – how freaking weird!
“Hi, my name is Hollie and I am Sherry’s hand stand-in!”
PS – It’s totally ok not to publish this post; I’m only sharing this with you bc I had no idea hand twins were possible (separate from, you know, total twins).
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, we’re hand twins!!! Have you seen that Friends episode about Joey finding his hand twin?! Hilarious.
xo,
s
Jenn says
I LOVED this post! You must have been cackling to yourself as you photoshopped your cute little head on Arnold’s massive body. That is hilarious!
The tree reminds me of the view dogs must get when you finally cut the shaggy hair out of their eyes. A whole new world. I was thinking the tree is so big, maybe one day you can donate it to be the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center.
Mary @ stylefyles says
hahha Sherry loves the surprises doesn’t she?
Cecelia says
It looks so much better and I appreciate your desire to save such a beautiful tree.
THAT said, I’d go ahead and take it down. The curb appeal factor would double. Plant another magnolia in the back yard.
I surely don’t want to be the tree killin’ villain…but it’s just my two cents.
Amz says
Sharnold huh? I’d tap that ;)
Ok fine maybe I wouldn’t, sometimes I like to make weird, inappropriate semi-off topic comments…
Great job though, work it!!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, I haven’t heard “tap that” in years! Way to bring it back.
xo,
s
Cindy says
People always, always forget how large plants can get… and a Southern Magnolia can be a huge tree. They’re slow growing so yours has been there for a loooooong time. You should get lots of beautiful, fragrant blooms later this spring and into the summer on that tree. But there is a drawback to limbing a magnolia. They drop leaves – not all at once – but throughout the season so that it looks really messy all the time. You’ll need to keep them cleaned up although you can use them to make holiday decorations.
Sarah says
My husband and I (actually my really tall brother) did the same thing in our backyard…we have a holly tree that’s about the same size as your magnolia tree. It makes such a difference and helps with the decision of whether or not to ultimately get rid of the tree. Looks good!
Jenny says
This is what Jamie Dhurie (sp?) calls “lifting the skirt” of the tree. I love it. and I am totally “while the cat’s away” project doer, too.
B @B Getting Hot says
Impressive mega-difference! Nice! =)
Julie says
We have a magnolia in our new yard (moved in November), and I couldn’t for the life of me figure out why yours looks so different. Then it dawned on me–yours has leaves. D’oh! You’re so lucky to not be in Snowhio!
georgia says
Sherry you rock!
Looks fab!
Ann-Marie says
Is there anything you can’t do? Nice work!
Karla says
What an amazing difference removing a few branches can make! Looks great!
Lisa A says
Way to go! I wish my sister would do that with the huge magnolia in her front yard.
Kitchens says
lol, “Sharnold” . Nice Job! I’m not sure our baby monitor signal would reach the garden.
tiffany says
what a fantastic idea! for some reason i have never thought of limbing up a magnolia tree… so simple, yet,
i only think of that with other types.. turned
out great, what a wonderful surprise!!
Meghan Solberg says
Oh my goodness…how in the world did you get up so high? You and I are the same height and it looks like you cut up really high! Great Job!!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, it’s all about those long armed clippers and standing on a big metal patio chair. Go Team Shortie!
xo,
s
Cassie says
The tree trim looks great! But my favorite part of this post was your genius idea to capture John’s surprise with on video. You guys crack me up!