To Yank it or Not to Yank it !!!

To Yank it or Not to Yank it ....That is the question

that I hear quite frequently at the beginning of a walkaround on a property. We see a green thing in front of us and i hear my client's pulse racing. There is a pause and then it comes ... " What do you think we should do with it ?"
Followed by all the rhetoric about "its okaaaay, and I feel baaad, and thats a siiin, and its still aliiive". Yeah. Alright.
Now that we got  that  out of our system, we can look at that green blob for what it is. Or what it was.

In all likelihood that mishaped half dead no leaf eyesore stuck next to your front porch or driveway was planted with the greatest intentions, when Nixon was sweating up his blue polyester suit. It was a cute little guy, maybe
purchased at Gaudios or Two Guys or Grant's or even at a garden center ! Somebody's Dad did as he was told by Somebody's Mom, backed up the Grain Panel station wagon and hoisted one or two or more of these cheap little pups aboard. Now God knows Somebody's dad had no knowledge of what this was.
There was no Google, no HGTV no nothin! except that little tag, which should have read  "I WILL HOIST
 UP YOUR SIDEWALK FOREVER AND THE KIDS WILL GET HURT"  or  " CALL THE PLUMBER NOW IM HEADING FOR YOUR PIPES " . Nope. Just a tag, maybe.

SO there is that green blob and lets just assume it was a  Juniper/Yew/Japanese Holly (the holy trinity of green blobs). Those choices were most of what was around back in the day, and to the typical suburban transplant, they were fine!! So the next step is to figure out where it goes, of course."So how bout here ?" 
"no". "Here"? "no" "CLOSER TO THE HOUSE !" OKAY!...SO there it goes. That little puppy will be happy and Dad can have a can of Shlitz and the future owner's fate ? Sealed. The 8 x 10 green blob, planted 1 foot from the foundation of the house will be trimmed, butchered. ignored, butchered, prayed over, cursed and moved away from for YOU to deal with !!!

And here we stand, you and I in front of this fully overgrown mangy dog. You want something pretty. fresh.
colorful. fragrant, something more manageable....but ....remember all those things you said earlier? Guess what ? its got to GO !!! That blob was someone elses selection, decision, and mistake. Not yours. You know better. Dont feel bad. It had it's heyday. In all likelihood all the trimming in the world wont bring back the interior needles, fill in the dead spots, the bare sides, missing branches and Nixons gas prices. Time to face it and YANK IT !!!

Here are a few tips......

1. Find out if and when your town takes away brush, and how they want it piled. Do your work as close to that day as possible.
2. Get a sharp handsaw for pruning work and if possible sharp loppers (those 2 handled short blade pruners)
3.Start cutting interior branches to a size you're comfortable with as close as you can to the trunk. And keep going till there is nothing but an ugly stump. Try to leave stump a few feet tall for leverage
4. Carry your branches to the curb,  Have a beverage because step 5 sucks.
5. See step 4 again. You now need some inside knowledge. The following species are easy to remove
       Azalea and Rhododendron
       Small leaved Japanese holly or Boxwood
       Most Junipers and Arborvitae
       Barberry (thorny)  and  Spirea
The following species are a pain and require strength, patience, Step 4, and possibly some help
        Yew
         Large leaf Holly
         Quince

The procedure is pretty much the same. Make sure ground is workable and not soggy. Dig around slowly and expose as many roots as possible. Cut with shovel, pruners, hatchet or cut with saw. Dont use a chainsaw because the soil will ruin the chain in minutes. Start rocking the stump to see how much is left
If you are in group B you will keep digging and chopping or get some help. you may need to attach a chain or cable in root mass to a comealong or a vehicle to yank it out. And thats it !!
6. This is important also...be sure to pack in the hole that is now vacant with soil and tamp well.

Breathe easy friend because there is no guilt in shrubbery. Now you can plant the right plant in the right place! Call us for more info theamazingtree.com
Enjoy ! Matt Cosenza