A Jungle or a Yard

The yard is a jungle.

 

With our wet spring continuing through… well now, most every green growing plant (fruits and veggies excepted) has over excelled during this growing season.  My lawn, my perennials, my shrubs and even my trees are abundantly lush.  The weeds…you can imagine!

 

I decided that I needed to trim back some of the vegetation. 

 

I enlisted Glenn to help with the trees.  After all, he is the expert with the chainsaw.  In reality, I have not used a chain saw in years.  I know all too well that I would not even be able to start the beast without straining/injuring what arm muscles I might possess.  And, I do not possess many that actually are dependable in my aging body.

 

Two evening ago, Glenn finally was motivated to do a bit of trimming.  After a quick sharpening of the chain on the saw, we walked about the garden determining our victims:  a few stray walnut trees started by squirrels,  cutting off the lower branches on the towering white pine  to clear my path when I mow the lawn, a few branches off the sweet gum - again, a danger while mowing the lawn - I always seem to clunk my head on those pendulous  seed balls which are small but have sharp spikes that down right hurt, a branch off the dogwood so that the bird bath is more accessible to my feathered friends, and remove  the lower course of branches off the hemlock - another mowing hazard. 

 



Bird bath now visible and accessible.



No, those are not short shrubs, those are the trimmings from some of the trees.

OUCH!

And, that was only the start.  There are plenty more trees to prune.

 

To think, we planted all these trees over the course of the years we lived here on the farm.  They provide shade, beauty, and more work than we had anticipated when they were all only 12” seedlings.

 

The results are wonderful - a bit more open and airy and safe - more like a yard under control than a wild jungle.

 

 I think we will continue with the remaining trees in the yard…not today, but soon!