Tackling a Big Job

 The bushes and shrubs in front of our house have gotten very overgrown in the past couple of years.  We mistakenly put too many plants in too close together and I wasn't sure what to do about it.  I trimmed what I could, but I didn't want to overdo it and ruin the shape of some of the trees, like the dwarf Alberta spruce.  I considered digging up some of them and moving them to another location in the yard, but that seemed crazy.  Here are a couple of shots of a weeping cherry, a golden cedar, and two of the dwarf Alberta spruces.  There were two cedars and two spruces way too close together.  They almost reached to that bedroom window, as you can see.

Finally, over the weekend, I couldn't stand how messy and out of control they all seemed.  I started by clipping some goldenrod that had found their way into the mess, then trimmed back the weeping cherry and the azealeas beneath it.  Then I tackled the cedars.  I'd been thinking all these years that it was just one big trunk under all that foliage, but there were about 6 smaller trunks.  I cut off just one or two at first, but then ended up removing an entire plant.  Below is my pile of clippings!

 Once I got started, I almost couldn't stop!  I could feel the plants breathing a big sigh of relief because they were finally getting some air and light.  I left one of the cedars, but gave it quite the haircut!  I also cut out an entire spruce.  There was a tiny Andromeda struggling between the cedar and the spruce, so I dug that out and moved it over.  It looks so much better!  Now I even have room to put in some flowering seasonal plants, like some mums to brighten it up a bit.  Even though it seems almost shockingly sparse, I bet by this time next year, it will look just right!

Just goes to show you what you can accomplish with a few simple tools, a little determination, and an afternoon of hard work!