Spring Cleanup

With all the focus last year on the structure and the inside of the house, Spring 2010 brought with it the chance to focus on the grounds outside.
The forsythia in front of the house had grown so thick the bottoms were only a thick mass of dead branches. We had to drastically cut them back so we could get the dead debris out revealing a stone wall that with some work will dramatically improve the driveway entrance.
Years of rambles and prickers had grown up around the edges of the property and up in back was almost grown over. The pine trees on the north side were covered in grape vines and wild berries and other pricker bushes blanketed the area around and beneath the trees.
As we began pulling the branches and vines from beneath the trees we added usable land to the property. This was going to take more time than we anticipated since several years of neglect could not be cleared up in a day.
We ended up chipping most of the smaller branches that we would use for mulch in the gardens we planned. The old stone barbeque came in handy for burning some of the larger branches we pulled. Sitting by the fire in the evening was also a relaxing way to unwind from a long day of work.
The maple tree near the pool had to be pruned back as well. Towards the end of last summer the branches had grown so long they were hovering over the table and keeping light from the pool. Even thought the tree is beautiful, we chose the branches that needed to be removed and carefully climbed up with a chainsaw to remove them.

Lee has big plans for the back of the property, but there is a lot of cleanup needed here. Even with the old tires and junk left behind by the previous owner, there is a sense of charm around our old barn. We will need to get back here with the truck to haul away all of the debris, junk and old rusted lawn equipment that was abandoned here.

The power of mother nature is still a predominant force in Spring. The crab apple tree we pruned last fall blossomed brightly for us. The daffodils and tulips that were admittedly planted by the previous occupant sprouted up to our delight. We've also begun planting all sorts of shrubs and flowers around the property we expect to enjoy this summer.

Amidst the spring flowers we noticed plants growing that we put down in the fall and will brighten this area later in the year.

We decided to eliminate some mowing by putting some new plants and shrubs in front. Its a pretty small dent in our chores.