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January 18, 2009
Ciao, Bush!
I'm not sure I'm ready to do what they're asking me to do for International Shed Your Bush day, so we're going the other route.
Remember the giant Xylosmas obscuring the front of the house? This is the photo from the real estate listing. By the time we got our mitts on the house, the bushes were even taller. There was one shoot that reached all the way to the top of the eaves.
When Gen and Rosanne and Nate were here before Christmas, we put up the Christmas tree and realized that you couldn't see it from the street. Although it offended my artistic sensibilities, Nate and Nathan and I hacked down the middle xylosma. It was very satisfying work, and the street got a great view of the tree. That left one stubby plant in the middle, flanked by two awkward, asymmetrical shrubs of doom.
Here's what it looked like this morning.
And here's what it looked like after I went to town with manly cutting implements.
Better, right? You can actually see the planter box. And you can see the house number! Of course, it's such an ugly set of numbers that Nathan immediately got out the drill and removed them. Also, you can see clearly that the windows are HORRIBLE, and that the house desperately needs to be painted.
But now it's not pitch black inside the house. Now I have to rip out the existing xylosma at the right, which will let a ton more light into the yard. Also, the difficult task of deciding what to plant is looming. Any suggestions, faithful readers?
Oh, and thank you SO MUCH Tom and Chris for the loan of the lawn mower!
Comments
I'm a big fan of boxwoods, myself. Maintenance friendly. However, I have a feeling you might like what my parents did - which was to plant rosemary in front of their house.
Posted by: grace at January 18, 2009 4:36 PM
It looks like it isn't too sunny right there under the window and the roof overhang should keep delicate plants well protected. You could put in Vinca Major (the bigger kind). It needs no water and has nice little blue flowers. It gets about 3 feet high and it would spread out over the rocks there. If it was me I'd take a whack at that remaining bush on the right there too. Just leave a path for your meter reader.
Posted by: Bob at January 18, 2009 8:12 PM
Now you see it - now you don't! Have you got your house number displayed anywhere else? They're important for the post and deliveries and even (but hopefully not) when the emergency services might need to find your hom ein a hurry.
Posted by: SignArtist at January 20, 2009 12:21 AM
I'm with Grace: box and/or rosemary would be lovely, depending on the sun & water conditions. If you have decent sun, I'd also consider lavendar and some Knock-out roses (that new strain doesn't stop blooming! OK, in deepest winter it stops. . . .) Or with your cooking inclinations, perhaps a formal herb garden?
Posted by: queenie at January 20, 2009 7:44 AM
I'm a big fan of my Mexican Orange bush, which requires about 10 minutes of care every year and has these great lovely white blossoms all over it. Mine's only about 5' high after 4 years, but also it gets probably more shade than it should. It might end up too big for you.
I'm a rosemary fan too, but not so much with the box. Too formal for me and I don't like the smell.
I'd rip out all the grass and everything and put in a bunch o' perennials, but I have this thing against grass.
Posted by: Big Alice at January 21, 2009 1:12 PM