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  • From: KTCopsey@aol.com
  • To: gwl-g@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [gwl-g] existing landscape
  • Date: Sun, 23 May 2004 18:14:20 EDT

Has anyone written or seen articles/books on dealing with existing landscapes? I reviewed one book about 18mths ago on the subject, by a guy in New Zealand, but I have never seen anyone else approach the subject.
 
We have just moved into a place (3wks ago) with a somewhat expensive landscape that was put in some 15-20yrs ago and covers not just foundation plantings but about 1/2acre in the back.  We have mature tulip,oak,maples (all over 100ft), and a variety of well thought out small trees and shrubs.  This thing was on garden tours it is so well  planted! 
 
But not everything survived.I am dealing with half dead green blobs that were planted (b&b) in plastic ground cover and covered with pebbles.  As they are beneath an overhang, they looked dreadful outside the floor to ceiling picture window in the living room. But getting these close-to-dead things out is not easy - the first one I kicked and it fell out, the others (there are 5)  I have progressed from fork, spade, pick axe, chain attached to garden tractor, and still they would not move.  Next step is buy a chain saw!!  All this before I can replant.  The garden is full of stumps and roots from dead 'things' that extend for several feet and cannot be planted in.  So will compost and mulch decay these things????? How many yrs will it take???
 
It is wonderful to tell people to take things out - did I mention we have 6 (I think) very green and vibrant burning bushes? How do I physically get rid of these things, and what to you do when they are an integral part of the landscape? It will take yrs for somethng to grow that big again.
 
So have any of you out there thought about the problem of changing the existing landscape or even just how to take out the shrub/tree before putting in the garden?  The last time I had to take on someones landscape was 4houses and 20yrs ago, when I didn't know a thing about gardening!
 
Katy



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