Getting rid of shrubs

[Mrs Ava]

I have decided to get rid of some of the large evergreen shrubs from my garden this spring.  As wonderful as they are, an aucuba (spelling??  variegated laurel type thing), another shrub with small slightly crinkly leaves that are slightly silvery underneath and have teeny brown flowers in the summer and another one which of course for the life of me I know can't think......gets pink flowers, very small leaves which are thick and waxy, evergreen.......gggrrr....  Anyhow, going to get rid of those three, which still leaves a berberis, cotoneaster, hydrangea, that one that gets masses of little white flowers in late spring time, photinia 'red robin' and a few lower level shrubs, plus my two big trees and all of my fruit bushes, which I guess I could pull out as I have so many bushes at the allotment...hmm...decisions decisions....

Thing is, the garden is really domiated with green, which altho wonderful and lush, I really want some shock value, want loads and loads of colour, and am passionate about growing things from seeds and cuttings, and then have to keep them in pots in my nursery area because I don't have heaps of room left in the beds to plant them.  LAst year I removed all the lawn in our front garden and have just filled it with all the perennials and grasses that I have grown from seed and I reakon this year it is going to be a big wowzer!

From what I have babbled, what do you reakon, get rid of the shrubs and fruit?  I know I will loose some valuable privacy as a couple of the shrubs are about 12 foot tall, but they create so much shade in the beds, and the trees already provide me with lawn shade for the kids safety. Hmmmmmm.....going to be a big job this one, but I do think it will be worth it, and means I won't keep hacking lumps of the lawn to fit in another new plant!

[Mrs Ava]

[Palustris]

If you can regard your garden as just another room in your house, then the decision is only the same as choosing a new three piece suite or carpet.
If you do not need the fruit your fruit bushes at home produce, then what is the point of keeping them. Perhaps as a salve to your conscience you could see if any other gardener would give them a home.
As for losing some privacy, why not put in a trellis with  climbing plants, that way you still have the protection and some dappled shade in Summer, which most plants appreciate anyway, even sun lovers.
Gardening is about running as fast as you can to stay in the same place.

[Mrs Ava]

The fruit bushes are very big and established.  I don't know if they would survive the move, but if I get them out successfully then I will certainly drag them up to the allotment and ask the other allotmenteers if they are interested.

This is the acuba thingy which I am definately going to get rid off.  It doesn't do anything exciting, nor do I need it for privacy.  Beneath it is the other large shrub which I want out.  No idea what it is, but other than being evergreen, it really isn't terribly exciting and I have to balance on top of my step ladder to try and keep the growth in check.  Tricky at the best of times, especially when the kids decide to climb up behind you 'to help'  :o

You are right of course Eric, since we have lived in this house, five years, we have finally decorated and improved all of the inside, and in the garden we have carried out a couple of large projects like the greenhouse, pond,  deck and kids playhouse, but I have kept the structure of the garden as it was when we moved in and only added to it.  I think the time has come to redecorate the garden and finally make it my own.  I shall of course take plenty of snaps as I go to bore you all rigid, and bother you for advice!

[Roy Bham UK]

We have two Aucuba japonica's varigated in pots that are lovely bushy plants, wev'e had them a few years now.

It's a pity you can't sell them as I saw one last year in a G/Centre a fraction of the one you have with a £50 price tag. :o

[Mrs Ava]

Tis a shame Roy, that one received a massive haricut in early winter as it was taller than the fence.  We also have one in our gront garden which I am forever hacking back.  Fortunately it doesn't mind being treated mean.  The other shrub in the piccy, whatever that is, looks like a green lollipop and just has to go!

[Val]

 ;DYes if you feel the need for a garden re-vamp then do it, you won't be sorry. Its hard to get rid of established plants but if they don't do it for you anymore then wave bye.If you can't sell them does your council have a composting scheme? so they could still be of use shredded.

[Garden Manager]

Its always hard to get rid of established plants, but if you its outgrown its space or you dont like it, whats the point keeping it.

The hardest 'chuck out' is of plants you grew yourself i think. Last summer i gotrid of a forsythia which was one of the firstthings we propagated and grew in the garden. But it had got too big and was starting to block the main garden path so it had to go. I have now got a nice obelisk for climbers in its place.

Recently too i have cut down (but not yet dug up)  a hebe which also was one of the first things i grew for the garden. It now has to make way for a redesign in that area.

Sad but nessesary  :'(

[Kerry]

just to add my two pennorth- inherited lots of shrubs when we moved here, and gradually they have mostly gone now. it was a scary decison to get rid of the first one, but i reasoned i could not be losing money because i had not bought them, and they were not my choice.
i had a very large viburnum which was all dominating, just looked the same all year. took the bull by the horns and now it's gone - the space......such plans! other plants have perked up too, that were in its' shade.
so to sum up i guess be brave and get hacking!

[Mrs Ava]

First major shrub has gone....well not gone completely.  I started cutting it back today worrying the whole time about the sudden lack of privacy we are going to suffer, when I thought....what am I doing!  The shrub has/had 2 trunks so I just cut the first one, the one that overhung the bed, clean away.  I was amazed at the difference.  The other half of the shrub looks a bit scruffy as it has been mingling with its other half all of this time, but there is a dogwood in front which will soon have leaves on and will hide the scruffyness for this year.  I am looking forward to seeing how all the perennials do with this extra light.


As the pictures show, before and after.

[Garden Manager]

Looking good EJ. You've effectively turned your shrub into a small tree!. Lifting the canopy/standardising a tree or hrub can work wonders and of course give more planting space underneath  ;D ;D ;D.

You might need to prune the top of whats left a bit. this will hopefully encourace some new shoots and make the 'head' bush out a bit (look more natural than at present).

[Mrs Ava]

I was amazed at how much more light flooded in when I removed the half.  I know it looks pretty ugly at the moment, but I will take another picture once the dogwood starts leafing up - I am hoping that will pain a prettier picture come summer.  Also, I do feel the pics do not do it justice, there are lots of things under the shrub, but the piccy doesn't really show it.  Very satisfying work, but I am now left with a huge pile of branches to get rid of!

[loz]

Hi EJ

Good for you!

I find it hard to make the decision to get rid of the old things that really are doing nothing, but once done, I've never regretted it.

Like you have found, often meeting things half way provide a good solution.  With the extra light that the pruning has provided, you should find that the part of the shrub remaining will put on some vigorous growth, which when pruned will give it more eye appeal.

Loz

[Mrs Ava]

I am like a woman possessed!  Spent the entire day in the garden today hacking back and digging over.  It is amazing how hard you can cut back shrubs, so long as you are careful, and keep stepping away and looking at the bush, and then making sure you cut the right bits, you can dramatically reduce the size of something, and still it looks great!

Didn't have the heart to remove the Aucuba totally, but easily reduced it by half which has opened up the bed immensly, revealing a lovely patch of crocus that couldn't be seen beneath it!  Also I was able to get into the Kerria japonica and reduce that by half by removing all the old and dead wood.  Took quite a lot of the hydrangea, very carefully as I didn't want to reduce flowering, but removed lots of inner wood and low wood which again has totally opened up the bed infront of our deck giving our acanthus, rock roses and perennial poppies much more room and light.

Biggest weed in my garden, hairy bitter cress (http://theseedsite.co.uk/weeds2.html).  Crops up in the beds and lawn but is easy to oik out.  Re-edged and carefully forked over and the garden looks GREAT!  Tomorrow is dump day.  At our refuse dump they have a green waste area so all of the big prunings will be going there, the smaller stuff is on the heap, but they are now full to the brim, so the rest is in our brown wheelie bin which goes off to be shredded to make compost.

Really pleased I decided, with your encouragement, to go for it in the garden.  I am looking forward to getting some more colour in there now.  Anyone got any echinacia they don't want?  ;D