BEFORE & AFTER.....

Ok, I cut down the VERY brown branches but what to do now with the stump?! It is surrounded with perennials so digging it up would be difficult. Since I had carefully pulled down the arborvitae vines
that had grown up through the shrub I decided to use them to create an "instant" shrub! The vines
came from multiple places on either side of the stump.

Ta Da!...... I carefully wrapped the vines and tucked them into the branches of the stump and tied them where necessary. The birds began coming after a few day and can often be seen sitting there waiting their
turn at the birdbath or feeder. Some grackles have even gone "inside" and may be building a nest. As I
said earlier I think I "killed the shrub with kindness" because when I knocked down all that snow and ice
it compacted down at the base and stayed there for quite a while most likely rotting the branches. I was
able to break off many of the branches by hand. I think this explains why the shrub died off.
The arborvitae vines were 10' to 15' long so they covered the stump really well. Over the summer months
they will fill out even more. This way the perennials are undisturbed and the birds still have some place
to hang out and I don't have to dig out the stump! OK......eventually the stump will decay but it will be
interesting to see if the vines grow enough to maintain the basic shape of a bush. We will see.........

THOUGHT IT WAS A GOOD IDEA.....

With the forecast for rain I knew that it would be a while before I could cut up the branches and tie them
into bundles. If I left them on the ground they would kill the grass so I piled them up on the picnic table
until I could get out there and take care of them.

By the next morning I could hear the sparrows chirpping away inside and on top of the branches! They refuse to move out of their "condo"! I feel so badly taking away what had been their "family" shelter for
so many years! They don't care that the shrub is dead and relocated! Now what do I do?!.

ARBORVITAE NEARLY GONE...

Naturally my loppers broke as I started the project of cutting down the arborvitae! I was determined to "get
her done" so I used what I had---a small pruning saw. As you can see there were LOTS of branches! I left
the two center branches to take down the next day. I was sure that the birds were watching me in horror
that their "condominium" was being taken down!

GOODBYE ARBORVITE.....

Here I am after last years first blizzard trying to "save" my aborvite from the ice an snow that was weighing
it down. Little did I know I was "killing it with kindness"! Last summer I began to see it losing its color and
beginning to die. I couldn't find any pest infestation or disease so I just kept it watered through the heat
of summer and feed it along with all the plants in the garden and hoped that it would survive. It has to be
at least 25 years old. I remember carrying it in my lap on the trip home from the garden center (obviously
Bob was driving!) At least 3 species of birds take turns nesting in it. The grackles were especially territorial
when nesting and were VERY vocal about my working in the garden around the bush! From my kitchen
window I could watch the many chickadees who sun themselves each day on the edges of the bush and
wait their turns at the birdfeeder. Many times a hawk has swooped through the shrub trying to snag some
lunch and come out empty handed but recently he got one of my beautiful cardinals. I knew I would have
to cut down the arborvite before the birds began their Spring nest building so last Friday I reluctantly started chopping away.