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.........