Last Friday evening, after BK and I finished up, my reinforcements arrived- Mom and Brother. Our rough "plan" for Saturday was to dig around the stumps and cut them as low to the surface as possible and then cover them up to rot. Then we were going to buy some new plants.
Rrrrriiiight.
We got a late start because we were all tired and it was an overcast morning, so I think we were all surprised to realize how late it was when we got moving! I fixed a nice breakfast for all of us and then we decided to check out my local garden center. Call me overwhelmed! I had a couple of rough ideas, but that's about it. But the woman was very helpful and really urged me to take things slow, to think about waiting until the end of August to plant anything, and to make sure I added some peat moss to the soil to...well...do whatever peat moss does. I did end up buying a few perennial Hibiscus plants at a great price (I think anyway) because they wouldn't be there if I came back later.
We dropped Brother off to get started digging while we left to get some peat moss and some topsoil to try to fill in holes and whatnot. Before we left, my neighbor, M, suggested we just pull the stumps out with his truck. That he'd be happy to help and it would save time and energy. I nearly had a panic attack at the suggestion. I really didn't want to do that because I didn't want the grass torn up more, was worried where the roots went and what damage they'd do...etc. I told M thanks, but no.
By the time we got back (and it was a pretty quick trip) Brother was already sweaty and tired...and apparently had talked to a few neighbors. I guess the feedback was positive and a few people had opinions to offer. Funny! It was then we realized this was a HUGE undertaking. M offered to help and I accepted...soon my other neighbor, G, arrived with a shovel and axe. And before long, this woman two houses down showed up with a big jug of ice water and cups. So sweet!!
After what seemed like only minutes, M, covered in sweat, approached me and really encouraged me to let him pull the stump...at least the GIANT one they were working on. I finally relented- part peer pressure, part fear that my help would get mad and leave! I ran to buy a tow strap. I wasn't sure I could be there for the actual towing....but I stayed. It took a number of tries... and to his credit, M was very, very careful and deliberate in what he was doing. Between pulls with the truck, the guys would dig, chop, and pull on the stump. It was a big ordeal...and that stump was STUCK. Finally...
Not all of the stumps were as difficult to remove, but they did require a lot of work. Shovels, saws, sweat, maybe even tears. I have the best neighbors.
Those men sure worked their butts off! Thank goodness it was overcast and a bit misty at times!
I took G and his wife, and my mom and Brother out for dinner... M didn't come out with us. But he has my eternal gratitude. I will definitely be doing something nice for him at some point.
So this is basically what things look like at the moment. Bare. A little hole-y. I'm OK with that right now. But really... I'm taking suggestions for landscaping ideas. :)
2 comments:
Holy wow those are some big stumps!
You can do so much since it looks like you get direct sun in that area. Hydrangeas, azaleas, ect... There are SO many perennials out there that get big but not high! P and I just kept going back to the garden center and picking up things that worked and that were on sale.
Good Luck!
They are HUGE stumps. I'm still blown away.
I think the sun in the front tends to be a bit more filtered than direct, so I want to try to get some plants that would do OK with part shade and/or filtered light. I know I want some ornamental grasses...just because I like them and they provide a lot of visual interest and texture. I also want some differing heights (taller in back, shorter in front) since it is a fairly large space. I will definitely try to hit up the sales though!!
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