Remove and Remodel

Willowleaf holly is sporting a new look. No more congested shrubs beneath it. Just attractive pine bark mulch.

You don’t always have to rip everything out and start over completely. It’s possible to gain a whole new landscaping look with nothing more than judicious pruning and plant removal. I offer my most recent example.

 This spot wasn’t very exciting two months ago, yet it’s one of the primest of prime properties in my home landscape. Everyone sees it as they near our front door. It occurred to me that I might be happier if I limbed up the Willowleaf holly, cleaned out some of the dwarf Chinese holly, and replaced all of that jumble with a simple layer of pine bark mulch.

Nellie R. Stevens holly, now 35 years in the landscape, needs to be trimmed away from the siding. Bottom branches also need to be removed as the plant is repurposed into a small tree. Watch for how this is finally done sometime soon here in e-gardens.

 So, what you’re seeing represents the same landscape as before (actually, minus a few plants), just reformatted and tidied. My last step: I’m looking for just the right pot of great summer color to put to the right of the walk, but that’s about all I see left in this project.

 Now, I’m on to a similar re-do of the big Nellie R. Stevens holly to the left. I have the added complication there of having an air conditioning unit behind it. So, a little more challenge — which usually translates into more exciting rewards. We’ll see how it all turns out.

(…to be continued as the work is done.)