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| I'm in the process of buying a house and the front yard has a few shrubs in it that I'd like to remove. They're the seemingly obligatory boring green shrub that's everywhere (see photo below), however, my boyfriend thinks we should just leave them alone because he's afraid that the root system has grown under the porch. I think it's more likely that he just doesn't want to deal with pulling them out to be honest. :) But the front yard and the north side of the house (which has about 2ft of growing space before bugging the neighbors) are the only spots in the yard that get enough sun for my fruits and vegetables. So the location is of the shrubs is prime food growing space which is infinitely more important to me.
So, what I'm curious about is, do these types of shrub have any utilitarian purpose at all? Such as drainage away from the house, etc. Also, is it possible that removing them may damage the foundation of the porch in any way? Since we aren't moving in until August and all I can do is prep for next year I was thinking of cutting them down and using that stump remover stuff to get rid of them over the winter. Any suggestions?
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Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by mad_gallica Z5 Eastern NY (My Page) on Tue, Jul 20, 10 at 11:01
| North sides of houses are not usually good growing spaces for much of anything because there isn't enough sun. It sounds like you should plan on living there for a while before making major decisions. |
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| If your foundation is "attractive" there is no need to have shrubs hiding it (which is what foundation shrubs were all about at one point). It looks like the brick area might be quite nice. But a lot of people are hung up on having "foundation shrubs" - that is the likely reason they are there. Yes, you can cut woody plants like these to the ground, brush the stump with "brush killer" which is for woody plants and let them die in place. No reason to pull them out unless you wanted to plant something big back into the space and needed the roots to be gone. You might be able to work around the roots come spring. No need to slosh a lot of herbicide on the stumps - try using just a foam craft brush to apply it to the outer ring of the stumps; that is the growth layer. |
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| Well, I can see by the sun exposure that the front of your house is not 'north' so the OP meant the north is on one side of her house. I don't think either side of your house is a good veggie candidate, unless maybe lettuces. The front could be a good candidate, however if it does get six to eight hours of sun directly. As for foundation plantings. I am a nurseryman and use to work for a landscaper. No, there is no law requiring foundation shrubs and if there were the ones you have there are boring, and high maintenance. They're better out than in. If you have a little tractor it would be better off pulling the roots if you can, because they'll extend into your gardening area. I don't believe the roots will have compromised your porch foundation, and frankly if that were any issue and they haven't already you're better off with them out anyway, no? |
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- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Tue, Jul 20, 10 at 15:32
| foundation plantings are planted to hide the foundation ... purely aesthetics ... unfortunately ... those small cheap plants.. planted there 20 years ago.. turned into the monster they really are ... not a single shrub in that picture is properly sited to its size potential ... IMHO.. they all need to go .. as to removal ... i would not attach them to the truck bumper and TEAR them out as you suggest .... i am with your guy on that part ... but they do need to go with what is called a shovel.. and a saw.. and spend a few hours getting them out of there ... now.. back to aesthetics.. i personally would not be running a veggie garden out my front door.. its the prime focal point of your new house.... if this were Appalachia ... well.. thats one thing.. but in suburbia.. thats not where the veggies go .. IN MY MIND .... again.. its aesthetic.. and whatever makes you happy will be fine with me .... i just would NOT be a happy neighbor ... sooooo ... this house has no back yard???? if its all shade.. why not remove a tree or two out back.. and build a bigger veggie garden out back???? yoru space limits in front and on the side.. are not really going to give you enough room for much more than a few herbs .... hey.. its your house.. but i suggest you think out your plan.. now that you will 'own' the neighbors.. for a long time.. if you were renting.. and dont really care what those peeps think.. its one thing.. but it can be tricky not to start world war 3 ... by share cropping your front lawn .. eh??? good luck with your new house and garden ... ken PS: it might be worthwhile to get some close up pix.. and actually ID the plants in question .... |
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- Posted by booberfarm (My Page) on Tue, Jul 20, 10 at 20:28
| The front is mainly going to be devoted to the more attractive food bearing things like berry bushes and dwarf varieties of some veggies with companion plants to go along with them (mainly flowers). So it will definitely being functional and attractive, don't worry! It's also a LOT larger than this photo portrays, it was from the listing ad (some people have no concept of depth of field :). The big ugly veggies are going in the former dog run area in the back which is the ONLY part of the backyard that isn't completely shaded by a giant oak tree (definitely not cutting that one down it'd be quite the endeavor and it's prefect shade for grilling and entertaining). Thanks for the suggestions and I completely agree, the shrubs are boring and I don't really feel like investing in a hedge trimmer. I just wanted to make sure there wasn't any real reason in keeping them aside from appearances and to know my porch will remain intact. Thanks again! |
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- Posted by eightzoner 8 BC (My Page) on Thu, Jul 22, 10 at 14:49
| Here's another vote for wait and see. We moved into our house 4 years ago, and I had similar plans to rip out all the existing "boring" overgrown azaleas, rhodos and boxwood around our house and garage foundation. Thankfully, we were too busy with interior work and so the shrubs stayed. I found out the azalea has lovely yellow flowers in Spring with the most amazing fragrance that wafts into our dining room and kitchen. It responds very well to pruning. The overgrown rhodos I pruned up to be small trees and underplanted with woodland plants. They're lovely. So my boring old shrubs have become the backbone and structure of my developing garden. All they needed was a little TLC. I have saved hundreds of dollars working with what I have. I know sometimes it's better to start with a blank slate. But it can also be very expensive. So it's worth taking time to evaluate whether what you have can be redeemed. A veggie or perennial garden can look pretty awful in winter without some evergreens and structure. Enjoy your new yard! |
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| You really don't want any foundation you have to turn into square boxes or bowling balls with a hedge clipper. I can't tell by that little picture if those are candidates, but it looks like it to me because no shrub in nature is square. LOL. You are never better off saving those types of foundation plantings. If they were chosen carefully they'd have never overgrown their setting and needed major surgery to keep your windows visible. Those don't appear to be anything like a rhodie.....but more like a privet or something else of that ilk. When I suggested pulling with a tractor, it is with the assumption you have dug down deep as you can and lopped off as much root as you can. That way, when they pull out it leaves enough soil to cultivate in. I'm not talking yanking it with a truck bumper in toto by a bungee cord as you're sucking a beer. They can chain out pretty cleanly if you know what you are doing. Hey, I live in Appalachia, btw and we don't all be extras from Deliverance and siting around all day and twanging our banjos. Nor do we all have plywood yard art of people's bottoms or men peeing. Veggie gardens with flowers inter-planted are referred to a potageres and actually are becoming pretty mainstream in some up-scale places. You may want to check out the forum here on the GW for ideas. I would not find a well designed food garden nearly as offensive as a weedy or unmaintained front yard. |
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| Congrats on buying a house! Another vote for wait and see, or ask the previous owner what the shrubs are. If they really are just "blah" maybe you can arrange to have the previous owner take them out for you. Before you do anything to your yard, find out whether there's a Home Owner's Association or anything else that makes rules about what's allowed in your neighborhood. It would be a shame if you spent a lot of time, money and effort putting in a veggie garden and the HOA made you rip it out. If you put in a stylish obelisk or trellis for climbing beans, good hardscaping, and carefully chosen vegetables, a veggie garden can be stunning. The blog post I've linked to is a listing of Nancy Ondra's favorite annuals for the decorative garden. Many are edible. If I owned the house my rental apartment's in, I'd tear out the overgrown yews and replace them with blueberries. -Edie |
Here is a link that might be useful: decorative annuals, including veggies
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