Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Prepping for windows

Wow, pictures can be a wake up call.

These are pictures of the end of our house, where the girls' rooms are located.



As you can see, the foundation plantings have gotten out of hand and would make replacing the windows and siding pretty much impossible.

We didn't plant any of this stuff so it all dates back a couple decades or more.

This side of the house isn't very visible so it's been "out of sight, out of mind". We didn't really realize what a mess this was. The tallest bush is mock orange. The butterflies love it when it's blooming. The other stuff is bittersweet and icky juniper. Lots and lots of icky juniper. Yes, that is the actual botanical name. Icky Juniper.



Clarence's tractor, my inlaws, and a few hours of work made a huge difference.

Clarence would have left some of the mock orange but his dad and I ganged up on him and told him it should all go. I didn't even have any mercy on the crooked little apple tree that was growing around the corner. It was all too close to the house and really needed to be taken out.

Clarence is hopeful that we didn't totally eradicate the mock orange. The girls would like it to come back, too, because they love the birds and butterflies outside their windows. As long as the juniper is dead, I don't care.

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4 comments:

  1. Wow! What a difference a tractor and a few hours makes! It really looks better. Did you save any of the bittersweet? I have been wanting some of that for years!

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  2. We love our mock orange too but it can quickly get out of hand. They are so hardy and can take a severe trimming. We had an old one at our first house and I trimmed it practically to nothing and it came back beautiful. So, if anything was left and it does come back, you can keep it more contained to your liking.

    Your house does look great after the removal of those plants!

    Have a great day!
    Kim

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  3. I have a loathing for juniper as well!

    It looks great and doesn't it feel good to get that all cleaned out? The girls will probably be amazed at how much light comes in now!

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  4. I like the clean up!! I am a clear it all out and start new kinda gal! What ARE you going to put in this spot??

    We just got new windows in the Summer and they really make a difference. Especially with the heat anda noise!

    Thanks for the info on the corn! My DIL has one and it works perfect. I told her about the baby crib, warming it up!!

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Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts with me!