How To Remove A Bush… In the Non-Political Sense

So let’s say you have a Bush you need to remove and it’s not a leader of a super power nation…

Those of you looking for information on how to remove the other kind of Bush will need to visit some of the more left wing political blogs and discuss it there.

I have, or I should say had, a few of those non-political bushes that need to be removed. It was a nice day and the battery on the Sawzall was fully charged. I got medieval on a few bushes’ asses today.

I talked about these bushes just a little while ago when I talked about plant euthanasia.

These brushes are inherited landscape from the previous owners. The large purple shrub is actually an ornamental plum tree that has been tortured over the years into this overgrown shrub. I particularly hate this one. It grows an incredible amount every year and I find myself randomly hacking off large amounts several times a year in an attempt to keep it presentable. Far too much work for a shrub in my opinion.

The other, which is draping over the wall, is actually dying. I have never known what it is exactly. It was trained to hang down over the wall and up until late last year was a healthy, happy plant. I had to trim a few errant branches once a year, but other than that, it was no problem. Then suddenly, it went from a very healthy green to a sickly sort of yellow and has just gotten worse with dying branches and lost leaves. I do not love it enough to take the time to figure out what’s wrong. It is time for it to go.

One of the best tools you can have for bush removal is a cordless sawzall and a package of cheap saw blades. This can make the whole job, from taking out the branches to removing the stump, a whole lot easier.

The first thing you want to start with is removing branches. With the sawzall, this is a snap.

Once you have all of the upper branches cut, it is time to start on the stump. Let’s face it, the branches are the easy part. It’s the stump that most people dread. A stump is like a pitbull that has clamped its jaws down on your arm. They are rather ugly to look at and it is going to take an extraordinary amount of effort to remove them, unless you have a convenient nearby power tool.

This is why you buy the cheap blades for the sawzall. Take a spade or shovel and remove as much of the dirt as you can around the stump. Don’t worry if you don’t get it all cleared out. If you run into a root, apply pressure to the root with the sawzall. Remember, cheap blades, so you don’t need to care if the blade is plunged into the soil to be able to do this. Keep clearing dirt and chopping roots until you get to the taproot. Dig as far down as you can (or care to) and shove that blade right down in there and cut through the dirt and root.

Yes, some of the roots will be left in the soil, but they will break down much faster than the stump would have. For the most part, there roots will not impede your future plantings. If they do, apply the all fixing sawzall to the problem root.

In no time you will have a clear area.

And I can hear the resounding hesitant silence. Erm… Hanna, that’s not looking glorious and finished. That area just looks vacant and bear. Are you sure it is an improvement over the shrubs?

Removal of bushes is never meant to instantly improve the look of an area. It is meant to provide a scrubbing of the canvas, so to speak. I have a clean slate that I can now take some of the techniques I have learned over at Whispering Crane and apply them to replanting this area in a more coherent fashion.

Alright, alright, you got me. That whole idea of planning a design is only my fantasy. What will really happen is I will plant whatever plants need a home in there and hope for the best. It has worked for me so far.