Curb Appeal

Remember that big storm that took down half of our plum tree? All the tree removal companies have been so backlogged, they only now just got around to us!

They said they could probably save the plum tree, but at a cost. Since it was the North side of the tree that fell, any new growth would turn to the South. There would always be a bare spot. Crud.
At this point it would cost about the same to prune the remaining half or remove it. I was really hoping to save it, but that just didn't seem feasible. Since we needed to get the plum tree taken care of anyway, we decided to have them take care of a few other plants too.
It's beautiful, but it has to go. 
That is my feeling about the burning bush planted smack dab in the middle of our front landscaping. I'm sure it was perfect for the space when it was small, but people seem to underestimate the mature size of these wonderful bushes. You can see how big it is, with Dear Husband (DH) and Eva playing football in front of it last year.


I would loved to just move it, but that would be way too much effort with a low probability for survival. I really want to keep it, and I struggled with the decision; but in the end it is just too big for the space. Yep, it has to go.

"Why is it too big?" you may ask. Well, there are a variety of reasons. Because it is so large and in the middle of the house, it blocks the view of the front door. This is good for thieves/marauders, and bad for us. It also creates a less inviting feel, and disrupts the "flow" of the landscaping while blocking the view of the gorgeous hydrangeas.

You can see before (left) the overgrown plum tree and the three trunks of the birch on the far left.

 After, you can see the plum and burning bush are gone, so much more open!
Also the birch is trimmed up, and the left trunk is gone. (Didn't want it falling over.)

 Another tree in the front yard was perfectly healthy, but the low branches caused problems when it came to mowing: they were a little too attracted to Dear Husband's forehead. A few bruises and quite a bit of cursing later, the lower branches needed to go too.

Much better!
Now we just need to replace the plum with a dogwood or something else. After all, remove a tree then plant a tree!