Tag Archives: trees

  • chop chop

    The tree that keeps on giving. At least, it was. We removed it several weeks back, and our two-year shower of leaves, twigs and tobacco is finally over …

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  • front facing

    Let’s face it (luckily, we don’t have to), our front lawn is in rough shape. 97% weeds, 3% grass, 100% bad. We have no intention of watering it, so it’s not about to look any healthier …

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  • bottlebrush dustpan

    That would make an interesting band name. Anyhow, despite more than one neighbor calling it a “California weed”, we love our Bottlebrush tree. The novelty may soon wear-off though, judging by the amount of ‘red stuff’ I swept up this morning. It does attract masses of bees too, but they only seem interested in the …

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  • courtyard chaos

    We’re used to small yards (or “gardens” as us Brits call ’em) so our outdoor space is a little overwhelming. It spans four areas; front and back yards (both with scruffy-looking lawns), a side patio (where we spend most outdoor time) and this entrance jungle courtyard. We’ve roughed-out simple plans for all four areas (which …

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  • getting greener

    Coming from England, it feels like summer has arrived. But this is spring, and it will get a lot hotter –even hotter than the 105 (or so) degrees we got on our arrival, late last August. Anyhow, our brief winter is firmly in the rear-view, and the landscape is changing. Our cherry tree is filling …

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  • patio planting

    Our side patio – overlooked by living area, office and master bedroom – is where we spend most of our outdoor time. And it was probably the neatest outside area to begin with. So much so, we haven’t really done anything to it…apart from battle the leaf problem. Until now. Remember those couple of shrubs …

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  • front plant

    Quick follow-up from my front yard update. Nothing to boast about here –we’re just trying to make good before winter. As I mentioned, we marked-off this area with string, then jointly tackled this project with Karen’s dad, while he was visiting. We dug the earth over and removed the roots of two shrubs I culled. …

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  • front yard

    Feels like we’re spending all our time in the yard, with not much to show for it. We’re tidying before the winter, and removing way more than we’re adding. This means plenty of action for my new toy –a reciprocating saw. There used to be a bush here… …but I got rid. And we stringed-off …

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  • tree city

    Sacramento is nicknamed city of trees, so we were prepared. We just didn’t bank on so many being in our yard. We removed the only real problem tree, as I mentioned, but there are more on our hit-list. And things could have been far worse. This 2011 Google Streetview pic clearly shows the trees had …

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