What
we learn with pleasure we never forget.
~Alfred
Mercier
This
triangular shaped bed contained an ornamental plum which was way too big of a
tree choice to be planted in a space of this size. Before we moved in it had
been pruned on two sides to keep it away from the house and gutters. That made
it grow vertical sprouts over 2/3s of its canopy and normal outward branches on
the side that didn’t get pruned. The unpruned side became heavy and was the
leeward side so wind could potentially topple this tree. I decided early on it
would have to come out.
The
bed also contained Helleborus, Sedum, and Ajuga reptans. Being adjacent to a
walkway the Ajuga had to be relocated. Anytime you plant near a sidewalk you
will be happier if you don’t choose plants that have a far-reaching habit. Ajuga is great for carpeting large areas quickly but here it was in a pretty
confined space. It spreads by reaching out in all directions with new stem
growth that roots when it touches the soil. At a sidewalk it will quickly overrun
it’s borders and you will have created more work for yourself because you will have
to keep cutting it back.
As
for the tree, I had a tree service come cut the tree down. It is fine to leave
the stump in this case, as I can plant around it and it will rot in time. I am not a fan
of chemical use but to leave a stump in place to rot over time, you may have to apply a chemical to the freshly
cut stump to stop it from re-sprouting. It depends on what type of tree it is.
Here I used a chemical herbicide on the cut end only. Minimal use.
Then
I took out all the Helleborus and Ajuga in that bed. Being a shade loving
plant, I relocated some of the Helleborus to a shadier spot, since the tree was
providing shade in that bed. The majority of them I gave away to neighbors.
The
bed was edged with large rocks on all three sides. It is a slightly raised bed toward
the middle where the tree trunk was. The rock placement didn’t really do
anything for the bed. I kept tripping on some because they lined the walkways
on two sides and stepping on others near the water faucet, so I pulled them all
out and set them aside in a pile. In so doing I was surprised to find they were
lava rock and super lightweight.
As
I was contemplating how to plant my now empty and raked bed with the stump in the middle,
the word “outcropping” kept coming to mind.
So,
that’s what I did.
I
started by planting those lava rocks. Outcropping also creates little pockets
that stabilize slopes and hold water better for your plants. Whenever you use
rocks in the landscape, they should be buried up to 1/3 deep so they look
natural. You “plant” your rocks, don’t just lay them on top.
Then
I added in some plant divisions from my former garden, and a couple of new plants,
one that I purchased and one that was a gift from our realtor and friend Gina . Best. Realtor. Ever!
Last but not least I topped it all off with a clay pot, which I balanced on top of the stump with
soil and rocks. Can’t even see the stump now and it will rot over time.
What
do you think? I’m pretty happy with how it turned out. Now I need to go
shopping for a vine maple which I will plant behind the pot for some vertical
interest, fall color and will provide annual leaf mulch. Even at a mature size, a vine maple is
a good choice for this space and it won’t require pruning to keep in confined.
And
if you are lucky enough to find a fantastic tree guy as I did, he won’t roll
his eyes when you ask if it would be too much to ask him to cut some of the
trunk into stepping stone size thickness for your use in other parts of the
garden. Well it never hurts to ask, right?
Authors
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