The project of converting my front yard from turf grass with Asian shrubs to all native plants.

Chop It Up

Couple of weeks ago I hired a professional to come bring my oak tree down. From the street it looked great, but from behind it was plain that lightning, bugs, and/or parasites were sucking the life right out. One of the major limbs was splitting and hollow. It looked dangerous.

A big tree with a thick trunk and two thick main branches. There is a knothole, above which dangle a pair of monster eyes.

I'll be using all the parts of the tree. The minor logs are going around the edges to make borders and planting areas. The thick slices are getting hollowed out to make planters. The branches are for making mulch.

But the planters and borders will break down! Yes, they will, and they will do it in about the same time it takes for the new plants to mature, which is great. The woody material will eventually be rich new soil, and I can put in new borders made from something else.

I kept a tall stump. That's where the Little Free Library will eventually go, but there's a ton of prep involved before that. In the meantime the library can go on a bench.

The tall stump still has a knot hole.

A wide angle shot of the yard from street, taken from the corner of the property. There is a log border around the yard. The tall trunk stands amidst lots more log sections. Off to the left are piles of branches.

Closer view of scattered logs.

One huge log slice from where two major trunks separated.

June 27, 2023