30 Yr Old Japanese PIttosporum - Keep?

12 years ago

I'm currently overhauling the front yard that's been neglected for years and trying to put in a purely California Native garden. The issue I'm having is that there are six Japanese pittosporum trees forming a screen that have been there for over 30 years. My plans call for ripping them all out but now I'm having some second thoughts/guilt for killing off healthy established trees. These trees haven't been pruned in about 15 years so they're about 12 feet tall with some twisted/gnalred growth. Do I rip these out and not look back or get them pruned/shaped and use them for filtered shade for other plants? Should one generally try to avoid ripping out old trees like this if possible?

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Comments (4)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
12 years ago
guilt schmilt ... GET RID OF THEM ....

for me.. it would ONLY involve guilt .. if you were to go net negative on mother earth .... in other words.. rip them up and put in a parking lot .. as joni said once ...

otherwise.. you will be planting a plethora of new plants to offset the removal ...

the happiest day in the life of my first house.. was getting rid of the last overgrown ugly never pruned 20 foot tall weed shrubs the prior owner left behind ... my only problem , was that it took me 5 years to come to the conclusion that removal was the only option ....

be done with them ....

renovation projects are for the back 3 acres.. not the front of the house ....

good luck

ken
rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
12 years ago
I've seen some old Pittosporum that are really wonderful looking. But this decision is purely subjective and YOU need to make the decision, not us. I suspect that you are having doubts because the trees are interesting looking. If you have an objection to their appearance, you should get rid of them.

Why does it have to be 'all or nothing'? (All California native plants or nothing...)
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Bosch
Original Author
12 years ago
Thanks Ken, now that you put it that way they're toast. It's not like I'm getting rid of the pittosporum and putting in a lawn or putting green. I'll be putting in more plants, a larger variety of plants, and plants that are better for the local wildlife and ecology. In a few years once the new growth establishes itself, the yard will be much better off.
Bosch
Original Author
12 years ago
Hi Rhizo - the doubts are because I'd be ripping 30 years times 6, or 180 years, of growth out of the ground, so there's some guilt there. They currently are pretty gnarled as they haven't been pruned in years, and they could probably be professionally pruned into decent looking vase shapes. I would be replacing them with at least 13 different types of natives which in the long run would make for a more "harmonious" yard one they have a chance to grow out.

30 Yr Old Japanese PIttosporum - Keep?

Comments (4)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7

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30 Yr Old Japanese PIttosporum - Keep?

Comments (4)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7

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