What kind of shrub and how to remove
Carol Racine
8 years ago
Hello. Recently bought house and there are 2 of these shrubs I would like to remove. They are about 3.5 feet high. The roots of one have extended under the paved walkway. Not planning to plant in exact same spots so could I just cut them as low as possible without pulling out all the roots? And can someone identify the species? I live in Alberta, zone 2. Thanks
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Carol Racine
8 years agoRelated Discussions
How to remove of this shrub (ferny plant)???
Comments (7)It looks like Tanacetum vulgare, or common tansy. You may have to use something like glyphosate and barricade the area to keep your dog away from it until the glyphosate is translocated to the roots of the plant. Maybe mowing it, then putting down black plastic or weed barrier fabric. Your local extension should have info on how to best eradicate it in your area....See MoreAdding perennials to existing shrubs - what kind of design?
Comments (10)It's a nice looking bed, but you have it pretty well filled up with shrubs. Unless you keep them pruned back pretty drastically, I'd imagine the bed is rather full when the Ligustrum and Euonymous leaf out. The Junipers at the edge of the patio really prevent you from doing much around them, again, unless you prune them back quite a bit. I'd take a drastic approach, and I'm assuming you have yard space. I'd move the Junipers, and all but one of the Privet. Leave the Burning Bushes, because they're at the back. Now you have an open bed, with a few backbone shrubs to play off of. You could replace the Junipers with low-growing carpet Junipers to soften some of the patio edge, and use small grasses and Hostas between them for contrast. As you work back into the bed, increase the height of the plants, and use the Euonymous as a backdrop, by planning contrasting fall colors in front of their dramatic red fall foliage. A couple of moderate height columnar grasses, like Calamagrostis x acutiflora ('Karl Foerster,' 'Overdam' or 'Avalanche'(the second 2 are variegated)). They'll bloom in summer, but hold their inflorescenses through the fall, and really stand out against the Burning Bushes. Once you open the area up by removing a lot of the shrubs, you'll have many more options....See MoreThoughts on removing old Holly shrubs?
Comments (1)A few years back my parents had to remove several mature burford holly bushes that had sunk their roots into their septic drain field. The bushes had large trunks and extensive root systems. In order to remove them Dad cut them down to a couple feet tall and dug a trench around each bush, cutting all the major roots that he could find. Then he wrapped ropes around the trunk and tied it to the trailor hitch on their van in order to pull each bush out of the ground. I have seen where people have trimmed them up from the ground into small trees. If you can't get them out of the ground you could try going that route. Kara...See MoreHow do you remove large shrubs?
Comments (14)Do you have access to a truck and winch? I have often fantasized about getting someone to pull these buggers out of the ground. Quick and easy. However, since I haven't had that, I have dug many shrubs and some are easier to dig out than others. Forsythia and bush honeysuckle are relatively easy to dig. Buckthorn I would never try to dig, their roots are like concrete. Likewise Norway maple. I've dug out large Burning bushes (30-40 years old). They are tough, but it can be done. I was younger and more vigorous then though lol! My experience with transplanting Rhodies and Azaleas is that they have shallow roots. Pretty easy to dig. These days, when removing invasive shrubs, I usually cut and poison with a concentrated stump/brush killer (Brush b gone). Sometimes I cover the stump with a pile of organics to encourage rotting. When a stump remains moist it rots out much faster. This can also discourage resprouting, as no light reaches the plant. The piles are uglier than stumps littering the yard though!...See More
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Dave in NoVA • N. Virginia • zone 7A