kill stumps with stump killer.. and let them rot out ... in my world.. warped as you know it is ... i dont pay for stump removal .. besides.. how would they get the machine in there???

i use survey flagging tape .... to mark wither what i want to save .. or destroy .. so that when it comes down to cutting time.. its a no brain thing ... in this case.. flag what is to be removed ... so the flags go with it ...

https://www.google.com/search?q=survey+flagging+tape&biw=902&bih=745&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&sqi=2&ved=0ahUKEwiJ2aCz0-bNAhXDVD4KHfJyCsgQ_AUIBygC&dpr=0.9

perhaps .. again.. hire a walk thru with your goldner friends ... to find the good stuff ... might be a well spent hundred bucks or so ...

then buy a good pruning saw ...you simply cant believe how easy a cutting job is.. if you have the right tool ... i saw a knockoff of the green one.. for 9 bucks at tractor supply last week ... any bigboxstore will have them .. CHEAP ... also use the survey tape and tie a piece to it.. so when you drop it in the greenery.. you will see it.. lol ... lost too many of them ... lol

https://www.google.com/search?q=survey+flagging+tape&biw=902&bih=745&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&sqi=2&ved=0ahUKEwiJ2aCz0-bNAhXDVD4KHfJyCsgQ_AUIBygC&dpr=0.9#tbm=isch&q=folding+tree+saw

a sawzall... WITH A TREE BLADE .. is also magnificent if there is a lot of volume ... again.. the proper blade is imperative ...a battery version give you a lot more freedom.. but you are limited to battery charge ... the alternative.. is to buy two batteries ... to double your work day ... with two batteries.. you can cut just about all you can haul out .. in one day ...

if you recall.. in my yard.. that giant beds under the giant oak ... it took me 3 years to clear that out.. so dont go all ... this has to be done yesterday .. unless you are going to hire out the whole job ...jsut go at it systematically ... prioritizing what is important .. say .. widening the paths ... etc ... look for giant carp shrubs.. that will offer you the most impact the fastest ... and be done with them.. even some that might be otherwise valuable.. set your goal.. and get to it ...

i can burn in my area.. you ought to have seen the bonfires i had ... you need to figure out how you will get rid of all this brush ... perhaps hiring out removal of large stuff .. AND including hauling away or grinding all the brush is a small investment worthwhile ...

not sure i would bother with the pond in late summer or fall.. besides cleaning it out.. and winterizing it ...

still no pix??? ..

just never forget.. simply cutting something down ..... rarely kills it.. you will need stump killer or undiluted round up or generic [generally that would be around 40% RU] ... i use this type of container.. to apply minimal amounts to the cambian layer of all cut woody plants and trees ... the beauty of it... if it tips over.. it doesnt run out ... just dont store it next to the hot dogs .;.. lol.

https://www.google.com/search?q=plochmans+mustard&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=XQTcUYCCC_OFyQGCg4DAAg&biw=1154&bih=805&sei=XwTcUbmZHZK4yAHD0oDYDw

thats all i can think of right now.. so set hubby on mustard soup or something .. but even if you have to waste it.. that tool will only cost a couple bucks ... [oooo or a giant corned beef .. oh God im getting hungry .. lol]

will keep mulling it all

ken

ps: have the septic tank pumped.. or make it a part of the final deal ... start empty ... imo

believe it or not.. that fire was about 100 feet from the stuff behind ...

Now that is a nice bonfire, Ken! I'm too afraid of fire to ever attempt something like that. I can deal with a fireplace or firepit, that's my limit.

The trees here are mature and way too big for a DIY job -- need to hire that out. Shrubs shouldn't be any problem. Thanks for mentioning GW - didn't realize they had landscaping services. And they're not my "friends" - I just shop there LOL!

I have a serious case of buyer's remorse. It's not just the yard, it's other stuff with the house, and mostly because DH told me to bid on it without him seeing it (that's how nutso the real estate market is right now) and he doesn't like it. How am I supposed to fix *that*? A part of me hopes something is wrong with the well/well water or septic and I can get out of the contract and not lose my deposit money. Considering just walking away, too. Oh cr*p. I don't know what to do. This is not good...

My kids just did this and had ups and downs with the inspections (thought the septic was going to have to be replaced, oh my, $8000). Nope, just fix it, but that old timey well over there, fill that within 30 days or else! They move in next week!

It is not worth $1000 down to live in something you're beginning to dislike. Make a list of pluses and minuses and be sure the pluses win! And how much is DH going to come on board? Or is he the type (and, well, are you?) to make it all work...

Pics, please.

We put a few thousand down, not just 1K. I would feel so cr*ppy bailing on the seller - they really are very nice people, and the realtor is going to be PO'd (yea, yea, I know - it's business, they've seen it all); basically I haven't bailed at this point out of guilt...

DH doesn't communicate well (at all), sometimes it takes a while to get to the bottom of what he is actually thinking/feeling, I often get bits and pieces here and there and have to put the puzzle together. From what I've been able to gather so far, he likes the house itself but absolutely, positively detests the backyard (front is fine). Now, I see the potential in things --> don't like it then fix it, it's just a bunch of trees and overgrown beds, no big deal (but maybe semi-big $$, depending...). The big pros to this house are it fits all our "must haves" and we got it at a steal, considering the real estate prices in this particular area (read: lower mortgage). The big cons are the house needs non-yard-related work before we even move in (read: $$$ up front) and of course the biggest con is DH hates the yard so much it's putting a damper on the whole thing (in other words, he can't see the house for the trees...LOL!).

It sounds like you really have a tough decision to make. Have you spoken to those very nice sellers about the plantings in the back yard? Perhaps they can enlighten you as to what is there and why. Maybe there's a purpose, or maybe things just got out of hand over the years.

I can't help but recount a neighbor who sold their home, where they had a mature woodland garden - paths winding through tall trees, understory trees, shrubs, perennials, ephemerals - all on a bluff overlooking an estuary. They could sit on their deck and watch eagles, osprey, great blue herons, snowy egrets, gulls, even a few flying squirrels, as well as countless birds. A year after buying the house, the new owner decided it all was too much work, and he wanted a lawn and play yard for his S.O.'s daughter. Almost all the tall oaks were cut down (some of which were, no doubt, helping to stabilize the soil of that bluff on which the house sits), and everything beneath them ripped up to be replaced with sod. That lot was transformed from a peaceful haven for both plant and animal species - supporting the biodiversity that supports us - to a sterile but "picture-perfect" wasteland.

if you got it as a steal ... and you invest some money.. can you score big time in a few years on selling it???

dont think of the back.. as a garden that you have grown before.. or seen before ... a woodland setting is so different ... and if you accept it as it is.. [rather than the lawn story above].. and consider how you can work with what is there ... you might be surprised how your whole attitude changes ...

walk away regardless of cash loss ... if you just cant deal with it all .. live and learn ...

the goldner reference.. was the suggest to hire a visit from a knowledgeable local gardener ... to assist in ID.. and come up with ideas .. imagine if you paid someone like gardengal or rhiz a few bucks to spend a few hours of discourse on what is there.. and the potential ... which nursery gave you the BB trolley.. to haul home a tree??? ... they know you.. lol ....

ken

Good point in story above. I'm not looking for picture-perfect, though -- just more sun let into the house, a nicer view of what would be left out there after I tackle the mess, and an area to put in a veggie garden. Many of the trees are scrappy, at best - I'm not talking magnificent hardwoods or highly ornamental trees here. There are a few of those, and of course I would keep them. There are a few scraps in the front, but most of the front is fairly nice stuff and well done in terms of walkways, trees, and shrubbery, including a few healthy virburnums, which I've always wanted to grow but never had enough space to let them do their thing.

Maybe it's not so bad after all... If I can get DH to see past the mess and he comes around, I'm sure all will be well eventually. He also got mad because he got eaten alive by the mosquitos from the stagnant pond - HA!

Ken - that was English Gardens LOL! Surprised you even remember that. You must have a memory like a steel trap.

Put a Bt mosquito dunk in the pond for the time being. The bacteria will kill the larvae before they hatch but won't harm anything else. In my area I can get them at some hardware stores and at Home Depot.

Get a good urban forester to walk the site with you to suggest what to keep and what should go unless you are comfortable with doing it on your own. What you cut down can be chipped and stockpiled for mulch. I have a feeling that the costs on tree removal probably vary widely depending on tree size and health as well as location, both geographic and of the trees themselves as related to such things as property lines, structures, etc. So the only way to deal with that is to get some quotes once you know what needs to be done. A combination of limbing up some of the larger trees and removing smaller scrappy ones should help immensely with the appeal of the back yard. It's a whole lot easier and cheaper to remove smaller trees than huge ones since often the big ones require a crane truck.

If the house works for you, it seems to me that the yard is a lot easier to fix than a house with a bad layout or rotting sills due to water in the basement. Can DH just hang out in the front yard for the first few months?

lol.. last line above...

how can i forget the mind picture of a crazy lady.. leaving her car.. and walking home a tree on a trolley .. lol ...

trust me.. they remember you also .. lol ...ask the manager if he would 'consult' with you on the property..and have the survey tape ready ... maybe green for go.. red means stop.. leave ...

try real hard to leave large old trees.. unless they are somehow breaking apart and a threat to fall on the house ....... limbing them up.. is the best investment ... but i still woulndt waste grinding money ....

how did you not take pix again ...?????

ken

ps: did you skip hosta hillside at hidden lake gardens in tipton .... when you came out my way ... the club cleaned out basically what you describe and lifted the old tree canopy significantly.. to make what you see in the pix ... of course.. MSU paid for that ... but it just goes to show.. what you could turn your jungle into .. and i dont mean all hosta ...

https://www.google.com/search?q=hosta+hillside+hidden+lakes&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjAgIrImefNAhUB74MKHSVTCmoQ_AUICSgC&biw=902&bih=745&dpr=0.9

Never been to Hosta Hillside. Didn't take pics because my camera is old and cr*ppy and the battery is blinking low, I'd rather buy a new camera but haven't done it yet; same reason I haven't taken any pics of what I've got going this summer.

It sounds like an interesting property.... Pictures definitely desirable :-)

Since you've got lots of space, perhaps a compromise would be to keep a reasonable amount of clear space in the back to give your DH an 'orderly' territory, with the woodland area (suitably edited to remove the junky stuff etc.) surrounding that. Is there already a clear space/lawn in the back that just needs a bit of enlarging? One would think that a space like that is desirable from a practical/functional point of view. Is this property in a wooded area - i.e. is a clear space around the house desirable as a firebreak? If the house suits both of you, it sounds like there's enough space to adjust things outside to suit the needs of both of you.

Have fun. Post pictures!

You might want to consider getting a few quotes for tree removal before you make a final decision on the house. I had eight good-sized oaks taken down over the winter and the wide variance in quotes was hard to believe. Assuming you move forward with the house, you'll have a head start on finding someone to take them down, but before you commit, you'll have a realistic idea of what kind of cash you'll need to get the house where you think you want it.

As far as stumps, I usually haven't had them taken out it back (I've had dead ash and elms removed before), but I have to say that my oak stumps are a LOT bigger than it seemed like they'd be and a major pain to work around. I tried drilling, kerosene, stump remover (it's supposed to help them burn), burning, etc. but I think they need to age first. Anyway, I'd recommend scrutinizing the size of the bottom of the trees a lot more than I did before you decide about stump removal!

If you've had a lot of sun, also ask yourself if you're willing to give up your sun plants. I love hostas and a lot of shade plants, but I love flowers too, and your options are so different with sun. (I have a decent amount for the first time this year and I can't believe the difference in how things grow!)

On the other hand, you might love the mature trees and gardening in shade.

Ruth - if you don't mind me asking, what did you end up paying to have the 8 oaks removed?

Wouldn't grinding and removing the stumps make gardening in the area a lot easier? I realize it would be an extra expense to have the tree company do that, but I'd rather get it over and done with in one fell swoop.

I think the idea of having a plan drawn up is a good one, it would give me a vision long-term, even if I just start with clearing some of the trees and other scrub. There are two sunny grassy areas back there, but I don't know where the septic field is (will find out at inspection), have to be careful what I do over the septic field, I've read that you should plant grass only over the field. I really, really, REALLY want a good-sized vegetable garden, I definitely need a lot more sun for that on this property - I don't even care if the veggie patch is butt-back out there by the road, I need to figure out a place for that or I just won't be happy, this is something very important to me.

I at least feel a little better this evening after burying my head in a bag of chips and watching a mindless movie :0/ At least it wasn't an entire bucket of fried chicken...

grinding stumps .... usually only takes off about 6 to 8 inches.. under the soil level ... you really arent going to be planting anything on top of them ... which loosely translates into being able to grow grass over it ...

and if you do have the ground.. include removal of the grindings... you cant grow much of anything in ground wood mixed with topsoil ...

cost of removal is highly dependent on whether they can let it fall down and take it apart on the ground.. or if they have to surgically remove it from a specific spot.. and whether you can get large trucks in to do the job.. if they have to rope everything down.. and drag is a half mile to the truck.. its obviously going to cost a lot more.. than if they can get their bucket and chipper back on the property .... and not drive over your septic to get there ...

ken

The eight oaks were $2,500. I had quotes that were astronomical and many times that. The oaks were close to the deck/house and surrounded by garden and trees/shrubs, so he had to bring in a small bucket lift - couldn't just drop them. I did it during the winter when the ground was frozen.

I had a good-sized (~ 30 year old) Pin Oak taken out in front last year. They ground that stump out, and went down deep enough that I could remove the wood chips and plant over it. But it was a huge job to get the wood chips out and I had to bring dirt in once I did.

Also, not sure if you're used to deer at your current house or whether they're an issue at the new place, but with a lot of trees and space, it's worth asking about.

That's not bad - $2500. I would have thought much more. I'll e-mail you privately after I move in (if it actually happens...) for the name of the company, I'll check them out.

Deer have become a problem over time in my current neighborhood. Someone recommended the Messina animal stopper stuff and it is works great! I can't use it on the entire property due to cost, obviously - but for protecting a smaller area or individual plantings it it terrific stuff. If (when) I build a veggie garden, I'm going to have to fence it in. There was a good article in Fine Gardening (or was it Horticulture?) recently on building a veggie garden - didn't realize an inner and outer fence is the way to go to keep out the deer. When I finally get that pooch DH promised I could have after we move, that should help keep the deer at bay, too - close to the house at least. I really miss having a dog, I'm looking forward to moving for that reason, too. :0)

re stumps - in the woodland area, I wouldn't be in a big hurry to get rid of them, other than to cut them down as low as possible. It can get very dry in woodland conditions. Rotting wood will hold a lot of moisture so planting new things next to a rotting stump or log can really help with survival when planting in an area where you might not be able to get to with a hose. We had a dead pine and a sick pussy willow taken down last fall. When we planted a new 'Wolf Eyes' dogwood to replace the one that died last winter, we planted it next to the pine stump to give the dogwood a source of moisture and nutrients. We put some logs from the dead pine on a dry bank at the back fence so the logs can hold moisture for the things we try to grow in that area. We moved our 'Empress Wu' hosta to beside the willow stump for the same reason. There are other logs, a dead apple tree trunk, and a few dead branches scattered through the woodland beds as moisture and nutrient sources for the plants.

So I'd only grind out or otherwise remove stumps from areas where you want to grow lawn but definitely leave them in the woodland area - and maybe even in 'garden' areas too depending on what you want to grow there and whether it would be useful to have a natural moisture sponge and nutrient source for them. There used to be a big old white spruce where our big front bed is. When we had the tree taken down the stump was left, cut off at ground level. It's rotted away completely now and the soil in that area is better than in the rest of the bed!

Thanks for the input Woody - appreciate the informative post!

With that kind of setup of trees and a shady area, you may like to consider making a natural spot for convening with nature, camping, campfires, etc. It would be nice to camp under all the trees for shade. What I mean to say by mentioning this is that often times, tree stumps or cut-up tree trunks make a good sitting stool, decoration, etc. It doesn't all have to be hauled away or disposed of in other ways.

You can also selectively build campfires around tree stumps and just burn it down. Some people do it at any point in time, others consider it when the tree trunk is a little bit more dry and susceptible to burning.

And of course, cutting down so many trees means you have a lot of firewood if you choose to use it that way.

The jungle won't be tamed - by me anyway. Walking away from the deal, problems with well inspection ---> Buh-Bye.

Well, at least the above posts were informative, and I did learn something about myself and a lot about negotiating a home purchase in the process. :0)

btw ;... stumps cut level .. can make a brilliant pedestal for tacky garden art .. lol ... such as grecian urns ... religious statues ... etc .. lol .. lions ... gnomes ... the sky ... or the stump.. is the limit.. lol

ken

Sorry you went through a lot of frustration with this. I'm guessing there's at least some sense of relief since you had some hesitations (or at least your husband did). Good luck in the continued hunt!

we planted a new 'Wolf Eyes' dogwood to replace the one that died last winter

Hi woody,. Just wondering how your new "Wolf Eyes" has done in its first summer in your garden? Will you provide any type of protection for it this winter eg a burlap wind break of some sort? I say this as I have a couple of tender Japanese Maples that benefit from such intervention but to be honest I am tired of helping them.