Many years ago - after we had removed all the English ivy from the chimney and the front of the house - Mom and I bought two tiny arbor vitae to plant on each side of the chimney. In hindsight, it was a mistake. They grew too tall and covered the front windows. Or it could be we were the mistake for not trimming them.
I wish I knew what year they were planted. It was certainly at least two decades ago as I remember they were here - and not small then - when Dad died in 2011. Perhaps I can find some old pictures that will answer the question.
I have been telling Tom that they had to go but he objected: he loves all living things and there wasn't a thing wrong with either of them ... besides being twenty feet tall. And he said he hated to see a lack of privacy. The front windows have curtains, I answered. Plus we have no neighbors nearby.
Here is how the house looked this morning as I set out on my walk. It was a breath of fresh air for me to see the front of the house bare.
03/08/26
Now let's go back in time and have a look at the front of the house nine days ago:
02/27/26
All four windows were covered. I couldn't wash them if I wanted to. But more importantly I couldn't see out any of the four.
Here is how we cut them down:
03/08/26 (this and the rest)
To prepare for the chain saw, I lopped off the lower branches, beginning with this bush on the south.
Now Tom was able to be in close with the chain saw.
And ...
ZIP! ... it was gone as quickly as magic.
Tom suggested maybe we could leave just one? Nope. I have to have balance and that would have bothered me no end.
Another quick cut and the arbor vitae were no more. Decades of growth gone in an instant.
Compare this picture to the second picture posted above. Now this looks
good to me. Don't like it? It's too late to care.
Finally I can get to my windows and wash them! And easily, too. No pulling a prickly bush aside while I try to work.
Does the house look a bit bare? Even naked? That's OK. We can perhaps consider planting something else. And since I don't expect to live for decades, it's likely I won't be the one who has to worry about it.
The only remaining problem are the two stumps ...
I figured the roots would not be deep but I'm finding the wood hard and tenacious. This one (the north one) sits partly on the concrete base the brick veneer of the house was built upon. So I have to be careful. What I suspect I'll do is bury them as much as possible, plant grass seed and wait for them to rot naturally.
