mgeost wrote:

Please use a kind eye when considering that 'the previous owner of our
house put them in so they're "fair game"'. Sometimes, previous
owners did the right thing and wonderful garden suprizes might appear.
Regardless, the odd tree or bush was probably carefully planted and
lovingly tended by the previous owners.

I've lived with the plants I'm taking out for a year and a half now,
carefully observing the beds at all different times to see what's what.

I'm of a different mind when it comes to landscaping - if I don't like
it, I really don't have to live with it as tastes do vary. Just like we
painted the inside of our house to suit our tastes, I'm now crafting the
outside to better suit them also. OTOH, I will also admit that I've
left most of what was done by the previous owners alone and simply
expanded upon it.

For the most part, I tend to relocate things when I dig them up as I
don't believe in wantonly killing plants. Well, maybe except for the
mums I have my eye on now. (I really don't like mums that much.)
Besides, the spots are simply perfect for roses (one spot is right
outside one of our living room windows - imagine the fragance with the
window open!) and I *love* roses. The other upside is that the beds
will get more care as I tend to not give them the attention that I give
the other beds that are more to my taste.

Unless, of course, it was a Bradford Pear and then you can hire
someone to come pull it up by the roots.

Actually, the bradford pear may last another year. It does have one
advantage - the birds love the little fruits on it during the winter.
Anything that encourages birds into the yard can't be all bad. (We have
seven feeders in the yard with five different kinds of food.) *grin*
Besides, it's been pruned to reduce the deep Vs and is well away from
the house so any limb that does go will not hit the house. *grin*

Susan
s h simko at duke dot edu