"Volfie" wrote in message
...

"Vox Humana" wrote in message
...

"Ravi" wrote in message
om...
There are three ferns in my backyard, each over seven feet tall. I
don't know the specific variety. These were planted by the previous
owner along the fenceline with the adjacent properties. I would like
to replace them with another set of plants or trees. Is it possible
to remove and recover space from plants that size? The trunks are
large and I am assuming that the root system must be quite extensive.
Just chopping them down would leave substantial stumps and doesn't
make the soil usable for anything else.


I agree that you might learn to live with them. I think there is a
drive
by
people to erase everything "the previous homeowner" did, from the color
of
the walls to the makeup of the landscape. I have seen people move in
around
me who have removed wonderful plants only to put in some deadly common,
inappropriately sited plant from Wal-Mart that didn't survive the
summer.
Then they get discouraged or lose interest and move on to the next
project
leaving the landscape worse for their time and effort.

Okay, I have to ask: what type of ferns grow 7 feet tall?? And what zones
do they live in?

Giselle (I want some!)


Austrilian Tree fern (Cyathea cooperi) for one. I fell in love with it while
visiting Bok Tower Gardens in Lake Wales, Florida (zone 9b). Sunset National
Garden book says it grows in zones 15 to 27 of their zone system. It says
that they can get as high as 20 feet with a 12 spread. The fronds are at the
top of a trunk, and walking under them is no problem when they get big
enough. The ones I saw may have been 12 tall and provided shade for other
plants.