EmmaByson wrote:
Hi
I have a fifteen foot tall Horse Chestnut tree in my garden and
it's
becoming too big for my garden. I fancy killing it and then
growing
clematis over the dead body (I saw the same thing in Lawrence
Sterne's
garden in Coxwold and adored it!) but would welcome suggestions
from
people. For a start how would I go about killing the tree while
retaining its shape? Are there any issues I should be thinking
about?
Thanks in advance!
Emmy

The neatest way to kill it is to strip the bark all the way round the
trunk. I'd guess a foot-wide strip will do it. (I once tried to kill
a big sycamore by hammering copper nails into it, but it didn't
work -- maybe I was too stingy with the nails.)

It will eventually become a bit unsafe, but you can have fun with it
till then -- if you're sure you'll like the effect all the year
round. If you haven't seen the Shandy Hall example in the dead
season, it may be a good idea to go and look next month if you can.
And it will take a little time for your clematis (or rose/clematis,
or clematis/jasmine, or whatever combination) to cover it properly.

Mike.