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Cute Bungalow or Acute Jungle-alow?
Vegetation promotes possible wood destroying organisms
Pacific Northwest cold winter months offer a relief from urgent yard upkeep. However, the lack of urgent does not equate to a lack of important yard upkeep. When outdoor plants go dormant it is time to attend to the foliage that has crept ever closer to our homes. Here are some tips to fighting back the Evergreen jungles!
Are the vines sneaking
or sneaking out?- Trim and inspect climbing vines directly against your house. Some plants are more beautiful and purposeful like wisteria and clematis. Others like morning glory and ivy are functional but invasive. All types are terrific pest ladders obscuring pesky behavior! Ideally, from a home owner and inspector’s perspective, these should be removed and moved to locations away from the house.
- Trim back the roses near your house. Fall rough-pruning is recommended to be waste high and Spring final-pruning is generally considered knee high.
- Trim rhododendrons, hydrangeas, lilacs and other large bushes near the house. For most of these varietals new blossoms appear on last year’s growth so rather than trim everything back, focus on removing a third each year. Additionally, take out problematic branches and attend to shaping the bush.
- Shrubs and bush foliage should be at least 18 inches away from house components and structures.
- Rake back bark, soil and organic debris that is against your siding and under cantilevered portions of your house. It is recommended that 6-8″ of concrete foundation be exposed to reduce likelihood of issues. Note: Rodents love to explore in the safety of obscured paths around our house. Have you ever noticed where pest control companies set their bait stations? That’s why! An exposed and cleared foundation helps discourage rodent activity.
- Transplant the shrubs or trees you love and have been planning to re-locate. Now through February is generally considered the time to do this! x2 Tip: When transplanting, plan on two-times the time, a bigger shovel and a hole twice as big as you think you need!
- Tree branches should be at least 3 feet from the house structure and clear from pipes and wires. Unfortunately, there will come a time when most trees will need to be removed. This will change the landscaping and may leave you with major gaps so plan ahead.
Contacting The Power Company About Trees
If you have overhead power lines running through your tree branches contact the power company before removing limbs or getting into the tree.
- Snohomish County PUD contact – https://www.snopud.com/contact/
- King County Puget Sound Energy tree trimming info – https://www.pse.com/en/pages/tree-trimming
- Seattle City Light tree info – https://www.seattle.gov/trees/planting-and-care/trees-and-utilities
A Few More Suggestions:
Would you cut a tomato with a butter knife? Get the right tool for the job! As a long time gardener, landscaper and home owner I would take one pair of quality, pristine-working pruning shears over dozens of hand-me-downs any day. You’ll work faster, easier and more enjoyably if you do. Good-working and quality matters with rakes, wheel barrows, pole saws, gloves, and power landscaping tools.
Use dry, crisp days to do yard work. With a warm pair of working gloves and waiting until after noon will provide the premium conditions as the frost has melted and sunbeams are surprisingly warm!
Mini-blitz the work! Once the yard waste bin is full it is time to call it a day. Or limit yourself to 20-minutes or 1-hour or the length of one of your favorite podcast episodes. Or invite your spouse or a friend to help you for 30-minutes and not a minute longer. Or simply pick one plant and when pruned call it good. Shorter successful stints prove more motivating than long, exhausting and seemingly-never-ending ones!
