A lot of people seem to prune apples that way for some insane reason. Chalk it up to ignorance or sheep mentality. I don't know the cure, I suppose cutting away most of the sprouts and trying to re-establish a branch framework? I suppose the quality of the apples produced would help decide if the tree were worth saving.

I use plastic weed barrier in paths and it does help me but I scrape up the old chips every year before applying new ones. I had a terrible time removing that fabric stuff left by PO in a large bed that had been welded to the ground with several years of native blackberry vines growing up through it, so my sympathies.

If there is a really tough area like a bank or dry shade under cedars I resort to the tough invasive groundcovers. I think just blanketing them under some newspaper, cardboard, and /or black plastic for a season could rid your yard of them, rather than trying to get out every bit of root.

My main battles are with nature, persistant nasties like Himalayan, evergreen, and native blackberries, thistles, dock,, invasive grasses, and other weeds which use up my gardening time and energy every year, especially since I am an organic grower, so it's always something. Weed barriers and invasive groundcovers help me some with those battles. But one man's meat is another man's poison. Good luck in getting your yard the way you want. What about really stupid remodeling jobs? Counter and flooring choices? We have some of those left from the previous owners.

Jury is still out on the apple - I've been in the house three years now, and the apple bloomed for the first time last year - a bountiful harvest of four apples. They were Granny Smiths - better than storebought, but not exactly a treasure.

It really pisses me off looking at these nice, low scaffolding branches that are all hacked off, with the only fruiting wood being at the tippy top on a former waterspout that is being groomed as the new framework. She defeated the semi-dwarf habit by doing this stupid pruning job.

Someday a future owner will be irritated with me for my tolerant attitude towards the blackberries. I really like the berries so I just try to keep them within bounds instead of eliminated. They are going to find the staples I use to pin the tips back and think I have lost my mind.

I am lucky that our house was all lawn when we bought it, front and back. There was a laurel hedge that we removed and a arborvitea near the driveway and one hydrangea and two azaleas on the side of the house. No flowerbeds at all.

However, I grossly underestimated the problem of the neighbor's mature Doug Firs in the yard behind us and arborvitea hedges on both sides of the yard causing dry shade way over on my side of the fences.

The only invasive plants were planted by me. I rue the day I planted lily of the valley and muscari.

My last house I was an edible gardener and planted as many fruit trees as I could squeeze in on a 1/4 acre canyon lot. Last report of someone who looked at the house was that the new owner removed most of the trees and put in grass.:-( Even though I like invasives, I rue the day I planted Lamium galeobdolon, Yellow Archangel, from a trade. It is lovely but insanely invasive and now on the WA weed list, as is the Phalaris I got from my SIL. I really like Phalaris and was using it to solve some very nasty grass weed areas so don't really want to remove it. I have 2 acres with lots of room for weeds to grow and not enough time to manage them all without help from some really vigorous "stronger than weeds" plants.

I dislike Granny Smiths, so I would get rid of that tree and plant a nice Liberty, Freedom, or mulberry, rocket girl. BTW, my DH is a rocket scientist and something he made is on the moon.:-) But he doesn't know anything about gardening.

Two huge trees, one fir, one spruce planted way too close to the house. I had the spruce cut down a couple years ago. The fir needs to go soon, as its roots are pushing up the pavers that make up the "patio" in back.

Also, there were many trees that were planted directly under power lines. Every couple of years, the power company would come and hack at them. I finally had the last few cut down, and I'm trying to fill in the holes with things that won't get so tall.

But the real disaster is English ivy. It's everywhere.

Oh, I have no doubt the next owner of my property will be cursing me endlessly :-) When we moved in there were two enormous Doug firs in the back and a diseased purple leaf plum and blue spruce in the front. Aside from a venerable tree-form lilac, that was it (and a nasty, upright juniper pseudo-hedge that was one of the first things to disappear). All that is left of the original planting is one magnificent Doug fir. But there are some 2 dozen other trees (not counting the dwarf conifers), gosh knows how many shrubs, 43 (at last count) clematis and other vines and a large and varying assortment of perennials, groundcovers and grasses. All on a rather conservatively sized urban lot. In no way could this ever be considered a low maintenance garden :-)

I'm sure they'll be saying "what WAS she thinking" every day!

One big camelia bush planted next to the house, under a 6ft deep overhang. It grows, but never gets enough water to actually bloom... it's out of here this year. Hopefully I can give it to a neighbour, but I'll take a few cuttings first.

Two sickly rhodos planted right next to the front walk. Between them and the wild rose bushes you were bound to loose some skin or at least snag your sweater trying to get to my front door! Also the rhodos shaded the walk so much that it was always damp and had moss, or was very icy. Both rhodos have new homes and are doing well. :)

Oh yeah.. why did you plant the sumac in the middle of the front yard? The saw is calling to me...

Amy

At times, I feel sorry for all the bad things I have said about the previous owners (I am sure they are nice people)Â. But why or why did they:

* Cover the entire back yard with landscape fabric and mulch?

* Plant six carpet roses, one red bud, one Japanese maple, one green shrub thing, one dogwood, several clumps of iris and day lily and some lavender along the entry path in a plot approximately 15 by 25?

* Not only plant English Ivy on the slope, but plant it in chicken wire to ensure that it very difficult to remove?

Apparently, the first owner of our house was a master gardener and really did do some incredible things on the property, especially for slope erosion. However, the second owner planted Ivy, and I am sure that I will battle it for the rest of my life!! Vinca and St. Johns Wart (which I have a lot of too) are nothing compared to that. They also planted shrubs way to close to the house.
So I suppose, our job is to fix their mistakes and hope the the next caretaker after us does not curse us the same way!!

Our house came with--count them!--four shrubs and a clump of bamboo and that is it! I am not kidding. And all the shrubs were pruned within an inch of their lives. "Blank slate" doesn't even begin to cover it. Martian landscape is much more appropriate.

We have been slamming trees in all year, because there is literally no shade. If it is 100 degrees outside, it is 98 degrees inside.

Arrrrrrrrrg.

But, hey, we have no chicken wire. That's something. :)

xantippe- I'm a little green with envy. There's a lot to be said for a blank slate, though I commiserate with you over not having shade. But we have a lot of shade, mature red cedars that are all that is left from totally logging all the DF's out of a very woody lot. They are all around our house which is not comforting in high wind situations. Also their roots are everywhere in our yard. But I can always work outside in shade somewhere. There were no fruit trees here but one pear and one walnut, now there are a lot of different fruits and nuts, and it's nice to get to pick them out. But they have less than full sun to grow in, though they have a lot of fruit anyway.

Get out the chain saw and start over. Have fun with your yard. You bought it, do what you want. Don't feel guilty
about making your yard just as you want it.

hemnancy, that doesn't sound fun either! Two of my friends sold their houses in the last year because of the looming trees just waiting to come down in a storm... talk about the polar opposite of our house! :)

I still see new developments with giant trees planted within 2' of the house foundation, and other problem situations, all the time. The problem is 95% of landscapers are just going for the immediate effect of a cute looking house and frankly don't care about what the place will look like (or, what will fall on the house) in the long term.