Two words. Round-Up.

Kato,

There must be someone named Tuna up your way....maybe he could talk to her, convince her to see things would be better without the red mulch LOL.

Jeanne
(whose neighbors suddenly don't seem too bad...)

Could squirrels wearing mansuits uproot the Norway Maples? Squirrels wearing squirrelsuits are happily uprooting my marigold seedlings, it could happen. I have a River Birch I could offer, at the NEPA Swap, to replace one of the Norway Maples.

I would do two things. First, try to convince the neighbor that Norway Maples really are a problem. You could start by explaining, then if she is interested take her to a place where you can show the damage Norway Maple does to a woodland. It should be hard to find a wood where there are native wildflowers in some parts, but little or no growth under a Norway Maple. Explain that not only will the Norway Maples prevent anything desirable from growing beneath them, but also they will spread and take over the woods all around the area. Second, you could offer to provide substitute tree seedlings.

As for the red mulch, I don't like it either, but is it really worth moving away to avoid mulch you don't like?

heh heh, I PROBABLY won't actually move because of the red mulch (even though I hate it hate it hate it) but I don't think I'll ever be a fan of that color -or blue or yellow *yuck*

In fact as long as I'm putting it out there I might as well confess that some very close relatives (all on my wife's side of course) do in fact have colors of mulch such as (1)red and (2)golden-yellow. I haven't yet figured out what to do about them, so I guess there's little or no hope for me in converting the neighbors... Things look bad.

As far as the maples go I hope they immediately die since I think now -as they leaf out- is probably the worst time to move them. I'm keeping my hopes up and fingers crossed that they don't make it.... and I'm stepping up my program of killing off the seedlings and trees that have invaded the row of trees along the RR tracks.

I don't know if showing a person the damage they do will convert anyone. Most people look at a N maple woods and think "oh how pretty" the trees are so thick and lush. Few notice that they have smothered the smaller flowers and crowded out the native trees.

-But I think I will offer other tree seedlings..... My vision is that over the next few years the seedlings I offer and anything else she plants will do remarkably well while the Norway maple trees will suffer strange rabbit attacks, "twig dieback", and frequent root damage. I can point out how the trees along the RR tracks are also dying and that it must be something in the soil.... or "squirrels wearing mansuits" LOL

...ok, now I'm going to sit here and wait for someone to berate me for even considering damaging a neighbor's property. I'm only joking really! I have great (yet slightly nosey) neighbors!
Of course there's always Tuna or the round up

I really couldn't gauge whether you were joking in this post, or really serious about the issue. There are worse things in neighborhoods than with someone planting Norway maples and putting down red mulch on their property, IMHO. At least your neighbor takes responsibility in having the lot mowed and is willing to plant something for visual appeal. Not everyone is a garden enthusiast who plants correctly, and that is something we all have to accept. Now, if you said that poor schools, crime, and illegal drugs are commonplace where you live, those are real reasons to move out. If the worse things that you have to deal with in your neighborhood are weed trees and unsightly mulch, then maybe you're living in utopia and you just haven't realized it.

I'm with you, I can't stand the sight of red mulch. And yet, the darn stuff is everywhere (I mean at surrounding houses)... Red mulch doesn't blend with anything. It detracts from flowers and mutes out the subtle beauty of leaves. It is a rare house (not impossible, but rare) that is improved by the sight of red mulch). IMHO, more often than not it is a case of wanting what you shouldn't have. Your neighbor (and by default, her landscaper) may be a good person, but her/his garden sense is lacking!

Have you suggested any native tree alternatives that she "might want to try to attract songbirds" or something equally "mass-market gardening appeal" like that...? (Thinking of the pile of catalogues: "Grows quickly" "attractive spring flowers" "blazing fall color" "winter interest" "unusual bark" "2006 award winner" hahaha) Perhaps you can convince her to change her mind... It sounds like she was convinced by her landscaper, so maybe you can call him and appeal for something more agreeable. If he talked her into it, he can talk her out of it...

Disclaimer: I don't dislike red mulch users, just the red mulch!

I guess I'm willing to overlook my neighbor's choice in mulch. It's also possible I won't move. Dicentra is right in that I might want to consider other things such as crime rate and quality of schools.
Actually when my neighbor mentioned the red mulch I didn't even say anything! She seems very pleased with the stuff I planted and I'm still going to see if I can turn her over the next few years. Maybe someday there will be some normal earth colored mulch in her yard.
I did notice that she got some topsoil delivered. That's good since I wanted to plant a few daylilies and the fill in her yard is a pain to dig a hole in since it's hard as a rock.... now I can just plant into the new topsoil.

The maples are still an issue.
(I'm going to get onto my soapbox here) People have a hard time seeing trees as bad for an ecosystem. It's always supposed to be good when you plant a tree right? I included a link the mentions how N maples out compete native trees and kill off other plants with their invasive roots, dense shade and even plant killing chemicals that they produce. It happens over a number of years and all most people see is a healthy grove of trees... eventually all you are left with is a forest of Norway maples.

Ok I'm done.
Hopefully they all die when transplanted.... plus she said she was researching plants that were good for wildlife, she may be open to those seedling offers and more suggestions. I think there's hope!

Here is a link that might be useful: bad invasive maple

My husband, (God bless him) is a fan of red mulch. FORTUNATLY, none has passed onto our property. Maybe its because I call it Clown mulch, since to me it looks like something from a circus. I thought I was the only one....
As for the maples, I didn't realize that they were so invasive, not that I have any anyway, but maybe your neighbor needs updated too...(about the maples, not the clown mulch.)

Red Mulch? Norway Maples? Next thing you know she'll be planting Forsythia and pruning them into balls and putting up squirrel feeders.

I was just reading how the dyes used in mulch, especially the red, can have an adverse effect on local groundwater. That and teens are taking the sap from Norway Maples and making a crack version of maple syrup to get high. .... Well, not really...but I'd be happy to start some blogs to that effect so you could point them out to your neighbor.

Friends don't let friends spread red much...

Jim

I was thinking same thing what would you do if you really had a problem?????

I must confess... I planted a Norway Maple once. Twenty years ago.

In my defense, I was young and inexperienced and circumstances were beyond my control. The city I lived in had a street-tree planting program, and I thought a tree would look nice in front of our shabby rented house (which I loved). The choices were dogwood, Bradford Pear, and Norway Maple. I figured a dogwood would die and a Bradford Pear would fall apart, so the Norway Maple seemed the lesser of three evils. The tree survived and is now a huge dark hulking monster.

Mea culpa!

There is (a 90 year old) Norway Maple at my house, too, Carol, though I did not plant it. I have a love hate relationship with that tree. I hate its messy litter, and I hate pulling out the hundreds of seedlings it fosters every spring. I love its shade, and the fact it envelopes my second story master bedroom, leaving me to feel as if I am sleeping in a tree house. It is clearly in decline (missing a five foot by three foot area of bark on one side) and I am doing NOTHING to rescue it. That tree's benefits do not outweight its deficits.

Jim- funny you should mention forsythia.... I transplanted mine over into her yard last fall. It made a nice bright yellow splash this spring. I can only imagine how well the red mulch will set it off next year. Bright yellow and red, aren't those the McDonald's colors? Maybe I can prune it into two golden arches instead of a bright yellow meatball. We can base a whole landscape color theme on these two Crayola-bright colors.

Carol- I opted for a pear in front of the house I rented.... I bet it's a splintered pile of firewood by now!
At least you weighed your options, I picked it because it was cheap, the leaves looked dark and lush, and I saw several others growing well in the neighborhood.

Westhighland- I bet your bedroom is awesome in the fall when the leaves change color.

Kato: Sadly the leaves on my Norway Maple don't turn colors. They just get a dried out green and fall off. You can't imagine my disappointment the first fall we were in the house. By the way, I took a good look at the tree last night. Whatever caused it to lose its bark, on one side, seems to have abated. I have a feeling, like cockroaches, that tree is going to be alive into the next ice age.

Oh definetly prune that forsythia into the golden arches! Sounds like it might be a future in McDonalds landscaping. That's funny! Clown mulch.

Jackie

Norway maples have a life span of about 80 years. A tradeoff for their fast initial growth.

hmmmmm.
I wanted to confess to the fact that I moved last summer. The new house is surrounded by meatball shaped yews, poodle evergreens and a sea of bright, fresh, very-red mulch. Pretty much everything I hate in a landscape! I think it's my bad karma coming around to get me back.

We've been living here for 4 months and the red mulch is still there. Even the poodle bushes are starting to grow on me.

In my defense it was a busy summer. Plus I'm too cheap to buy new mulch to cover it up with.

I feel cleansed now, I feel like I just shook a few skeletons out of my closet.
I'm here. My name is Kato. I have red mulch in my yard.

OMG!!!!!

It just occured to me that I have a bunch of new tulips in mixed colors planted throughout the front yard. I may need to get some new mulch down before spring since even with my limited color-blending skills, I don't think the orangy red mulch will go well with a batch of pink and purple tulips.

*sigh*
Do they treat this stuff with some kind of preservative? Seems that besides keeping the color, it never seems to rot away. At least if it would rot, there would be some benefit to my yard!

vlf4230!!! I just fell of my chair laughing at work!!!
Crack from Norway maples sap is the funniest ever!

This post just gave me a good chuckle today-----LOL

Florence