Cut it off about 2 feet above ground so you leave a handle to work with. You can simply cut off any roots too tough to dig out and leave them in the ground. What are you thinking of replacing it with?

tj

I would like to replace it with some type of shrub that has berries. I am "birdscaping" my backyard so I would love a native plant. I was thinking Oregon Grape or ?

Will it still be ok to plant something in its spot if I can't remove all of the roots?

Do you have anywhere else to plant the berry shrub? I have a large Mugo and lots and lots of little birds are in it all the time. Do you have a lot of bird activity in it now? Will birds miss it? I only mention because you say you are birdscaping. I've actually found in my yard that the birds hardly ever go for the berries on my shrubs, and I had planted A LOT for the birds (I still find it odd the berries don't get eaten) but they do love the evergreens for cover. Just a thought.

As long as it is not diseased the roots wont be a problem for the next plant.

tj

Thyme2dig-Thanks for the recommendation. I have four very large Rhodies around the yard along with a pine and birch tree, so there are lots of places for the birds to hang out. I also have a wall of Arborvitae along my fence line that the birds absolutely love. This Mugo pine bush is kind of leggy and sparse, and has just never looked that great. I have other Mugo Pines in my front yard that get full sun and are quite happy. Just thought it would be nice to have some shrubs that produce berries for the birds to snack on.

In my garden the birds loved the small crabapples. It would get stripped in March when there wasn't much else left to eat .

They love the berries of viburnum plicatum ...... any one: Mariesii; Shasta; etc. And it is a choice plant for part shade though it must have water in hot weather.

The winterberries (latin name slipped my mind) are too far away for me to see the birds eat the berries. I just know they are a haze of red by fall and last well into winter. By summer those bunches of berries have gone somewhere. There are several choice cultivars.

I've read the birds love other viburnum berries. I just haven't had luck with berrying although I have several.

if you cut all the green off a pine.. it will NOT resprout ...

if you can just cut if flush to the ground.. and plant a foot or 3 in any other direction.. job done ...

you may have to search around for a spot where you can dig ... and you may find a biggish root or two ... but thats a lot less than digging the whole .. especially if you start small ...

just dont plant it too close to what will eventually be .. rotting wood ...

besides .. most shrubs can be trained off in some direction or another ...

tom will call it a basal cut ... lol

ken

Marie-Thank you for your thoughts on berry shrubs. I was looking at viburnum and it looks like a contender. I appreciate hearing about your luck with those cultivars. Since the location is part shade, it sounds like a good option.

Ken-I like your idea a lot better than digging up the entire root ball! I have looked at the site, and it appears I might have a foot or two away from the main trunk to work with. I will just try to dig/cut out as much of the roots as possible to give it enough room, and hopefully it will thrive.

What about serviceberry? I think that would fit the description.

Sounds like you already have a great haven for the birds. How excited they will be when you plant them a berry buffet!

Serviceberries will do that, don't forget that you can eat the berries too. Serviceberry is a tree, it wants to be in the ground.