Near Dead Trees and Shrubs

Last year was really hard on the trees and shrubs in the yard.  I have 2 Golden Rain Trees on either side of the front driveway, for example.  In spite of frequent drip watering (obviously insufficient), they both nearly perished.  But there are some branches still alive on both, and both are sending out shoots from the main trunk.  I'm not experienced enough to know if that is really good or not, but growth is surely better than dead.

The 3 Burning Bushes sufferred various degrees of stress.  The first one by the drainage easement is fine but is overgrown with some thorny vine.  That needs to be cut and pulled out.

The second seemed OK, but suddenly had dead branches this Spring.  And they stuck out far.  Mowing was always a threat of poking out an eye.  I finally attacked all the dead branches a couple days ago with a lopper and the "saws-all".  I gained 3' all around the shrub.  And there were some junk saplings growing up through it.  I got them cut to ground level.  I hope they die as a result.

The third one was in better shape.  I don't know why; I didn't water it any more than the second one.  But sometimes, you take good news and just accept it.  It needed minor pruning.

My 5"x8" utility trailer is filled with pruning debris.  Even after I tie it all down, i will barely be able to see out the back of the Forester.  Barely is sufficient.  And on a Saturday, I will be able to return from the yard-debris drop-off County site with a trailerful of loaded mulch.

I have enough prunings for 2 more trailerloads and mulch in return.  I can use all the mulch.  It is nearly compost.  Some of it will go onto the long brown paper strips (that shipping companies use for shock-absorbtion) that I will put down between my garden beds.  More will go onto places in my flowerbeds where only weeds are growing to smother them for next year's plantings.  And any extra will just get added to the compost bins.  They have too much rich kitchen "green" waste and not enough "brown" bulk.  I'll turn the kitchen waste into the second bin and layer it with mulch.

This will be the first expedition with the new Subaru Forester hauling anything.  The trailer hitch was a real adventure.  The factory-installed tow hitch insert is a 1 1/4" x 1 1/4".  It takes a 1/2" pin which they did not supply.  The 1st hitch pin I bought was too short.  The 2nd one was also too short, but I was able to drill the hole slightly larger and hammer it into place.  That thing is NEVER coming off again, LOL!

So great, I will be hauling back a 5'x8'x18" trailerload of mulch and sholveling it into buckets to carry to the garden in effectively 100F heat for a few days!

Well, I do 45 minutes outside and 45 minutes inside to rest.  I'm not gonna kill myself moving mulch!