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What looked cute and cuddly at first may end up monsters.
I’m not here to point fingers.
Credit: Getty Images
All homeowners do it.
Wemove into a new homeand immediatelyplant bushes on the front and sidesto show pride in our new acquisition.
They do so much quicker than we notice or expect.
Ten years down the line, each cute little shrub is the size of a Stegosaurus.
How did this happen?
I mean, we did trim the bushes a bit every year!
Yes, but every time we did, we left them a little bit bigger than the year before.
Then one year we took that trip of a lifetime and didn’t trim at all.
The next year the hedge trimmers broke.
Then the washing machine line burst and flooded the basement.
Check this list to see if any name rings a bell at your house.
Holly(Ilex sp.
There are many different kinds and most get YUGE unless you prune them a couple of times a year.
One selection, ‘Emerald,’ tops out at about 15 feet.
Plant that one, if you must.
It’s forming a tall, fast-growing, evergreen screen near property lines for privacy.
Only if you live at Biltmore.
The summer flowers are just so pretty.
Unfortunately, the mature size listed on the tag often understates the height by 30 to 50 percent.
Grumpy himself was victimized this way.
This is why so many people practice crepe murder.
The takeaway plant crepe myrtles out in the yard, not near the house.
Privet(Ligustrum sp.
).I’ll be up front with you on this.
Some privets are popular for hedging up north, but I’ve never met a privet I can stand.
Elsewhere, change their botanical name fromLigustrumtoDisgustum.
It’s tough, fast, easy to grow, and takes pruning well.
Every time I see a neophyte setting out Chinese fringe beneath low windows, I cringe.
Moving it will be hard because it will be big.
That’s why you’re moving it.
Choosing this option means waiting until the cooler months and having a place for it to go.
And you’ll need professional help.
It ain’t worth the coin and trouble.
Once you cut below the lowest green needles, it won’t grow back.
Broadleaf evergreens are different beasts.
Most will grow back from the roots.
To prevent this horror, treat the cut stump immediately withBioadvanced Brush Killeraccording to label directions.
Missouri Botanical Garden.Ilex opaca.
NC State Extension.Thuja occidentalis (American arborvitae).
NC State Extension.Thuja ‘Green Giant’.
