Hedge Wars

It probably seemed like a good idea at the time. One of the previous owners of our house decided to plant a hedge of arborvitae shrubs along the pasture fence, screening the lawn from the pasture. Great idea, as long as you keep it pruned. They didn't. When we bought the place, pasture animals had eaten everything within reach, so the hedge was "bald" for about 3 feet above the fence, then green for another six+ feet above that. Funny-looking is an understatement. (I have a photo around here somewhere; if I find it, I'll scan and include it.)

One of the first things we did was take the chain saw to the hedge, and cut it down right at fence height (about 4.5 ft). Then we kept the green growth trimmed. It turned into a really nice hedge.

That, unfortunately, didn't last. (I now appreciate the trouble with hedges, believe me!) When our hedge gets too tall, it cuts off the light to our basement windows, and we lose our beautiful view across the pasture and the valley.

So. Time to fix the problem. This week I've got an extra hour each afternoon, and decided to spend it pruning. Just split the hedge into thirds, and tackle one third each day. The first day, no worries. I've kept this stretch pretty well pruned, so the trunks were small in diameter and easy to cut. One small pile of shrubs for the burn pile. The second day could have been worse. The middle section of hedge had grown unchecked for a decade. It was lush from the ground to about 15 feet in the air. Hmmm... need to bring out the big gun: the Saws-All. (I don't use the chain saw; too much to handle.) But this slick motorized reciprocating saw cut through the trunks like butter (well, maybe frozen butter), and was easy to handle. Only one mishap: a trunk that bounced off the ladder, did a 180, and landed on my forearm. Sore, but no bones broken.

Tonight, the last third of the hedge comes down. There's daylight in my daylight basement again, and I've got my view back. Life is good.