Isengard
I've got some sympathy for Saruman and the Uruk-Hai today, after spending an afternoon uprooting box hedge stumps from around our front porch, in preparation for putting in something less aggressive and less allergenic. The worst annoyance was the darn rocks mixed in with the dirt. Rounded quartz lumps, angular chunks of flint or something, plus the odd piece of brick or concrete. I figure they must have come from when the house was originally built. I can't punch a shovel through rock, so every piece meant extra work to dig out and go around, often encountering even more rocks in the process.
The second worst part was getting at roots in confined spaces, jammed up against the wall of the house, or extending under the porch itself. I have a trench shovel, narrower than the standard version, but it was still difficult to get the right angle, so more often than not I ended up undermining the bushes from the open side.
The third worst annoyance was the hordes of small mindless biting insects that boiled up from the ground whenever their tunnels were disturbed. These hobbits ants were all over, and I hope that evicting them will reduce their incursions into the house proper this summer.
Some points I should remember for next time:
Wear a hat. I managed to get through the whole afternoon without getting sunburned; probably the best use I've gotten out of my wide-brimmed hat since I bought it back in PA.
Dig first, then push. On the first couple bushes, I wasted too much effort trying to pry the bush up before I'd undermined enough roots. Better to patiently dig out a large and deep hole, clipping the roots with loppers as they become exposed. Then use your weight to bend the stump over and snap the remaining roots, or at least strain them enough that they can be lopped more easily.
Take breaks. Every hour, get something to drink. Dehydration is no fun.
Wear gloves. I didn't this time, and I think I've got an incipient blister. Could be worse. Glad to be done.
The second worst part was getting at roots in confined spaces, jammed up against the wall of the house, or extending under the porch itself. I have a trench shovel, narrower than the standard version, but it was still difficult to get the right angle, so more often than not I ended up undermining the bushes from the open side.
The third worst annoyance was the hordes of small mindless biting insects that boiled up from the ground whenever their tunnels were disturbed. These hobbits ants were all over, and I hope that evicting them will reduce their incursions into the house proper this summer.
Some points I should remember for next time:
Wear a hat. I managed to get through the whole afternoon without getting sunburned; probably the best use I've gotten out of my wide-brimmed hat since I bought it back in PA.
Dig first, then push. On the first couple bushes, I wasted too much effort trying to pry the bush up before I'd undermined enough roots. Better to patiently dig out a large and deep hole, clipping the roots with loppers as they become exposed. Then use your weight to bend the stump over and snap the remaining roots, or at least strain them enough that they can be lopped more easily.
Take breaks. Every hour, get something to drink. Dehydration is no fun.
Wear gloves. I didn't this time, and I think I've got an incipient blister. Could be worse. Glad to be done.