Timberrrrrr

It's that time of the year again, so this happened.  Another fall chore completed -

My ornamental grasses did just ok this past season.  They didn't get as big and full as in years past.  The three pictured here were the biggest, so I used a similar method to cut them back.  The last couple of years I would tie each plant nice and tight, then I'd use my hedge trimmer to lop them off.

This year, instead of using the hedge trimmer, I used my hand pruners. More work but my OCD drove me to it, HAHA!  I laid the twine out on the lawn then cut handfuls at a time, laying each across the twine until the clump was all cut back.  When done, I tied the bundles up nice and neat for easy moving and removal.

The other clumps of grasses I have were small enough that I used the hand pruners again but instead of bundling, I cut them up into smaller pieces to fit into my landscape barrel.  More work for me but cleaner and a tad easier to manage.

Kudos to my neighbor who trailers my yard waste to the town recycle center.  I'm fortunate and very appreciative that he's willing to cart my waste away.

Fall Cleanup - Update

Here is an update to my October 3 posting labeled "Fall Cleanup"

This is the end result after cutting my ornamental grasses down.  However, this year instead of using the chainsaw I used my electric hedge clippers, which turned out to be just as effective.

All tied nice and neatly to minimize the mess, both when cutting back and when carting the clippings to the driveway.  Easy peasy now to pickup and remove.

Working Smarter These Days

I took a new approach this fall to my ornamental grasses.  In years past I would cut each clump by hand using hand pruners, which was a slow and tedious task for sure. To even take it a step further, since I don't really have a place to dump or compost this still stuff on my property, I would then cut up these shoots into small pieces that would fit nicely into a large landscape barrel.  My neighbor, thank goodness for him, would take the barrel to the town recycle center, with his yard waste and dispose of.

This year, however, I tied each clump of grass to keep them bundled, then pulled out the ole chain saw and whacked each clump, ten in all, right down at the ground level.  Once cut, I hauled them to the driveway, where again my awesome neighbor, backed his trailer right up to them for easy pesy loading, and off to the recycling center they went.

SO much more efficient and SO much time saved!