Whoever coined the phrase “get to the root of the problem” sure knew what they were talking about.
Because when it comes to landscaping, the ‘root’ is the root of the problem.
Unless you have access to an excavator, removing stumps can be one of the toughest jobs there is.
I have a pair of holly shrubs butted up against the house that I wanted to transplant, so I started the job with simply a shovel, thinking a couple of minutes of digging and it would all be done.
One hour – and one trip and tumble into a wall later – I had the shovel, plus a crowbar, rake, pick, axe, pruning shears and saw scattered about the yard, and a lot more respect for holly bushes.
I shovelled the dirt away from three sides (the fourth was tight against a wall), revealing roots far too big for such a small shrub.
I soon gave up on the idea of a transplant, thinking roots that size cannot be doing the house’s perimeter drain system any good.
They had to go.
So I pruned, dug with the shovel, dug with the pick and still could not budge the sucker.
I chopped through one root with the axe and managed to move the shrub a couple of inches with the crowbar. But, there was another, even bigger root shooting out in a different direction.
By now darkness was falling, I was taking more and more breaks to catch my breath and I admitted to myself I could not win the battle.
Yes, I fought the holly and the shrubs won.
So out came the saw, and any exposed part of the bush above the ground was eliminated.
A couple of sweeps of the dirt with the rake and you would never know a holly shrub was ever there.
Out of sight, out of mind – another excellent coined phrase.
I glanced at the second shrub and decided it would be better left to another day. I’d had enough of a workout for one evening.
My problem is I know I didn’t win, didn’t accomplish what I had set out to do.
Like the resilient Hollywood fighter absorbing blow after blow from a bigger opponent, the holly bush took the punishment and will strike back later for a victory.
For a number of good reasons pesticides and poisons are out of the question, so I know one day this spring I will spy a green sprout poking its way out of the dirt, ready to start growing again and thumb its prickly nose at me.
However, by then, I’ll have recovered enough to be ready for Round 2 in the garden.
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The time has come once again to partake in my annual spring ritual of watching the National Hockey League playoffs.
That’s right, the real hockey season starts April 11 and my Boston Bruins are in the thick of things.
While the NHL’s 82-game regular season has been a chore to watch after the excitement of last year’s playoffs, it has been a good year to be a fan of the Stanley Cup champions.
No matter what comment I get from a Vancouver Canuck fan, I have the fact Boston won the cup to come back with.
“Boston sucks,” shouts one Canucklehead.
“No,” I reply. “Finishing second, that sucks.”
Another Vancouver fan tells me my team is not doing too well this year after a great start.
“True,” I admit. “I guess they’ve exhausted themselves hoisting the cup where ever they go. What’s Vancouver’s excuse?”
You get the picture.
The Bruins could be dead last in the league and still they’re the champs until another team wins the cup.
The nice part of the last year is I’ve found a few fans of the big, bad B’s. We’re few and far between in this part of the country, but I’m not alone.
So, I’m bringing out the car flag … let the fun begin.
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