The Maple Hill Hop 116

Welcome to 

The Maple Hill Hop.

This is a hop for folks who love the outdoors.

Feel free to post about anything that's going on

OUTSIDE

in your neck of the woods,
no matter the season.

(Please share only outdoor posts.)

*Grab the button above to link back to Maple Hill 101.*

This weekend was the perfect time to do a bit of tweaking in the backyard.
We live in a typical suburban neighborhood and the houses are pretty close together.
These salt bush trees were volunteers
and I was hoping they'd add a bit of privacy to the back corner of our lot.
They never really filled in that much,
and most of the year they were kind of scraggly looking.

The one benefit they gave us,
was lots of pollinator activity in the spring.
The blooms attract bees, butterflies and a number of other flying critters.
Since we have many other plants that perform the same task,
it felt okay to let these go.
They just didn't seem to be filling in the space right
and it looked a bit messy.

So Big K and I spent a good hour clearing out the brush.

We like the clean look better and it makes our yard seem larger.
I'm planning to sow some beach sunflower in that corner,
to add a pop of color with a low-maintenance plant.
We may miss a bit of privacy, being more exposed to the neighbors,
but we're only here for a short while longer (I feel it!).
If we were staying here,
I'd probably put up some type of hedge or bushy trees.

I spent another hour (in a glorious rain storm) cutting this pile down to manageable pieces
so that our yard waste truck can haul it away.
At our next house, I look forward to being able to save all of our yard waste
to allow shelter for critters or lighting bonfires.
That doesn't work too well here in suburbia.
Folks like things nice, neat and civilized.

Here's the view into the yard from the back corner.
The pineapples may appreciate a bit more sunlight now.
It's all good...

What new developments are happening in your neck of the woods?
HOP to it!

   

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