Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

hi guys...

this is kinda out there so if necessary remove it .

im in the process of cleaning up my property now that its spring here.

i have next to no landscaping as yet.

my driveway is pretty good but thats it,basically i have 4 acres of trees.lots of hardwood and softwood.

i have been removing as much of the dead and hard looking trees and thinning out the rest.

its starting to look kinda park like.

i have lend of a huge wood chipper that i have been putting all the brush and tops into.ill post pics of it in action later

i save the big stuff for firewood.

anyway i have been wondering that once i get done should i plant grass between the trees or just let it grow up into ferns and other woodsy stuff.i plan to try to average 10 or so feet between the trees,this will encourage them to grow tall and allow me room to work around them.

when i started you could hardley walk between them

i should mention that i dont like mowing lawns but i do have a good variety of riders and tractors at work i could use.

and i really hate pushing a mower. 

thanks for any input ...

later chris

Hi...

"PS - lotsa flowers and bushes would be nice"

Sounds good !  Maybe a wildflower mix... some grasses that grow tall and don't get mowed... shrubs... fruit trees... berry bushes...

Can start a little at a time...

Dave...

Hey  shovler  those rocks aint  just  jump  out of the ground  lots of rakeing been there done that pavement . just sweep.

millwright

ya ya ya ...i hear you Mill.

around here if you arent standing on a rock you feet are going to be wet.

and add to that i have a fair number of stumps that i have to remove or cut off much shorter.

on a good note i do have my monster tractor home and have been using it and a homemade trailer to haul away brush and rocks from my future lawn or garden or wharever it ends up being.

later chris

Blacktop....... basketball court!

I vote for ferns and moss if it is really shady, minimal maintenance. If enough sun gets in to support grass, then grass is a good option.

Hockey rink!..........

Well a hockey rink would be great in the winter - but how about this time of year???  I'm thinking seriously about putting everything wintery away and pulling out the gear to make everything muddy.

Sherri

Here's a little of what the yard looks like. (boy I love high speed internet!)

This is from the back looking out.  There's always water running through there.

This is looking off to the side of the driveway.  There's about 4 acres of that.

And this is the rock work that he does.  He plans to have rock borders everywhere.

So as you can see there's a lot of work to make a lawn that would look nice, but not so much work to have a yard without grass.  You can plant flowers and shrubs here and there and not have to worry about mowing around or over them and they will pretty much look after themselves.  In the back where the water is always running we plan to have a pond on the lower side of the road (top pic to the right).  So that will be nice.

Sherri

Not sure about where you live, but when a friend of mine in NH had this situatuin the county agricultural agent came by and marked the trees he should take out.

We're in Nova Scotia.  He's thinning the dead and softwood out to allow the hardwood to 'thicken' up.  There are a lot of forestry rules and regulations around here, but they never really bother the home owner too much yet.  As long as there are spots for the wild life to live and you don't go too close to the water - everything should be fine.  We have some of the toughest laws for woodsmen/women that's going.  Safety rules are crazy strict and for those that are in the business - well I pity them.  But the home owner has general reign over his own land, so he'll thin out what he wants and hopefully the hardwood will grow to their full potential, not stay spindly little trees.

Sherri