It being a pleasant day (if unseasonably warm, we Do Not need another spring drought, but I bet we get one) and the ‘real’ world being its charming self; I spent several hours outside doing actual work.

The west edge of the tennis court* has been sadly neglected and was going to burning bush.  I would like the edge to eventually be strategically located clumps of blueberry,chokeberry, steeplebush, shadblow and others interspersed with native bunch grasses and flowers.*  Step one is the removal of the burning bush.  I have begun this process, very satisfying.  Although I want to retain a few burning bushes on the property, I am rather of the mood that it Does Not need to be there; sitting here thinking on it, I just might get rid of all of it tomorrow.  Except for the SW corner clump on the tennis court proper (not the stuff on the west bank), that has an actual reason for existence.

Cutting things down is almost as fun as planting them…

*I dare you to play tennis on it.  A raised court made of sand/clay it is incredibly well draining (unlike the clay till soil of the rest of the property); starting in the 1930’s it was let to grass; it is now a pine grove with a few Norway maples, oaks, ashes and hemlocks.  (and Lots of poison ivy) Nature triumphs!

*whatever wants to grow, Pagoda Dogwood (cornus alterneafolia) is a happy volunteer, I hope to get some sweet fern going, black cherry and aspen really want to populate the area as well but as trees are not quite what I want.