The Backyard...

...was a mess. Not like, old tires and an abandoned rusty car kind of mess.  Just, not well maintained or thought out kind of mess.

Trying to avoid killing the Japanese Maple

The previous owners had planted six saplings right in the center of the backyard which didn't make any sense to me.  If they were to stay there and grow to their full size, it would severely limit the growing and living potential of the space.

So I moved them.  

Jeston had already dug a hole for me before he left so I dug out the 4 foot Japanese Maple and replanted it.  That took a full week.  I was so concerned about the rootball and the shock of relocating a plant that I used a hand trowel and carefully dug around the sapling until I was able to grab it with one hand and move it to it's new home. 

Japanese Maple right after replanting

I ended up digging two more holes and dug out the remaining two 3 foot Purple Magnolia's.  That only took a few days since I realized I didn't need to be SO delicate with the relocation process and that a shovel was a lot more efficient than me sitting on the ground with a hand trowel.


All three saplings were relocated along the perimeter of the yard within two weeks and the rest of the plants looked stupid so they were cut up and put in the compost.  Sorry stupid previous owners, those plants looked stupid. 

After that whole process, the yard looked like I had really large gophers or rabbits inhabiting my grounds (which, oddly enough is one of my inexplainable fears...that large rabbits will destroy me).  So I was faced with an option.  Keep digging or stop?

Purple Magnolias doing well in their new homes

LET'S KEEP DIGGING