Time for our annual battle with the flowering quince.
My husband hates trimming this bush. Hates it with a passion.
The monster is covered in thorns and not easily tamed. Cutting a path through uncharted Amazon rain forest while being chased by pygmies with poisonous darts might actually be preferable.
Every year we do it, and every year he grumbles.
This year he suggested using the chain saw.
But I had visions of this:
And managed to dissuade him.
I started with the electric hedge trimmer…
And managed to cut smaller branches away from the house.
Then the husband brought the ladder and the muscle.
Quince bushes are hard wood, and mature ones like ours fight back.
I was tempted to suggest something like this:
But managed to hold my tongue.
While he was angrily hacking away at that, I moved over to the also out of control Burning Bushes.
These turn a vibrant red in the fall and are much easier to trim.
But I didn’t get very far because hidden in between them and the boxwood? I found a catbird’s nest.
No, not that kind.
This kind.
And I scared the poor mother right off it.
(Worry not, she’s back.)
Avoiding the nest meant the bushes are still large, but at least you can see the windows now. The top half anyway.
As for the quince…
My idea of a neatly shaped shrub differs greatly from the husband’s …
But he had a sharp implement in his hands and I figured I shouldn’t push the issue.
Yes, dear.
It looks fine.
We had a quince at our old house. I think it originally came from the neighbors yard. It was kind of annoying how it encroached on our yard every year, but it’s somebody else’s problem now…
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That’s the only reasonable solution… moving.
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We have three of those nasty Quince. They are pretty, and someone told me that you can fry up slices of the fruit and that it’s really good. We haven’t tried. Those thorns are nasty, they’re like 8” long!
Kudos to hubs on a nasty job well done.
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Three! Good God… and they haven’t swallowed the house?
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They are out by the sidewalk. They might swallow a few small dogs and children, but…
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And perhaps a few Jehovah Witnesses…?
😉
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I have heard of “the catbird seat,” but did not know there was actually such a thing as a catbird. Or that it laid freshly dyed Easter eggs…
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The eggs are beautiful.. and it really does sound like a cat!
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Great post 🙂
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Around the farm, one can always find handy hedge trimming machines. They are all big and come in an assortment of colors: red, green, blue and, of course, Caterpillar Yellow.
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True, but I’m looking for something a little more subtle…
😉
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NOW I understand why you hate it!
That’s neat you’ve got a nest. She tucked it away real nice. We have never had a nest in any shrubs here. Just trees and eaves.
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We get a lot of robin and blue jay nests but this is our first catbird.
😊
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I think being made to handle the quince bush is the perfect punishment for your hubs since he managed to kill your beautiful garden with his grass cutting machine don’t you think? I would have definitely asked for him to make it look like a T-Rex, it’s the least he could do. I think he got off easy if you ask me, lol.
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I agree. But one must make allowances when one wants her bush trimmed.
Wait, that didn’t sound right…
😳
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😂😝
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A silly Big City boy’s question–why not trim them in the winter when it would be easier???
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You have to prune them right after they bloom, if you wait too long there won’t be any blooms the next year
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I think you should just dig that puppy out and bring it to my house where it can grow with wild abandon………..
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The roots go under the house and probably over past the garage. If we ever bulldoze both? It’s yours….
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I can’t wait!!!
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Until I win the lottery? You’ll have to…
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*pleaselethemwinthelottery* she chants.
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I’ve never bought a ticket in my life, so it’s going to be a long wait.
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*plops down on the ground and stops chanting*
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We have these roses… and this ceanothus… and these boxwoods… and…
When it’s raining I won’t go outside – tell the wife I’ll melt (she then opens the door)
When it’s sunny, the mountains beckon. The garden is a fierce jungle you know.
Oh… the sun came out… gotta go.
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That’s the problem with gardens, there’s always something to prune, water or fertilize. And then there’s the bird feeders, the bird bath…. winter is a much easier time of year.
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The color of those eggs!
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I know, right?
Such a bright blue they’re hard to miss.
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