3 Reasons We’re Clearing Brush On Our Property

We’ve been clearing brush on our property for five long, long years now for three important reasons.

One of those reasons is not because we are gluttons for punishment.

But sometimes I wonder.

It’s also not because it is our idea of a good time.

It isn’t.

Here’s the view of our backyard in 2019. Looks like an idyllic scene, right?

Many things can look idyllic in the right light and from a distance and with the sound turned off, including history.

What that photo does not show is that twenty years ago, most of the trees and brush behind where the kids are playing did not exist. That’s approximately half an acre of land that was previously a field.

We’re happy for the trees. The brush, vines, and poison ivy…not as much.

So, why are we clearing brush beyond the obvious?

First, we want our property to be easier to take care of in the long run.

We hope to live in this house for many years. That’s a discreet way of saying the longer we live here, the older we are going to get and we might not be as energetic and able-bodied.

Wouldn’t it be easier to just let the brush do its thing then? Live free and grow wild! Maybe for a short while, but in our experience, that always bites you where it hurts the most, usually in the wallet.

The brush will take over. It’s not personal. That’s just what it is designed to do.

In our case, the overgrown brush was initially blocking our view of the pool, creating a safety hazard. It was also growing too close to the house, which is bad for the siding, roof, and foundation. We’ve removed all that and have now moved on to other overgrown areas on the property.

The bottom line is we have plenty of problems without brush gone wild contributing to the mix. We don’t want to spend time or money on this down the road when we’re ~~old~~ not as spry as we are now.

Second, we’re clearing brush to save trees.

We realized if you looked hard, trees (ash maybe?) were trying to grow on our property but were being choked out by brush. How rude!

If we wanted to save those trees, we had to clear the brush and give the trees room to grow. Everyone needs a bit of personal space, including trees.

And don’t even get me started on vines. Vines will climb up your trees and kill them. Even if you manage to save the tree before it fully dies, it will forever bear the scars of what the vines did to it.

Third, we want to increase the useable space on our property.

It’s hard to do anything with a plot of land that’s covered in a wild menagerie of brush.

Garden plot? Nope.

Solar panels? Nope.

Outbuildings? Nope.

Pickleball court? Nope.

What are we going to do with the area we are clearing now?

We’ll plant grass and turn it into a park-like setting for now. In the long term, we’re interested in installing solar panels on the property. We aren’t in a financial position to do that now, but that works to our advantage because solar technology will improve the longer we wait.

We’re also eager to have a better view of what’s happening in the cornfield adjacent to our property. There’s something so soothing about feeling like you’re part of a farm without having to do the actual work of a farmer. It might be a little like watching someone clear brush without having to do it yourself. Haha!

Stay tuned to see how this area continues to evolve!

What’s your landscaping philosophy? Have you ever dealt with out-of-control brush? How do you feel about farmland? You can always comment on this blog post, email us here, or reach out via Instagram or Facebook.

Have a happy day!

P.S. We mostly use hand tools for removing the brush. We had the 32″ Fiskars Tree Trimmer since 2016! It’s a workhorse. We use a shovel and an iron pry bar for digging out roots, rocks, and stumps. We love the Gorilla Cart for hauling away brush but wish we had the version with never-flat tires. Last, we use an 18-inch rechargeable chainsaw for cutting down the big stuff.

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