Grove: Before and After.

Our parsonage and the church are surrounded by a grove on three sides. It is the scraggliest grove I've ever seen. There are many dead and dying trees, and the ones that aren't dead are overgrown. They are all ugly. This is my opinion. Of course, I'm glad the grove is there, it's just not going to win any beauty contests.


Jonathan and I both did not love the look of the dead lower branches and how they hung over the yard. Jonathan didn't like how they made it hard to mow. So he got his hands on a bow saw and a borrowed chain saw.

The back yard in June:

Yesterday:

Notice the trees to the left of the asparagus. The lower branches have been removed. We're about halfway through trimming back branches around the whole yard. You wouldn't believe how much more spacious the yard is.

It's also allowed is to clean up where a lot of brush and litter had accumulated, rip out the wild cucumber that threatens the neighboring fields, and also given us glimpses of this view:

The wind on the bean fields looks like a rippling sea.

With the new space under the trees, we'd like to add some pathways with bricks or pavers. Maybe a sitting area or a hammock. Some outdoor art or play areas. Using found objects as much as possible. This is definitely going to be low budget.