Yes, this is the bamboo that
will not die. On the bright side, the shoots are down from broomstick size to the diameter of asparagus. And so far, there seem to be fewer this spring, despite all
the rain.
I've been compulsively snipping them out of the lawn since The Great Bamboo Removal Project of 2015. Where does the time go? It's still too soon to declare total victory, but roots may finally be exhausted and giving up the ghost.
Oh, what a sad sight the summer of 2015, with our beautiful and terrible bamboo forest gone. I didn't think I'd ever like that part of the yard again.
But as you see, it looks nice again, privacy restored and the fence line planted with Leyland Cypress, one of the fastest growing and potentially invasive species of tree. I guess some people never learn. Although at my age, that's a problem I'll bequeath to the next generation.
It's that time of year to turn our attention to The Hedge. I found this old picture and realized it hasn't looked this nice since Gerardo trimmed it in 2009. My dear little group of blog followers has read many sagas about our adventures with hedge trimmers.
After all the drama last year, I decided to try a new company that specializes in large, problem hedges. They use one of those fancy bucket trucks for the top, and the man said the job would take "about 3 hours." I've seen a great deal of hedge trimmer hubris over the years, so I just smiled and nodded.
The problem is this. After many years of lazy and creative trimming, the hedge has developed a large bulge on the inside of the yard. The only way to fix that is with radical surgery.
The same thing we did in 2014, when it was encroaching on the sidewalk.
It looks nice again out there, but it took three full years to grow back and fill in. And now we'll have that horrible sight on the pretty inside of the yard. I'm not happy about it. The work is scheduled for June-- say tuned for the next chapter in the saga.
