The Demise of the Wild Wood

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I feel a bit guilty about this. Until yesterday I had this tangled stand of trees, bushes, raspberry vines, who knows what all, but the birds loved it and it was green. It was about the only thing that survived years of contractor depredations. Then I sold the rental house, which gave me a bit of money, even after taxes, to fix the front garden. So I had a little plan done, which I showed you a few posts back. And yesterday, Kieron started work.

Kieron and Eddy rebuilt this house. The two of them, with very little help, and they did a great job. So once I heard that Kieron was off on his own, I told him to put me on his calendar, which he did, and now he’s here. Julien is working with him and his brother in law will appear in a couple of weeks.

We marked the outlines of the new garden plan. It’s hard to see, but there is spray paint all over the grass. The grass is seasonal and barely covers a thick layer of gravel and construction debris. That won’t be missed. But as we worked out the plan we realized that if we wanted to properly back out of the garage (the gash in the wall will be enlarged and the appearance improved), the Wild Wood would have to go. And now is the time, as the birds are wintering in Spain.

So Julien fired up the chainsaw and went to work. The hazelnut trees will stay. Probably the stuff screening the street will stay, but we’ll see. bay laurels are death on walls, so we might have to take that out. At the end of the project I’ll probably plant some bushes around the hazelnuts. I’m not a big fan of grass and I want to do something for the birds.

And do you see the concrete truck off to the side there? The commune decided to give me a sidewalk. There is literally a sidewalk starting at one side of my street frontage and stopping at the other. That’s the whole project.

So my little country refuge is moving to the suburbs. Or maybe the suburbs are moving to it. My ratty front garden — a friend — yes, still a friend! — once said coming here was like stepping onto the set of “Withnail and I” — is getting tidied and organized. And this weekend, as I was preparing the house for Sunday lunch with friends, I realized that I could actually clean, not just stuff everything into a back room. Okay, some things went into a back room, but much less. At least Jacques is still himself.

13 thoughts on “The Demise of the Wild Wood”

    1. I’m indoors, too. It’s a good day to catch up on the ironing, maybe bake a quiche. Even Jacques is inside, watching some program on sharks. Wiggling animals are always his kind of thing, but this is actually pretty good. Kieron is warming up by leveling dirt to prepare for the concrete pour inside the barn. We’ll leave the out of doors to skiers and other crazies.

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  2. It will look great once you get going – you might miss the rasberrihe, but not the jungle! I imagine your plan also includes trees to replace any you chop down. And how kind of the commune!!

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    1. I think the new planting will look better. The few trees are staying, so it’s more a matter of planting around them. As for the sidewalk, mixed blessing. We don’t have to worry about weeds out there any more, but now there is no more street parking. Maybe the neighbors will start parking on the sidewalk. New concrete against old stones, not my preference but as I say, I wasn’t asked. I suppose it will go well with my gentrified garden. When it’s all done, we’ll see.

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  3. Sounds like all systems go! The barn, its doors and the garden….is Kieron the local version of Lenotre?
    What about hiding the houses opposite by putting a trellis on top of the wall and growing some climbers for all seasons…and personally I would blank off the gates too. Suburbia is bad enough without having to see it.
    Jacques will enjoy the project…..

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    1. Kieron doesn’t design, but he has that good builder’s sense of how things work. It always helps to discuss a project with him. Today he mentioned that he and his lovely wife might move south to Montpellier or Narbonne or someplace, so way south. I need to get everything done now, while he’s still here. Jacques would definitely prefer to have him here as long as possible.

      And yes, I agree with you. Those walls are not nearly high enough. I need to think about that. Maybe poplars or something, I don’t know, but the whole property needs to be ringed with something. Suburban sprawl is everywhere now and it isn’t pretty. I know Reignoux would love to redo my gates….

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      1. Yes, at a price, I’ll bet!
        A chap with a sense of how to do things is so necessary…..but it looks as if you will have to keep the project going without any gaps if he is thinking of moving. If necessary, play the Jacques card…the dog needs you…
        Poplars are shallow rooted and don’t withstand strong winds, so perhaps something less likely to bring down the wall – and think about the distance from the wall you would have to plant whatever you chose. Thats why I thought about a sturdy trellis.

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        1. Hahahaha. Have you been sneaking a peek at my Reignoux bills? If only they weren’t so good at their job. There is the big gate, and then there are three remaining person-sized gates. They are all crying out for Reignoux. My problem, Helen, is that I actually can tell the difference between the good stuff and the ordinary.

          You’re right about the poplars. I had some fall over at the rental house and of course winds are only getting stronger. So. I don’t know. Cedars are too Italian. I’ll have to talk to the nurserymen. They’ll know. Hornbeams? Yew?

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    1. True. I’m over the guilt. I realized that most of the bushes were actually bay laurel and other invaders. I’ll choose replacements with an eye toward berries and other things the birds will like. It should be better all around.

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  5. I keep trying to imagine where the tomatoes will be. Great job clearing that bushy patch O Dervish of Landscaping. I had a much smaller but nasty project on a daughter’s property where, years ago, some crazed individual planted a bamboo forest as thick as a miniature Arashiyama and now equally tall. The rather snarky folks at the Claremont planning office sent her a letter describing the patch as a “community eyesore” so I had to act quickly lest she be declared a public nuisance and pariah. So out came the chainsaw and I took everything down to about 4′ and then had to hire a guy with a backhoe to come in and root out the remainder. So that’s my tale of woe. Anyway, I see Jacques is sporting a nice tan. Oh and you could always ring the property with cottonwoods and really, really annoy your neighbors.

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    1. Oh, my. Only in Claremont. Or Vendee, come to think of it. Did I tell you about the neighbors insisting that I hack into my 150-year-old yew trees? Or was I too miserable to even post? As for the tomatoes, just wait. Every year I have a few more, thanks to seeds from the guys that rot in place. I already have prodigious numbers of tomato volunteers. Next year should bring many more.

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