Time to "bring out the big guns" for the latest project at home. Dave's quest was to rid the invasive Japanese Knotwood (aka Japanese Bamboo) from behind out four stall metal pole barn. These fast growing plants have taken over our property perimeter and grow to about 10 feet tall. During the summer they have lots of white flowers that bloom and attract bees. The bees may be pollinating, but last year they also built their hive in the removable hard top roof of the Thunderbird that was stored in the garage. Sometimes it was difficult to even get to our vehicles. Time to push back and Dave did a great job of cutting and then removing most of the brush. While the New Holland was out, we also tried removing some of the invasive vines that were strangling the trees, with Dave hooking the thick vines to the bucket, while I backed the tractor up. These vines were so entwined that we almost pulled the trees down too. After the area was cleared, Dave got out the Ford 555 to remove the gigantic stumps that were hidden in the mess. It has been awhile since Hercules was used, but everything still works!
It took a couple of hours to remove several stubborn stumps, and then it was back to the New Holland to fill in and grade the area. Dave does this a lot better and faster than I ever could.
The nearby periwinkle ground cover should spread and take over, but should the knotweed begin to sprout again, I will be able to mow this area and keep it controlled. Hopefully the bees will stay in the woods too, since there are still more flowering plants there.
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