I made the decision to cut down a bunch of trees on my property. At the time, it felt like the right call more sunlight, fewer leaves to deal with, and a “cleaner” look. But now that it’s done, I really regret it.
The area that used to feel like a peaceful, shaded sanctuary now feels open, bare, and kind of exposed. It’s lost that cozy, tucked away vibe, and I miss it more than I expected. I realize now how much the trees contributed to that sense of comfort and privacy.
I’m looking for ideas on how to fill in the space again. I know it’ll take time for anything to grow, but I’m open to planting new trees, fast-growing shrubs, even adding in landscape features if that helps bring back that safe, natural feeling.
Has anyone else gone through this? Any suggestions for specific trees or plants that grow fairly quickly or things you’ve done to make a cleared space feel more homey and protected again?
by Patient-Lock1798
16 Comments
You cut the trees and now you regret it (who could have foreseen)? I’d probably plant the trees again, brother. No recs on what trees to grow bc I have no idea where you are. Just plant more of whatever you’ve got there all around you.
Reap what you sow. Or in this case, fell.
Man, I’d hire an arborist to come out for a consultation on next steps. Because you might want to plant more trees, but you want to make sure you’re planting with a long term strategy in mind, along with advice on what types of trees to plant in there.
Oops
You need something with good roots to keep that hill from sliding. Some kind of tree maybe…
Some gorilla glue, lock tight and a clamp of some kind to put them back
Plant some dwarf fruit trees
Op: cuts down trees
Op: tHeRes No MOaR sHaDe
Can agree. Looks like shit now. GJ bud.
I’m sure you can find more native, fast-growing shrubs than you’d think. As far as I know, a “shrub” will grow to maybe twenty feet tops and you can prune it selectively to be more “tree”-like. Don’t worry! Find native shrubs 🙂
you could try filling the area with penn sedge and planting some new trees in spots that will work better for you.
Whatever you plant, plant NATIVE for your area! It’ll help with a host of things, and it’ll do better because it is native.
Eugh. Awful and short-term and selfish of you to have done this.
Get to planting trees. Employ some shrubs or grasses, too.
I’m recommending chestnuts if you’re in NA, native fruit trees, flowers/shrubs like goldenrod (again assuming you’re in NA) as they benefit pollinators massively and are beautiful. Look into forest gardening
Andrew millison on YouTube iirc his name focuses on watershed stewardship relevent to growing trees
research permaculture
unidetdiversitylibrary.coop is a great resource for books about agroforestry, check their permaculture section.
American plum (Prunus americana) has a huge range across nearly all of the lower 48 and into parts of Canada. It’s a fruit tree/shrub that will grow into a thicket if you let it and sprouts and grows quickly while also being native.
Keystone species for your area and USDA hardiness zone would be beneficial info to know before picking species to replace what you removed; oaks are generally at the top of most lists and with over 400 varieties worldwide, there’s almost guaranteed to be one or several types that would be suitable for your location.
I would second sticking to native species if at all possible. If you’re in the U.S., you could reach out to your county or locality extension agent and/or USDA Soil and Water Conservation District office or NRCS office, depending upon what name they go by where you are.
Those offices could offer free or low-cost input and guidance for replacement plantings and some SWCD offices have fall and/or spring tree and shrub sales that you might look at for replacement plantings. Good luck.
Honestly you did the right thing, and it still looks very homey, maybe even more so with added sunlight to grow plants that are worthy than say, ferns or whatever can do shade idk