Hello! I just bought a house and want to redo the landscaping, but the digging is a lot of work so I would like to do in a phased approach if possible.
On the curb strip, I have a hackberry tree I would like to replace with wax myrtle for privacy, and a big oleander bush I'd like to replace with a desert willow.
My question is, do I need to remove the tree and bush now (lots of work), or can I plant beside them and deal with the removal in the spring? It will be lots of work just to dig out the spots to plant and amend the soil, and also it would be nice to have it not completely bare as I wait for the new things to grow bigger.
Does this make sense or am I setting myself up for failure? Picture of proposed planting areas. I know hackberry and oleander are both aggressive growers that will be difficult to remove. Also I have already had the city come and mark the utility lines, the circled areas are all safe to dig.
by mainmajormage
2 Comments
Great plan and that will look good. I think you can plant your new plants now as long as the roots have room when you do the new holes. It may be disruptive next spring when you start digging those out so I’d just be careful with the new plants.
Hey, please consider cenizo (sage) instead of wax. Its a native, drought and heat tolerant, grows huge, and are super pretty right before a rain… as opposed to wax myrtle.
Also, leave the hackberry, it shades your yard (and your grass) and will do fine between the cenizo. Its also a native and great for wildlife.
I’d plant the willow and get it established before removing the oleander. If you want privacy, the oleander is already accomplishing it, so why create more work while you wait for willow to fill out?