From Tree Stump to Perennial Flower Bed

Welcome back.

This week my post will be a little different from the norm for me.  Recently we had a large blue spruce tree cut down in our yard since it was growing too close to our swimming pool, creating a huge mess in the pool after storms and on windy days.  After the tree was cut, we decided to make a perennial flower bed where the tree was.  One obstacle remained:  the tree stump.

Instead of having it ground down which can be quite expensive, I decided to try another method.  I thought maybe I could burn it down to at least ground level, then mound soil up around it to create a flower bed. Over the years, the pine needles under the tree had decayed, therefore, there was already a good amount of rich soil already there.

I started by placing some tin and a few stones around the stump to confine the fire.  I then piled on some charcoal and got that burning.  Later on I added some firewood and let it burn for 24 hours, adding more wood as needed.

Stump Removal

Unfortunately I didn't take a photo of the end result since at the time I didn't plan on writing a post about it. About three quarters of the stump burned down to ground level.   I got the best result from where I placed the charcoal.  I could have started another charcoal fire to completely  level the stump, but I decided not to since 24 hours of smoke was enough.  I thoroughly soaked what was left to make sure all of the coals were extinguished.

The other night we planted the perennials that we had purchased a few weeks ago.  Before planting, I added a few wheelbarrow loads of potting soil that we had left over from planting flower containers on the deck earlier this summer.  The remaining stump will decompose over time thus adding to the character of the soil.

The varieties we planted are as follows.  These photos are not of the actual plants that we planted, but are shown so you can get a detailed look at the different varieties.

Nano Purple Butterfly Bush

Zagreb Coreopsis

Flame Coral Phlox

Peridot Ice Plant

Prairie Splendor Coneflower

Snowcap Shasta Daisy

Topaz Ice Plant

Pow Wow White Coneflower

Pink Dianthus

Before planting, it is always a good idea to just place them on top of the ground to determine how the spacing will look.  Using groups of perennials is one technique to use and that is what we used this time. We ended up placing the two butterfly bushes in the center since they will be the tallest and largest plants.

Ready to Plant

Spacing and Grouping

Final Result

Although the plants look somewhat wilted, they will perk up with time and fill in this bed nicely.  I will also add more mulch as I didn't have as much as there really should be.  I will keep you updated on the progress of this flower bed.

In my next post I will cover some of the veggies I am now starting to harvest.  Until next time.