All that cooking wasn’t quite enough to purge me of all my mental clutter and exhaustion. So when I got to the cottage that recent early morning and Cottager needed a nap on the couch to recover from a late night and an early morning, I grabbed all my sharpest and most dangerous tools and went out to deal with Laurel.
This single shrub has monopolized the sun, harboured invaders like English Ivy and Morning Glory and crowded the paths from day one. My initial timid trims gave way to repeated efforts to keep the top shoots under control, but on this particular day, it was like I was seeing it for the first time. I knew I couldn’t kill it if I tried, so why not give the girl a serious haircut? Luckily, I remembered to take out my phone and take a few pictures before I started…
Now, what to do about the stump? It is fairly degraded, and Cottager is of the opinion that we could tear it out easily. I, on the other hand, like the idea of chopping enough of a hole in its soft gooey center to hide a nice pot with some trailing flowers in the spring. O! and some small white lights for the laurel branches, I think.