Removing The Alaskan Cedar Tree in our Front Yard {before and after}
Article may have affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may earn a tiny commission at no extra cost to you. Big thanks for supporting my small business.
Today is about removing the Alaskan Cedar Tree in our front yard. This post will probably aggravate a bunch of you who thought we should keep the Alaskan Cedar tree in our front yard but this past week, we had it removed. My mom was not impressed that we removed it either but the issue was, it was over taking the front of the house and the roots were growing into the foundation. Not good. Before I continue though, I wanted to say thank you so much for the kind emails and comments about my grandfather. I read every single comment and I have not had time to respond to each of you. I plan too. So many of you are going through the same thing and I appreciate your kind words and wisdom. They changed my grandfather’s medicine as he became very agitated and combative last week and now he is kind of doped up which is sad. Although the alternative of having him a raging lunatic isn’t good either. I am hoping his body adjusts to the meds and comes around a little bit. Ya know?
Here is our house with the Alaskan tree.
The Alaskan Cedar tree is a West Coast native and is admired for its distinctive green swooping branches. Typically these trees get to be 30 fThe Alaskan Cedar tree is a West Coast native and is admired for its distinctive green swooping branches. Typically these trees get to be 30 feet high and 12 feet wide. The Alaskan Cedar is a great alternative to the arborvitae tree which is commonly used along a property border. eet high and 12 feet wide. The Alaskan Cedar is a great alternative to the arborvitae tree which is commonly used along a property border.
Here is our house after we removed the tree.
Removing The Alaskan Cedar Tree in our Front Yard {before and after}
One thing that really bummed me out about removing the tree was the fact that the branches would have been perfect for Holiday garland or decorative greenery.
This stuff is expensive to buy so it would have been nice to have access to it during the holidays.
Here is a picture that I found that shows a mature Alaskan Cedar.
Source Unknown (message me if you know the source, would love to credit them)
As you can see, this tree gets huge!
We considered paying to have it relocated but was told it would be almost impossible to get it dug up without killing the tree and the potential for foundation damage and never mind ripping up the flower beds, would be extreme. First, we were not paying thousands to have this thing removed (no way!) so the alternative was to just cut it down.
You can see how big it is compared to the guy getting ready to cut it down.
I believe this tree was planted as a baby 12 years ago when the house was built. It’s crazy to see how big it got in just 12 years!
Personally, I think the house looks so much better with it gone and you can actually see out the window now.
I spent most of last week cleaning the flower beds, mulching and pruning some of the existing trees and shrubs. This week I am tackling that small little tree to the left in the image above and hoping to finish mulching the front flower beds.
The pool is being opened next week and I have my work cut out for me in that space. There is a beautiful stone wall (we haven’t seen it yet because it’s under the pool tarp) and there is a lot of pruning of shrubs and clean up that needs to happen. I will be posting lots of pictures this week as I am not sure what most of the stuff is in the yard with regard to trees and shrubs. You can follow our Yard Clean Up series by checking out the “exposing the New England Stone Walls” post. I will have an update on that project this week! To see all our new home projects, check out our Mediterranean Home page.
Meet Jessica
What started as a hobby, Jessica’s blog now has millions of people visit yearly and while many of the projects and posts look and sound perfect, life hasn’t always been easy. Read Jessica’s story and how overcoming death, divorce and dementia was one of her biggest life lessons to date.
It looks amazing without the tree!!! As much as I loved the tree you can really see how beautiful the stonework and the entire house is!
I totally agree with you, the tree had to go. As much as I love a tree, many people do not realize that when you plant a tree, especially one that will be so large, the run a huge risk of damaging the house. And the house does look better.
Looks better without the tree. Why do landscapers plant shrubs and trees so close to the house. Always causes problems when they grow and have to be removed.
Ohhhh I hate to remove a tree too! But…. that one needed to GO! I think your house looks amazing with it gone.. I personally don’t like anything growing directly in front of windows… Let the light shine in!!! ((Hugs)) to your Grandfather… I just love him!
You were right in taking the tree out. Your home looks Beautiful now that you can see it all. Can’t wait to see your other jobs. Everything looks so green and Pretty. Love and Hugs
Good choice! It’s nice to see the whole house!
Too bad about not being able to use the branches for Christmas????
Wow! What a difference that made!
Will your designs still be good for those of us who still live in a normal home…not like the beautiful mansion you are now in. I am in a regular home like you used to have and used many of your decor ideas. Thanks for any help for those of us who don’t have the fancy background to decorate against.
Hi Debra! Yes the sure will! We are in the middle of trying to make the house our own so most of what I have been posting hasn’t really related to decorating or diy design. Rest assured, those posts are coming!