Cutting down a large tree - keep the stump or not?

Linto

Hi,
We're gutting down a large tree at the front of the house. We're in two minds as to whether we should keep a stump and make some sort of feature or just get rid of the whole thing with a grinder?

Can stumps be preserved without rotting and looking a little unsightly? I kinda like the idea of hanging on to it for some weird reason!!

Any ideas?

paddy147

Linto wrote: »

Hi,
We're gutting down a large tree at the front of the house. We're in two minds as to whether we should keep a stump and make some sort of feature or just get rid of the whole thing with a grinder?

Can stumps be preserved without rotting and looking a little unsightly? I kinda like the idea of hanging on to it for some weird reason!!

Any ideas?

Id keep it.

You could underplant it with various types of evergreen and deciduous ferns and/or also flowering grasses,maybe drop in a few allium bulbs or other bilbs/flowers into the ground around and behind the stump.

Make a really nice feature out of it.:)


Thats what we did with a Yew tree stump in our garden.

magicbastarder

is it hardwood or softwood?
you could impregnate it with mushroom dowels, to create an extra point of interest.

Linto

paddy147 wrote: »

Id keep it.

You could underplant it with various types of evergreen and deciduous ferns and/or also flowering grasses,maybe drop in a few allium bulbs or other bilbs/flowers into the ground around and behind the stump.

Make a really nice feature out of it.:)

I


Thats what we did with a Yew tree stump in our garden.

ts a cherry tree. If we do keep a stump how do you prevent the bark from rotting away and having hundreds of woodlice inside it? Or can you?

paddy147

Linto wrote: »

ts a cherry tree. If we do keep a stump how do you prevent the bark from rotting away and having hundreds of woodlice inside it? Or can you?

Thats parts of nature...make it a "wildlife/insect" part of your garden and put in some pollen rich/bee freindly plants and flowers too.


Lovely sight to sit back and watch the bees and hoverflys come in and go from plant to plant andf buzzing around the garden.:)



I know a chap who tried to laquer/varnish a tree stump to keep the bark on it....it didnt work,especially when wintertime and wet and frosty/icey nights came around.:pac:

magicbastarder

when you say a large stump - how large? i.e. what would the diameter be?

kylith

If it was fairly big I'd be tempted to drill it out and use it as a raised planter. It won't help preserve it, but it'd look great.

Linto

kylith wrote: »

If it was fairly big I'd be tempted to drill it out and use it as a raised planter. It won't help preserve it, but it'd look great.

Probably less than a metre across. I'll send on a picture tomorrow when its cut down. I think I'll keep it about 3 feet tall. That sound about right?

paddy147

Linto wrote: »

Probably less than a metre across. I'll send on a picture tomorrow when its cut down. I think I'll keep it about 3 feet tall. That sound about right?

About 2.5 -3 feet tall (max) tall would be just nice.

It makes a focal feature in the garden,but it also doesnt completely dominate the plants and ferns/grasses that you might underplant the stump with.

Tulipout

Hows your Diy skills?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tr44sezt7HM

Linto

paddy147 wrote: »

About 2.5 -3 feet tall (max) tall would be just nice.

It makes a focal feature in the garden,but it also doesnt completely dominate the plants and ferns/grasses that you might underplant the stump with.

Thanks a million for all the advice everyone. Really helpful!!

Linto

magicbastarder wrote: »

when you say a large stump - how large? i.e. what would the diameter be?

A metre across

jameshayes

I cut a tree down last year and planned to leave the stump in situ and make a table out of it, its about 600mm wide or so

paddy147

Linto wrote: »

A metre across

Well just to give you an idea as to regards large size stumps and trunks........this is what they do with some of the tree stumps/trunks in Mount Usher Gardens.Was down there yesterday with my better half enjoying the beauty of the gardens and river..:)

magicbastarder

it must have been a big cherry if the stump is nearly a metre in diameter!