I am not sure what took me so long to do it, but I guess it is the same reason I haven't stained the deck. Yesterday, Jeff started power washing it to prepare for staining...and then building a catio! (Something else we have been putting off.)
Digging it out was a bit of a chore, but I found some great rocks for the streambed. I wish I got more roots, but there are a lot of feeder roots. As I tend to do, I trimmed the branches and pinched back most of the new growth, so its reduced root system has less to support.
In addition to the elm, I finally found a place for the native hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens) that I bought a couple of years ago. I bought three, planted one, and put the other two pots near the front door so that I could keep them watered. Over time, of course, they sent roots into the ground...so, when I went to plant them near "my pride and joy" (our giant boulder), I had to cut the pot away from the roots.
In addition to these, I have moved several smaller elm trees (at least one or two that were potted), the oak trees that I bought at a yard sale last year, and several shrubs (silky dogwood, meadowsweet, and elderberry--which I am rooting in place...and some wildflowers, grasses, and sedges) along my new terraced path.
