Bushes Must Burn

I have somehow become the acting caretaker of this house in West Philly. I'll know whether it will turn into a longer-term project during the coming months. For now I'm tackling the overgrowth in both the front and back yards.

To the left of the pillars stands a pair of euonymus alatus bushes that grew into trees. The species is known as burning bush and has interesting wings along the branches of its new growth. In the autumn its leaves become a brilliant red.

Before my recent sessions with pruners & saw (including today's), those two things were wrapped over the roof of the porch like a mitten and spilled over the concrete walkway to the public sidewalk, which is to say it took up about half of this picture and would be hiding the green porch next door from view entirely. This very invasive species was originally from East Asia and is enough of a problem in this country to have been banned in two New England states.

At far right is an evergreen tree that's as tall as the house (around 50 feet). It is almost dead because of ivy, but I have cut the vines from the ground to eye level. I'm lobbying for the tree to be removed, but I've saved trees from this same death in the past, so we'll see how it does after I clean it further.

Now the alley is full of euonymous alatus branches and the back yard is piled high with more of the same, plus what I've cut from the rear trees. Now there's the trouble: I need to get rid of whatever I cut before any of this work makes the house a better one. In my earlier revival of a back yard, I was able to burn most of the cuttings in spite of the fact that it's illegal to do so. Timing and urban diplomacy are required. I may tell all of that in a future blip!