Hi
I have an area that has a bush the produces red berries in the fall, a lilac and a bunch of overgrowth and weeds. How can i get this to a workable base zero. The only thing I want to keep is the lilac. The area is probably about 4' x 10'. Any ideas would be great.

The easiest and cheapest way is to start pulling up or cutting back weeds or any other growth that you don't want. Don't start off with an herbicide or you may end up harming your lilac.

Start digging and chopping.

I agree as well; how large is the bush that you want to remove? We've been known to wrap a heavy chain around the base of larger bushes that we wanted to get rid of and pull them out with our vehicle... (use caution with this method!)

otherwise, just start digging around it until you can get it free

I agree with Sandy. If the bush is huge, use your vehicle, very carefully! Find out from your manual where to attach the chains so you don't pull your bumper off. We've been there and done that.

Excellent advice, Karen! (we have a hitch on our 4-wheel-drive SUV)

I dug a rock out of my garden a couple years ago. It was about 2 1/2 feet in both directions and over a foot deep. I got out my DH's car straps and started rapping the rock. I was going to attach the other ends to my car's trailer hitch and pull that puppy out. (No next plan).

We had some Tongan gardeners working in the neighborhood that summer and they saw what I was doing. They came running, waving their arms and yelling (Tongan? English? I don't know) but it was pretty obvious they did not approve of my rock removal plans.

The three of them managed to get it out of the hole and move it about 8 feet. It is now my garden bench.

So we'll never know what they were trying to tell you, Daisy?

No, but because there are a lot of Tongans in Reno, I have a few thoughts:

No! No! You will kill yourself! (I might have. DH was out of town. I told him my plan and he seemed to trust that I wouldn't kill myself)

Gardening is not women's work (No defense - I married a Japanese man from a long line of Japanese gardeners and he did not inherit any of those traits)

Hire us, we will do a good job (I did. My patio is sinking and my wall is made of Hard Pan).

But I was thankful that I didn't have to actually hook my car to the big rock.

"But I was thankful that I didn't have to actually hook my car to the big rock."

Yes, that may well have been a good thing!