How to Remove Overgrown Foundation Shrubs

Steps for Removing Overgrown Shrubs

1. For plantings that have grown too large for the space, removal may be the best option, especially if the inside of the plant is full of deadwood.
2. Before doing any landscape work, call the utility locating service to mark for any underground pipes or wires.
3. When using a chainsaw, wear proper safety equipment including safety glasses, a face shield, a hard hat, hearing protection, and protective chaps.
4. Cut away the shrubs using a chainsaw.
5. Remove the debris using a brush shredder. A landscape contractor may come shred debris for a fee.
6. Flush cut stumps and plant around them.

Pro Tip: Roger Cook, TOH landscape contractor, explains why removal is sometimes the only option: “These plants which are probably 50 or 60 years old are just too big for this spot and there is no way I can cut this back because it’s all deadwood on the inside.” In cases like these, Roger recommends cutting the shrubs down, taking them out, and giving the homeowner a whole new landscape.

On one TOH project, overgrown foundation plantings — including a spreading yew growing 12 to 24 inches a year — had outpaced the space entirely. Digging them out by hand would have taken enormous time and sweat due to extensive root systems built up over many years. The crew opted for horsepower to speed the removal, but proper hand tools like a spade shovel with a fiberglass handle remain essential for severing roots and cleaning up the planting bed afterward.

Resources

All of the tools and safety equipment used in the yew shrub removal can be found at a home center.

Tools