Overgrown bushes blocking the walkway
Landscaping plants that once fit their space have grown too large and crowded the path. Homeowners are left trying to figure out whether they should heavily prune, shape them into an archway before winter hits, or remove them entirely.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
Overgrown bushes blocking the walkway
- 1Trimming them into an archway or hedgeDid this help you?
- 2Pulling them out completely to replace with new plantsDid this help you?
- 3Using a truck with a chain to remove themDid this help you?
- 4Dig out around the sprinkler heads and raise them up by packing dirt underneath.Did this help you?
- 5Replace existing sprinkler heads with new ones that pop up higher.Did this help you?
- 6Trim the grass around the sprinkler heads using a string trimmer, scissors, or a specialized sprinkler head cutter.Did this help you?
- 7Clean the screens and filters to improve water pressure and help them rise fully.Did this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“Years ago they fit the space well, now they are crowding it.”source ↗
“I was thinking maybe I could trim it into an archway and get the tops to grow into each other or something fun.”source ↗
“I'm trying to take care of it before winter hits.”source ↗
“There are some heads where they don't seem to spray far enough or they're blocked by my grass. The heads seem like theyre up all the way though. Is my grass too tall? How do I fix this?”source ↗
“I tried to pull them up when they were on and they weren't budging so I assume theyre up all the way.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 14How to stop dogs from ruining yard paths
- 13How to clear thick grass overgrowing a paved driveway
- 13Plants that actually block a two-story neighbor's view
- 2What can I do with an overgrown utility easement on my property?
- 10How to kill volunteer trees near a house without herbicides
- 4Are deep lawn edges along sidewalks dangerous?