Hello TK3000,
Congratulations on your new house!
Sorry my reply is so long, but maybe some of this will help you identify and care for the plants.
The second photo with the two tall items look like arborvitae. Which variety, I don't know. They sure smell good, don't they?
Watch out for those being so close to the building:
Two of ours were farther from the building, yet the roots managed to punch into the concrete foundation. They also worked their way into the mortar joints on a concrete block porch. Once inside under the porch slab, the roots grew and broke a concrete (not cinder) block from the inside out. A root pushed another corner block out. Crazy Strong Roots!
In winter, they can load up with snow & ice and the wind bashes them against the house, gutters and shingles relentlessly. I've seen them tip over completely in winter, wrecking what they hit.
Also note that yours are in range for squirrels and raccoons to jump on your roof. Under the cathedral ceiling, it sounds like a heard of elephants running around. Cheerful sounds, but...
Sadly last winter broke ours, so we had to remove them. But for yours, one happy thing is that they are strong and willing plants, so you probably won't harm them if you slice the roots off between the tree and the house. (A risk) You'll have to re-cut a few times a year.
A good tool is an extra long reciprocating saw blade, but buy an inexpensive one because the dirt will dull it. Arborvitae roots don't grow terribly deep. (And there's no deep tap root if you ever remove one)
YOUR EVERGREEN TREES-
I can't see well enough to figure out the evergreen tree species (nor the other bushes). They sure look nice!
The only evergreen tree maintenance I've ever done is to remove any branches growing from the bottom of a limb. By doing this, the limb is far less likely to sag down from the weight. Other than that, your trees should take good care of themselves. Note that this refers to the branches actually growing from the bottom of a limb, not the ones on the side that droop down. They'll pop up flat a few months after removing the bottom growing ones.
Also, if you keep up on removing the downward branches for a year or two or three, the tree gives up and they eventually stop growing on the bottoms of the limbs. (Who'd a thunk that trees were smart enough to figure that out?)
Want more trees? Mix some ashes in dirt and plant pine cones from which the squirrels haven't yet looted the pinoli. You'll get new, tiny evergreens. (Ashes in the dirt are the key to success.)
GRASS:
The grass kind of looks like Pennisetum Alopecuroides (hopefully I spelled correctly). Does it dance beautifully in a gentle breeze? It might develop pink streaks later in spring and maybe even tall, thin flowers.
MORE INFORMATION-
GardeningForums Com is an excellent place to get friendly and helpful growing stuff advice and plant identification. They have a very active tree section to help identify the evergreen trees.
Like HouseRepairTalk, it's a welcoming place with no drama.
There are also phone apps to hopefully identify plants from your photos. They can be hit-and-miss. iNaturist is a good one. Picture This and NatureSN also work well, but eventually they both start charging you to use their app.
Enjoy Your New House!
Paul
Thanks Paul! I bought it most because of the location, but the pool and everything else came along with it. I am not into pools, and know close to nothing about maintaining them.
At first though, it is a lot of stress and extra work and expenses; but it will pay off at the end. I have two other places (condos), one in Lansing, MI, and another one in Columbus, OH; but I can not maintain all of them (especially because that house was way more expensive – looks like everybody from other States are moving to Fort Wayne, IN), so I am trying to make some update and spruce them up in order to sell them – which add to stress, plus travelling back and forth.
“The second photo with the two tall items look like arborvitae. Which variety, I don't know. They sure smell good, don't they?”
=> I confess that I did notice the smell, but next time I am there will smell and sniff them. After what their roots did to you concrete slab, I am scared of those trees. They are not too close to the actual house, but to the garage which is attached to the house. So, indeed, those trees are very close to the garage and the pool deck, but só far there are no cracks in the immediate vicinity of those trees. Could the roots cause cracks or damage in areas further away (I would imagine that it would be much less likely to)?
So far, I haven’t seen raccoons there yet. The property is fenced which help to keep them in check. I saw few squirrels, but most of the time they hang out near the fence. I also plan on placing some electronic devices to deter help deter them). There is a rabbit or two, but they seem to stay under my deck.
“Sadly last winter broke ours, so we had to remove them. But for yours, one happy thing is that they are strong and willing plants, so you probably won't harm them if you slice the roots off between the tree and the house. (A risk) You'll have to re-cut a few times a year.
A good tool is an extra long reciprocating saw blade, but buy an inexpensive one because the dirt will dull it. Arborvitae roots don't grow terribly deep. (And there's no deep tap root if you ever remove one)”
=> You mean using a regular reciprocating saw (maybe a more powerful one, like a 12A)?
“I can't see well enough to figure out the evergreen tree species (nor the other bushes). They sure look nice!”
=> Yeah, I like them too. They kind of resemble Christmas trees for me.
In the past, I used a chain saw and a pole saw to maintain trees and shrubs. I have shears and pruners but probably should invest in a power hedger too in the future.
Wow! Regarding gardens my know-how is very rudimentary. Maintain lawns, prune some trees and shrubs (not knowing much them) and growing small tomatoes plots. Thanks for all the wealth of knowledge!
