A Great New Landscaping Idea

 How do you like my new bushes?  

Okay, so they're not really bushes, but are instead two pompom tops from our downed olive tree.   While we're waiting to have room in the compost bin, I decided to strategically place them around the yard, and discovered they are a great way to tell how real bushes might look in different yard locations.

Hence, my new landscaping business idea was born:  Sample Bushes, or more roughly, "Bush Tryer Outers".    Imagine this:  To the betterment of olive trees around the state of California, these pompom tops can be cut off and recycled for clients who want to try out the look of a bush, but don't want to commit to a full planting (plus the growing time it takes for it to get big enough to really see the look of it).  It would even be perfect for those many, many yard owners around here that seem to prefer all of their bushes in rounded (or other geometric) shapes.

Okay, so maybe we could just use tree tops that really have a need to be cut down if they're old and sick and ailing, like our tree was.  (Once again, I am feeling a little guilty for my deep Poodled Olive Tree Malice.)  

Then again, the top would have to look like a bush, and not as scraggly and bad as these tops piled up against the house and waiting for the axe:

Actually, while talking to friends at church last night about this, I started thinking about all the possible uses of these handy tree tops.  I could string them with Christmas lights and create huge well-lit bush balls to place around the lawn during the holiday.  It might give us an edge in the local "Best Dressed Christmas Yard" contest. 

Of course, I couldn't do that without spray painting them white, and as my friend Dawn reminded me, that just opens up the doors of opportunity right there.   Gold would also be a nice bush color, or black for Halloween time. 

Or perhaps I could put white beads and a big red, velvet bow on them and hang them from the other trees during the holidays, like big bunches of mistletoe.

Oh, the possibilities...

But for now I will just roll them around the yard, using them as "Bush Tryer Outers".  Well, that and my creation this morning of a mini-tree in the yard on top of the sad olive tree stump.

I think I will keep it just like this for awhile.   Surely that might make the neighbors (and Neighbor Bob) take notice....