How To Incorporate Large Tree Stumps Into Your Garden

Above: Photograph courtesy of Brooklyn Botanic Garden.

How much does tree stump removal cost?

The factors affecting cost are the size of the stump and the accessibility. For machine grinding, many stump removal professionals charge by inch of the stump diameter. Expect a general price range around $3 per inch, with an understanding that there are many variables affecting each job. One such variable is accessibility for bringing in equipment. Removing a stump in my urban yard in San Francisco would be an expensive exercise (one estimate was $500) just to get the equipment into the back yard.

What are the alternatives to tree stump removal?

Scott Wheeler of San Francisco's Urban Arborist recommends thinking twice before removing a stump unless you are trying to plant something in the same spot or if it is part of a bigger landscape re-design project. "Let it stand if possible," he says. "It is expensive and intrusive to remove a stump. Think about alternative uses, like cutting the tree off at table height and using it as a table base, or carving the stump into a totem pole for your kids."

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Above: A Natural Tree Stump Side Table is $249 from West Elm.

Repurposing Tree Stumps

As a Planter.Tree stumps can be effective planters for perennials, succulents, and woodland plants. Use its natural nooks and crannies or create hollows in the stump with a pickaxe or other tool to fill with dirt.

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Above: Photograph by Douglas Lyle Thompson for Gardenista. For more of this garden, see Landscape Designer Visit: A "Showstopper" Backyard in Brooklyn.

As a Decorative Element. Stumps can be sculptural in a natural garden.

Other Inventive Uses.Stumps can be repurposed into table bases, stepping stools, seating, or even tree house foundations.

Camouflaging Tree Stumps

In many locations, tree stumps can be cut close to the ground and hidden within the landscape.

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Above: Photograph by Janet Hall.

Clever camouflage of a large tree stump within a field of lavender. Last year my neighbor had to remove a large Monterey pine from the corner of her property. In consultation with the arborist, she choose to leave the stump as it is not close to her house and the disruption to her landscape of full stump and root removal would have been severe. They cut the stump as low to the ground as possible; the lavender plants have fully camouflaged the 3-foot-wide stump.

What to do with the scraps from your tree stump removal? They can be cut and used as stepping stones, small table tops, or as shown on Remodelista, an easy DIY Log Side Table.

Interested in tree preservation? See Surviving a Storm: Expert Tips From the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.