How to Remove Bushes

Decide if you want to keep the bush or shrub alive. If neighbors or friends want the shrub, or you are simply rearranging the order of things in your yard you will want to remove the bushes with care to its roots.

Check for any kind of utility, or sprinkler lines before you dig. Contact your utility company if there is even a possibility of a line where you will be digging. Dig around any sprinkler lines with care.

Buy a good digging, heavy spade that is durable and will last. This is one of the essentials you will need in all your landscaping so don't worry that you are spending money on an item that you will be using only once.

Cut the bush down to a manageable size. This will depend on your size and the room you have to work in. You will want to leave enough of a stump above ground to get a good hold.

Dig a trench around the stump. Throw the soil away from the stump to show as much of the root as you can. The more roots you can expose the more can be removed at one time. The further away your trench the more roots can be exposed and removed.

Use a sharp landscape bar or a sharp shovel to cut the roots along the trench. Shove the tool into the ground in an angle towards the center of the bush. Once you stick the shovel into the ground move it back and forth to cut the roots. Go around the trench a few times to get as many roots disconnected as you can. This should cut most of the small and medium size roots.

Stick the spade or shovel into the trench angling it to the middle and push and lift. Do this around the entire trench until you can lift the bush out with your hands.