Spring Round-up?

Spring's here in Delaware. My daffodils have yet to burst, but the neighbors' are dancing in the sun today. Our maples are full of their little red buds, and the wild rose vines are already in leaf. Vines and I have a year-round battle. My side yard is the favored home of wild blackberries, roses, grapes, plus a sensational wisteria. As much as I'd like to say "To hell with it," and let them all run wild, they are actually killing several trees I'm really rather fond of. Did I mention the English and poison ivys, the pachysandra, and the vinca that grow underneath? Oh, and then there are the ferns and thistles that mock me in May. Oh, and the Cherry Laurel that sends out new trees every year. Thrown into the mix are a bajillion Day Lilies and some daffodils, an iron tree, a weeping cherry, and a crabapple.

A landscape designer once told me to cut down everything and use a defoliant widely. And often. Then start from scratch with the side yard I think I want. She said that at this point there was no way to say goodbye to the voracious stuff and keep the tidy stuff. After six years of fighting Mother Nature, I now believe her. But I'm not going to do it. Not yet.