I love gardening, grass, plants and trees. Basically, anything that grows.

Except plants that grow in my gutters…

Have you ever walked outside and looked up at your house and saw little plants growing in your gutters? I have, and then I thought to myself, has it really been that long since I cleaned my gutters? Didn’t I do that earlier this month!

Obviously I was mistaken, because the debris has been in there long enough for it to turn to compost. Then seeds either floated on the wind or were ejected from a birds behind to take root in the fertile soil. I don’t know why I’m constantly surprised by that.

I look up there periodically and think, I really need to clean those out. But then something comes along with a much higher priority, like watching old re-runs of my favorite show, M.A.S.H. Oh wait, I’m dating myself there a bit, but I’m sure you have no idea what I’m talking about…

Anyway, I take walks in the morning with my dog Boris. He’s more interested in what’s happening a little closer to the ground instead of my usual pass time of anonymously inspecting people’s houses I pass by. Sometimes I take pictures of things I see. Like the picture of a house down the street from my own. (it’s at the beginning of this post)

When I see things like this, I think back to my own situation and think – I’m not so bad after all! This guy has an entire forest growing in his gutters! I just have a few small plants.

Then the inspector in me goes all haywire and I think of all the potential problems he’s going to have with gutters filled up like that. I’ve even thought about sending an anonymous letter so I can see if he takes my advice or not.

But I haven’t done that yet. I don’t suppose I will, but it’s a thought.

I’m not going to go into detail in this post, but here are some things that he will experience as a result of not cleaning those out. Damage to the siding as water flows over and around the gutters, high moisture next to the foundation that can cause movement of the soil and eventually cause cracks in the walls and corners. Water in the basement is also something that will happen eventually among other things of which I could write at least another four or five paragraphs.

Anyway, the next time you walk out of your house, turn around and look at your own gutters. Are they full of debris or are there plants growing in them? If you see they are full and in need of cleaning, don’t put it off like I did, get out a ladder and unplug those gutters…

Your house will thank you!

P.S. I will be expanding on this topic in the near future. Gutters and downspouts that is. Make sure you like my Facebook page so you can get the next installment in this exciting series!