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Although this could very well be a picture of me finding a new treasure at a favorite nursery, it's actually an illustration by David Catrow for a children's book called Plantzilla.

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Cutting Remarks

On February 18 we had a sunny day with no wind and temps in the low 50's AND I had a day off from work.  I could have gotten a lot done in this day but instead decided to get out the chain saw and remove a tree.  Originally, I thought that I'd have time to take out several trees on this day.  As the job progressed, it became evident that for me, that was not to be.

A better blogger would have remembered to take a picture of this pear tree before  it was half on the ground.  Imagine a largish tree that in the summer nicely concealed the buiding down the street.  This tree was an Asian pear.  I loved the fruit and it produced a lot but it didn't store well and with things getting hectic for me in the fall, I usually only ate a few.  
 
The tree was inherited with the garden and had grown so tall that a lot of the fruit was too high to pick.  If you went to the NWFGS, you saw the constant demonstration of a great fruit picking tool that would have been ideal.  There would still the problem of storage and the fact that I'm the only one at home who enjoys the fruit. As trees are wont to do, this one created an increasing amount of shade, took up valuable real estate, and sent suckers up all over the place since the leader,  snapped several years ago.   
 I know that the suckering will get even worse now but that's something to worry about another day.  By the way, this is a great fruit tree, produces oodles of fruit, never had a pest or disease and was never sprayed.  If you like them and have the space, I'd definitely recommend growing one!

Good bye sweet tree.   Notice the orange electrical cord tangled in the branches everywhere -  I'm all about the safety with powerful tools!

Oh yes, safety is always a top priority in an operation like this.  One of my friends teases me about talking on the phone, supporting the receiver with my shoulder and ear while standing on a ladder, chainsaw in one hand drink in the other while smoking.  I've been talking to her while my ladder fell with me on it.   Geeze, some people just won't let you forget anything :)

When I'd carried away the last of the branches, the area looked really strange. The height there was good but the spread of the tree didn't work. So many possibilities palm? large grass? phormium? Do you have a favorite columnar tree that matures at 15 feet or less? Could even be an evergreen.

There was still some light so I did a little pruning on a sumac that I 'd planted several years ago.   Danger Garden asked on her facebook page if anyone else suffered from planting insecurity.  Made a plan about where to plant something and then stood wondering if it was a good idea.  Uhm, no.  I plant willy nilly and then regret the results for years to come.  A small chainsaw is an essential tool for this kind of gardening.  I'd never cut down a sumac before.  Doesn't it have interesting coloration?
 So, here's to cutting down a few more poorly placed trees and maybe learning to be a little more thoughtful in my decisions. (like letting ivy grow when it appeares because it's pretty and evergreen)
And hopefully no trips to the emergency room even though it's within walking distance. 

18 comments:

  1. Safety first, but multi-tasking is no fun is one is securely on the ground. I like the view of the steeple and it still looks pretty private back there unless the angle makes a difference.

    The sumac stump is pretty, slices of it would look nice in the garden.

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    1. I admired the sumac but never thought of using it in the garden. I'll have to see what it looks like after it dries.

      It is private and the steeple gets blocked by the magnolia macrophylla in the parking strip outside the fence so it's all good. The steeple view is kind of fun - I think of it as my own personal garden structure.

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  2. I don't have any recommendations about what to replace it with, but I can certainly commiserate on the suckering problem. The cherry tree that I took out last fall suckered everywhere, AND never produced fruit. The description of you multitasking made me shudder. Be careful please!

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    1. Oh silly, a garden project isn't complete without a little blood. Besides, it's a nitrogen-rich fertilizer. I am more careful now than I was in my misspent youth. I've heard that cutting suckers of unwanted trees and painting the freshly cut wood with brush be gone will kill them. It can also kill the tree from which they came but in the case of your cherry and my my pear, it might work.

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  3. Wow that sumac cutting is gorgeous. I'm seeing several pieces together in the ground as a path or small surface for containers in your garden. No ideas for your plant needs, but I'll let you know if I think of something. LOVE the image of you on the ladder...sounds like something I would do minus the smoking part (just never liked the taste/smell).

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    1. I don't smoke anymore, it was just an added distraction. I recall a post about you going out in flip flops or sandals and deciding to do some major transplanting. I get it, when the urge strikes, it strikes. Things like appropriate footwear, eye protection, etc. just don't seem to matter, plus it would take time from the project to find that stuff.

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  4. Sky Pencil holly? Golden Italian Cypress? Oxydendrum arboreum (not especially vertical, but slow-growing and gorgeous)?
    By all means, those wonderful Sumac cuttings must be put to good use...if you can manage to live that long. As I once (or maybe a hundred times) herd someone say: "Be careful out there!"

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    1. Oh Ricki I love your suggestions! Thanks! Sourwood is one of my favorite trees but they get really big. (Not in my lifetime, I know.) Your suggestions also made me think of some interesting yews.

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  5. Love the ring pattern of that sumac! And good work on the pear tree, if it had to go it had to go and now just imagine the possibilities of what will replace it. It's not columnar but what about a Loquat? Loree is currently featuring this lovely small tree.

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    1. I have a loquat in a pot that has been moving around the garden looking for a home. This spot might be a little dark for it, though. I'll go out and see if the sumac wood is still as pretty when it's dry.

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  6. Glad to know I'm not the only one who someone always puts himself in ridiculous/dangerous situations ;-)

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    1. It adds adventure to gardening to do stupid things, right?

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  7. Good work! I also always forget to take the before picture.As to the multi-tasking, it could have been worse, you could have been texting also.

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    1. You always look on the bright side! I'll have to get a cell phone and learn to text so I can add that to the list.

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  8. Once my husband was building a garage for us and he had to build its roof. I laid the ladder for him. Obviously I hadn't done my job very well, because the ladder fell down and so did my husband! Safety first..

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  9. I laughed at the image of you smoking, drinking, talking on the phone, and using the chainsaw all at the same time! It's so true that someone always calls when one is smoking, drinking, and chainsawing! ;) Good luck deciding what to replace the tree with. I always plan out my gardens - then the plan gets thrown out the window when I get to the garden center and impulsively buy. I just can't seem to get the planning and the buying parts together!

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  10. I usually decide to do these things when I'm wearing crocks and loose fitting sweats that get caught in everything.

    It's hard to put those together when there are so many gorgeous things at the garden center that we never thought of in the planning stage. I love buying fun plants that are new to me thus I have a groovy collection of plants but not so much a well planned and executed garden!

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Thanks so much for taking the time to comment! I love to hear your thoughts.