Thank you Lea! : ) You know today, I was thinking about your tree that is due to come down. I was driving around and even though it is a few days into it, I am still so upset about all the down trees. I've never seen anything like this in person before. The ones that really saddened me were the full grown trees you know someone planted in their front yard 15 or more years ago and watched it grow and now they are laying on their side : ( One in particular looked like a wild or crab apple and it was uprooted. I noticed a lot like that - the roots came right up out of the ground and they are laying on their sides. A lot has been cleaned up but you can see in the heavily treed areas there was a tree down, on average, of every few feet!
That is so sad that your friends husband is fighting for his life - I am so sorry.
Cottage Garden Seed Swap & Chat #19
Sis had some white pines blown over by Ike (she lives in the same relative area as Lea), and when I went to look at them discovered that when they were originally planted 13-some years ago the idiots who put them in didn't take the wire baskets off the root ball! I told her to prop those puppies back up and stake them, and realize they'll probably always be a bit fragile because of those stooooooopid wire baskets still underneath them. They're still alive though, so we're keeping our fingers crossed. We saw a lot of trees in her little town that could have been staked back up but were chopped and chipped instead - made me very sad. Makes you wonder how many of the trees that were knocked down with this round of ice storms were planted improperly 10-15 years ago, making them more susceptible to really rough weather.
Wow that's a good point I never thought about that. Unfortunately most of the trees I've seen were huge mature ones that could not be staked back up : ( Most trees were just snapped of half or 3/4 way to the bottom while : O
I wish I had a camera so I could show ya all what I'm talking about. I'm so bad at trying to describe stuff.
About the Emerald Ash Bore:
We have been using Bayer Advanced Garden Tree and Shrub Insect Control, the last 2 springs for several Ash trees in Upper lower Michigan.
I can't say if it is working or not since these trees are not in an 'infested' area,but we have seen a couple trees with the bore. These are 2 trees we really want to keep and so the expense it worth it to us.
Here is the web site if anyone is interested. http://www.emeraldashborer.info/files/E2955.pdf
Got 4 inches of snow last night ... its begining to look a lot like winter.
Behind our property is a small wood, school owned. Most of the trees are maples, but there are 2 Elms right behind our house. They aren't too old, the oldest one is maybe 20 years. Hopefully they are resistant.
toofew
ya know - I never stopped to think that the ice was just too much weight for the older trees to handle. I'd bet the ones that did get smashed up probably had some structural issues that couldn't be seen - like splits at y's, and hollowed areas, etc. It *is* sad to see those older trees get torn up by storms.
Dryad, what is the lifespan of a Tulip poplar? I am letting one get established that just arrived here. It is probably around 6' tall now and looking good.
Robin, I agree with you on cleaning the septic, ours hasn’t been cleaned in years.
You all are changing my mind about planting a tree there lol I don’t think I should plant one at all and I’ll take the ash up, maybe I can put them in the field if I can get them up they are only about four foot tall so far. I could get a taller viburnum and put it there maybe lol I just l planted one in the field I wish I had put it there but it really doesn’t get full sun there so I figured a tree could deal with it better until it got taller and more sun, this spot is so hard to plant with all the conditions that it has to put up with. I don’t know what to plant there my poor dog needs some shade lol It has to get tall because it’s afternoon sun so the sun is high in the sky and can get over something shorter.
Meredith, you’re welcome I’ll let you know soon as I get to them :)
Meredith, Bill in back of us when we had those hurricane winds had a tree that was 8’ in diameter and the wind snapped it off about three feet from the ground, he measured it so I figure he knows what he is talking about lol It was a big old oak.
I know the trees are sad looking when they break off or get blown down like that, I’ve see so many trees destroyed by the hurricane winds that we had this year, the ice storms really haven’t done that much damage around here in my neck of the woods, yet I’ll say, that still may come in the future. There was a lot of damage from ice storms around us but we have been lucky so far, I expected to see that maple out front fall in the last one but it didn’t , it did lose a few long limbs though.
Toofew, I may look into that Bayer, it doesn’t sound that expensive for saving a tree, I’ve probably seen it and just passed over it looks like wal mart sells it here. Thanks! I did buy some fertilizer stakes to use this spring, I have a lot of newly planted trees and shrubs :)
Robin, just can’t believe those trees were planted in the wire baskets! Why go thru the trouble of planting a tree then not taking them off is beyond me lol
We had a guy come through the neighborhood when we were all new, houses just built about 10 years ago. He offered trees at amazingly low prices, and planted them too. I didn't know better at the time, and didn't have a big budget, so I had him plant a bunch. He was only around long enough to hit everyone up, and plant the trees a few weeks later, and we never saw him again.
Now that I know what I'm looking at, they are probably rejects the nurseries couldn't sell, no main leaders on some, others just horribly unbalanced. Also, I found out a few years later that one of the maples had the nylon cord wrapped around the base of the trunk just below the soil line! Luckily the guy who found it was able to cut it away for me.
Hi folks! Just dropping in a catching up a little since I stumbled in in search of cottage gardening ideas, and your talk to trees has touched my heart. We're in an unfortunate situation with a neighbor whose Beautiful elm is slowly dying and falling in big chunks into our yard. We had an arborist come out last Spring after some big winds brought a big branch down into our yard, taking our power line with it. The arborist said it was dying and that a deep root treatment might help them keep it a little longer, but if they weren't willing to pay for it, that he recommended it come down all together. That broke my heart! It's a huge gorgeous tree that my DD and I look at out her nursery window when we sit in the reading chair and it shades both of our front yards. The neighbor declined to do anything, and with our town's regulations, we could only trim the limbs on our side of the fence. We have been saving since then and finally have enough to get a dead tree taken out of our own back yard and to afford trimming the limbs on our side, which is good because there is one limb lying on our roof and two more broken off but still dangling over our side yard. I hate to see this tree go, but it really is dead now. I wish our neighbor would accept our offer to split the cost of taking care of the tree, but no go. I hate to see these old trees come down, but it's unsafe now, and since the neighbor won't make a move to care for the tree, I doubt he'll replace it when it finally does come down on its own. It makes me sad every day.
That's so sad to hear GB - I kind of think of taking a large tree down as kindly euthanasia, as it's before their time but saves them from such tragic destruction. The neighbor behind us is quite nice (moved in about a year ago) and I saw him and his side neighbor standing and discussing the tree one day this summer - must have been when he decided to take the limbs down that were over that garage. He really would be better off taking it down before it falls on him, but as you say - the price is daunting.
LeBug, I'm not sure what the root system would be like, but have you considered a burning bush instead of a tree? Those suckers get rather huge and can be trimmed up to keep them a bit under control. Then again, I don't know how much shade you need either :)
Wind, Tulip poplars are actually not poplars, but members of the Salicales - so while they will grow fast they don't die as quickly as "real" poplars. Mom and Dad planted one in their yard up north 25 years ago, and I believe it's still doing well, and by now has probably hit about 40 feet, if it's still there. On an urban lot it won't get anywhere near what they can get in the wild (they rival Sycamores in height in the wild). If they stay healthy, they should be around "until the kids get out of college" type of lifespan, perhaps longer. With regular city folk, I would expect them to be more susceptible to things like lawnmower blight and such, but I don't think Lea would do anything like that :)
Got some great news this morning from a friend of mine - she's the new blogger for Horticulture magazine! Yippeee!!! Her name's Amanda Thomsen, and her personal blog is Kissmyaster. I can't wait for her first edition to hit the wires so I can give her some grief :)
dryad57- congrats for your friend. You had me chuckling in my coffee with the 'Kissmyaster'!
Lea, Robin has a good idea there about the burning bush. There's one at Mom's house that had gotten way too big, so I trimmed out the bottom branches and made a small tree out of it. The same thing could be done with any number of upright, arching shrubs. At my last house I trained a wild elderberry that way and it was really pretty. A magnolia might work well too.
yeah - I loved the kissmyaster name too - she's a real hoot. I only hope the Hort. editors let that through. (My other half is an editor, so I know a lot of them - and they don't always have a sense of humor.....)
Hi GreenerBeaner, welcome to the chat of all kinds of plants lol It sure is a shame about your tree, I know the feeling well, I’m watching my shade garden slowly becoming a sun garden :(
Burning bush, hmmm, do they get that tall though, I have read that our state tries to discourage burning bushes here cause they reseed so much though I don’t understand that cause before I knew that I tried WS some seed and never got any germination out of them. A burning bush is pretty in the fall but I think I would rather try a taller viburnum if I could find one to fit the conditions, that way I would have something to look at in almost all of the seasons. I’ve been talking to someone on here about viburnums and I think he could suggest one to fit there.
You are right Robin I don’t think I could handle a 40’ tree there, I do have a milkweed bed on the other side of that and my middle flower bed that needs a lot of sun a taller tree like that would wipe all of the sun out :)
‘Kissmyaster’ lol I can’t believe they would let her use that name lol I wish I still got Horticulture Magazine. but I’m down to Garden Gate. Magazines are so expensive anymore! And I can’t believe the prices in the stores on just one magazine!
Yeah, I'm down to just reading the stuff on-line, another reason I'm tickled she's blogging for them. As for those burning bushes, even the dwarf variety gets to something like 8'. The ones we have on the north side of the house were a good 20' tall when we moved in. I whacked the hooooeeee out of them a couple years ago, and aside from some witches brooms I've gotta take care of next spring, they're doing fine. They were taken down to 3-4' from 20', and after two years are right back up to 5' and pushing the neighbors back out of their driveway. I think I would prefer a viburnum too, on second thought, but I don't know how fast they grow.
Burning bushes are bad about reseeding heavily here. They're a little too plain at most times of year for me too. I love Viburnums! I plan to add at least a couple each year, there's so many I'd like to try. Picked up a couple a few weeks ago clearanced at Lowes :-)
Flowerhead sent me a cutting two years ago from this one:
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/76468/
From what I read on this one it will only be about five foot tall in five years :) Not quite fast enough for me but it sure is going to be pretty! I planted this one in the field in front of my grasses that I planted this year. I really want to p lant more shrubs or the birds around here but they need the trees too.
Robin I'm sure they have smaller viburnums you just have to do some research to see which ones, I think that would be a good choice, most of the ones I saw at the nursery are about $45 for a 4' foot one but you could trade for cuttings on here. Even if they got too big you could keep them trimmed :) But surely they have smaller ones.
Congrads on your new viburnums from Lowes Neal! I'm going to have to stop in at HD and see if they have any on sale! We have a Lowes in Clarksville here but I've never found it lol I've looked several times, I couldn't find my way out of a paper bag! LOL
I just now saw on tv where they have a flower to stick out in your garden to find out what kind of sun you have looks a lot easier than the contraption that I bought last year lol I think I have full sun and part sun both in my middle bed lol
One of the Viburnums I got is like the one in your link! I love those double file types.
Yes, that is going to be so beautiful when it is full grown, how big was yours when you got it? mine was just a twig when I got mine and now it's about ten inches high lol Poor thang looks kind of sad right now with no leaves :) You probably got a bigger one and it will grow faster.
These were in 3 gallon pots and about 2 1/2 feet tall, and had been reduced to $5.
You got a great deal! Did you repot it, make sure you repot :) I've lost ones ( different plant) like that that I didn't get in the ground the same year and didn't repot :(
Speaking of flowerhead, she hasn't been on in a long time, has she?
My cheapie viburnums are in their permanent home :-) I do have a couple of clematis I picked up the same day for $2 each that are still in the pots though. The weather has been just to cruddy to plant :-(
If you have a garage or a sheltered area put them in there Neal, I know I have three plants that I didn't get to and I'm sweating those, they need to be repotted that's were I run into my trouble in the spring :) It's going to be warm here today but it's like a hurricane out there lol Plus I have to spend my day in town, every time I get a decent time to repot I have to be in town, not that today is going to be decent lol
Meredith, I think Flower ran into some financial trouble :( I wrote to her but she never answered. She's a great person I just hope she is alright.
Its nasty out there here too. Warm, but wet and windy. I'll probably stick those clematis in the basement. It stays cool down there. That's where I keep pots of bulbs I've picked up from end of season sales (when its too late to plant them in the ground).
tcs..... regarding the Weigela Midnight Wine . If i put my little contraptions on the bigger branches. I can make you 2 good size rooted cuttings while they are still on the plant. When they are done you'll have 2 gallon sized plants. That's what I did with a butterfly bush last year. It worked great! Here's a couple of pictures
you put the cup around the branch and after it roots, you cut below the cup.
this was my butterfly bush. Still flowering at the time.
All potted up
Pretty neat :-)
Andrea
That is really cool, but I don't quite understand how you did it. Is that a special cup?
Oh I've seen those cups in catalogs before. I didn't think about it working so well! I've tried classic air layering with spagnum moss and plastic, but they were too hard to keep watered. Looks like the cup is much easier to water. Hmmm...looks like something I need to rethink.
I"ve never tried anything like that. quite nifty.
>>I can make you 2 good size rooted cuttings while they are still on the plant. When they are done you'll have 2 gallon sized plants.
To me, it sounds like a lot of work .... but if it is as easy as you say... and you want to do this... you know i'd LOVE to have those plants. Just let me know.
hmmm....I wonder if you could use yogurt cups, or something similar with a lid like a butter tub, to make a home-made version?
I was just reading about trees coming down and yesterday morning when I went out to feed the animals found one of our pine trees down. We had ice but the pines are the last I would have thought to go down.
Robin, I think those you buy have some sort of mechanism to make watering easier. That was always such a pain when trying to do traditional air layering.
It is a big one good thing we were not having a picnic.
you can not see it well in this photo but it came right down over the fire pit so we won't have far to hall it .
Uuuggg, gardengus! Gotta hate that, but it is a good thing it happened at this time of year. Your lot is lovely!
Wow - what a surprise that is! Too bad it was too big to just prop back up...sis did that with a couple of smaller pines after Ike blew through. But you're right, it did drop in the right place, if it had to! Hope you don't have any more surprised from the ice.
Thanks, That area is the front barn lot . we often have a fire in a large pit ,sometimes even in the winter. It feels like up north even if we do live in the bean and cornfield country.
This is the front ''yard'' pasture.
