Open Sky and Open Space

It is amazing what a difference one large tree removal can make in a landscape. For the past two weeks, I would look out of my guest bedroom window at the large silver maple that stood before my eyes. There I tried to imagine what that space would look like without that tree. I knew that it would look bare but you never really know until it is actually gone.

Opening up that space was like turning on a light bulb. The property beside me and behind me suddenly opened up. My husband said that our property suddenly looked much larger, and he was correct. Not only did the ground surface seem larger, but the air space was wide open. A smaller sugar maple that had been situated nearby suddenly looked deformed. For years the silver maple had grown toward the sun light and directly into this little guy, and because of that, the tree appears to be cut in half. My only hope is, that with the new space, its limbs will grow out into the space that originally should have been his.

Farewell Big Guy

Today my husband and I had a seventy foot silver maple removed from our small backyard. Even though we have a nice size lot, we have a small backyard. One of the things that we loved most about our home when we purchased it, was the mature trees on the property. We had four trees that were in questionable state. The first was a sugar maple that had the most spectacular fall color. This tree had lost most of its bark due to construction of the new addition on the house by a previous owner. We knew it would have to be removed because it was slowly losing limbs and dying back. Nearby, I planted a Serviceberry.

Then there was a silver maple bordering the neighbor's and our property. It had developed a serious lean toward our house and was becoming extremely close. We felt that while it was fairly small, it needed to come out. Our neighbor agreed that we could remove it because the property line was not clearly defined and neither of us knew which of us was the legal owner. Besides, they were moving, so it was no big loss to them. In its place I planted a red bud and a varigated cornellian cherry.

We also have a lovely white oak near the front corner of our house. I guess I should correct myself and say it is a white oak but lovely would not be the best adjective to describe it. When we first looked at the house, most of the leaves were shriveled up and falling off of it. We dismissed it as a result of a drought. In reality it had Jumping Oak Gall. Not only did it occur that summer, but it returned again the following summer too. We had an arborist look at it and found that it was extremely deficient and needed lots of ammendments to its soil. This summer the tree began oozing at that flares and we were told that it had some type of bacteria infecting it. So it appears that this tree is not long for our yard.

Some time, several owners ago, a silver maple was planted in our back yard. I guess it was probably put there because it was inexpensive and a fast grower. One of the previous owners had removed a huge limb that was heading toward the house. It never collared over, and had been rotting back into the main trunk. It was only a matter of time before the tree would need to be removed, so we decided that sooner was better then later.

It is not an easy decision for me to have a tree removed, especially one that is as large as this one. And so I comtemplated for several years as to what to do about this tree. Even on the suggestion of our arborist, it was with reluctance that I gave the orders to have it removed. I know that some people have little regard about trees. I found that they either love them or hate them. Its easy to tell who these folks are by taking a look in their yards.

But I believe these stately giants deserve a place in our world. With so many new developments going in, the tree is losing ground in our landscapes. Their benefits are numerous. They provide a home for various wildlife and shade on a hot summer's day. If planted in an appropriate location, they can be a natural form of air conditioning for our homes. They add value to ones property whether we like them or not. And lets not forget they remove air polution and provide us with oxygen. So it is with regrets that I remove this gentle giant. I do however, promise to replace this tree with a new one,; for my yard would not be the same without one.

And so I say goodbye to a my big old tree.

Fall's Second Wind

It is amazing how the heat of summer seems to take the steam out of one's desire to garden. Now that fall has sent cooler nights, lower humidity and a decrease in daylight, the sudden urge to work in the garden has stirred the gardening bug in me. Perhaps it is knowing that it will soon be time to put the garden to bed or the fact that I will be shut in during those cold days ahead and wishing I could be outside. Either way, I feel like I have been given a second wind to garden.

Now is the time to plant all those items that have been sitting in pots patiently waiting for a new place in the garden. This past spring, I promised myself that I was not going to impulse buy and then rush to get them planted before frost. I did not impulse buy, but I am rushing to get things planted.

I am also trying to get those fall tasks done. I put down the milky spores and limed the lawn. Now I am trying to get a layer of compost on my sad looking lawn. The lawn is the one part of gardening that does not appeal to me and I am trying to make what lawn I have, resemble something vaguely similar to those of my neighbors. I have always tried to practice a more organic approach to gardening. If my plants did not survive, then they had no business in my garden. And if my lawn looked bad, it was because I did not want to dump harmful chemicals on it just to make it look green and weed free. Besides, grass is just a ground cover.....right? But now I live in a new neighborhood and lawns are a coveted commodity. One neighbor cuts the lawn as soon as it grows a quarter of an inch. That could mean three cuttings a week. Another removes every leaf or twig that lands in the grass. And here I am with dandelions, violas and ground ivy. I can only hope that all my efforts will show an improved lawn come spring. I can hope, but I am not going to hold my breath.