A Tale of Two Trees
By lily2
20 comments
I’m nearly always sorry to see trees chopped down but as our neighbourhood was built in the 1960’s it means that many of the original trees have outgrown their positions. Many have been felled over the last few years including a very large Hornbeam which was taking over our front garden.
None of our remaining 5 trees will grow large but 2 of them had been showing signs of demise for some time and very sadly the time had come for them to go. Like me both of them had seen better days!
A Laburnum which had been dwindling in leaves and flowers for about 4 years.
To make things easier on the day and to improve access we had previously cleared the shrubs from the border to the right of the tree.
The other tree is a Rowan which had been rather sickly looking and in decline ever since we moved in 10 years ago
As neither was very big we decided on a DIY job with the aid of younger, stronger and fitter family members with the incentive of free logs and a takeaway meal later. As it was my birthday, all their families came as well to make an occasion of it. This meant the men were in the front garden making as much noise and mess as possible while the children were in the back garden and house also making as much noise and mess as possible! We women just supplied them all with refreshments and had a good gossip.
First for the chop was the laburnum, the roots of which were very intertwined with the neighbouring Hibiscus. I was very keen to save this as I use it as a feeding station for the birds. First the upper branches of the Laburnum were removed and then most of the roots were excavated and severed as much as possible. See how close the roots are to the Hibiscus
The rest of the tree came down fairly easily in one go.
The cross section of the trunk looks very odd, presumably the dark centre is dead wood.
After some lunch it was time to tackle the Rowan with it’s nasty habit of dropping pieces of branch on passers-by.
This was smaller so came down in one go
This looks even worse inside with a large spongy area
There was no chance of getting the stump out due to the proximity of pavement, drive and fence post but there are several small suckers at the base so I’m hoping that maybe one or two will survive to take over.
I was sad to see the trees go but at least they will provide useful logs. After loading these into their cars and a cursory ‘male type’ tidy up of the front garden the workers and assorted wives and children were rewarded with a variety of take-aways from different places. With 15 of us it was inevitable that we wouldn’t all want the same!
All went home at 8pm so the kiddy-winks could go to bed leaving us with a 2 less trees, a gravel and sawdust drive and a totally messy house! A very different sort of birthday ‘treat’ but I now have another exciting present, that rare treat…….a bare section of border to plant up. This will, of course, necessitate a trip to the garden centre to spend my birthday present GC vouchers. :o)))
All tidied up and ready for planting!
Here is a small tree I’ve already planted to replace the others but in a different place. Close to the boundary is not a good idea as they always seem to get bigger than you expect and overhang neighbour’s gardens. I’ve lost the label but think it’s a Prunus of some sort.
26 Oct, 2010
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Comments
Laburnum is much sort after by wood-turners.
26 Oct, 2010
Oh thank goodness for men ;o). Looks like a good job well done by all.
26 Oct, 2010
Wheyhey! Another visit by proxy to a Garden Centre..dont forget to show us all Lily. Funny Heron should mention that about Laburnum, the thought crossed my mind, as the centre looked very attractive in the picture!
26 Oct, 2010
Yes Sticki, sure to be bulging soon....and us women be noisy?...well maybe just a bit!
Is the centre meant to look like that then Heron and Tetrarch? I thought it was dead wood. Got a more than a few ideas for replacement plants already, more decisions!
Yes men do come in very useful at times don't they Littlelegs. :o))
26 Oct, 2010
rings of that wood would make lovely mats i thought??
26 Oct, 2010
hi lily, firstly a happy birthday my friend ;o) x
secondly lovely having the family over even if they leave a mess and a job well done i thinks, what a great area to plant up now the tree has gone, im sure you will have it looking really good in no time, look forward to seeing it again next summer, bet there will be a difference, enjoyed your blog lily ;o)))
26 Oct, 2010
A very busy household and lots of action by the menfolk in the garden. I wonder if you could find a woodworker who would make use of the laburnum? I found that point interesting.
Glad you enjoyed your birthday, and the chaos. It's lovely to have everyone round and nice and peaceful once they go home....lol
Enjoy planning and planting in your 'new' space!
26 Oct, 2010
Happy belated birthday to you, Lily ! Wasn't that Laburnum close to the Hibiscus ? You did well to remove it safely. Have you decided what to plant in that lovely wide border yet ?
26 Oct, 2010
They certainly would make lovely mats Sticki, pity i never thought of that at the time.
Thanks W'lass, my brother is a brilliant woodturner but it's too late now as the logs have been split ready for burning. :o(( You're dead right there, I enjoy the chaos of a full house but I'm never sorry to see them go as they all live near and will soon be back!
Thanks Sandra so glad you enjoyed it, I do miss the tree and so do the birds but it's lovely to have a bit of bare space to get my teeth into. It's so useful having strong sons around isn't it!
Thank you too Shirley. Yes, VERY close, I think it must have been a seedling as surely nobody would plant THAT close! I'm thinking of a Ceanothus where the tree was as it's evergreen and grows tall but not sure what else yet.
26 Oct, 2010
Hya lily, another great blog as usual and belated birthday greetings. What a wonderful way to spend your birthday with all your family around you and even more so that they made themselves useful.
Now you have all that space, decisions, decisions. lol
Keep us informed on what you buy at the GC. and would love to see the border planted up.
Happy days.
26 Oct, 2010
Hello Val and many thanks. You know what I'm like on decisions so it may be a quite a while before I get it planted up. I might need several trips to that GC while doing my 'research'! LOL
26 Oct, 2010
Several trips Lily ? Now thats my idea of heaven :0))) x
26 Oct, 2010
Happy belated birthday, hope you enjoy your trip to GC
27 Oct, 2010
i know what you mean lily about having strong sons about, i was so grateful when digging them old trees up for the pond, couldnt have done it myself ;o)
27 Oct, 2010
Mine too Val!
Thanks Clarice and I most certainly will :o))
Yes Sandra, we can struggle with something for ages and they come along and do it in five minutes! OH used to think having 3 girls and only one boy was not so good from that point of view but now we've got a couple of useful sons in law too so, best of both worlds!
27 Oct, 2010
we have had to take down mature tree's as they were right up into the overhead telephone cables when we moved into our place. Sad but necessary but the log's are a bonus & when the light returns to that area & you replant it put's it right again. Excellent days work & a good photo diary.
30 Oct, 2010
Hi Bampy, I think we've all planted things that outgrow their positions but with trees it's usually someone else who has to deal with the result many years later, like your trees. It's sad to see trees go but it creates opportunities not only for new planting but also for other existing plants nearby to thrive.
30 Oct, 2010
Pitty you had to get rid of the trees but sometimes you have to 'take the bull by the horns' and get things done. I'm sure it's better now they've gone, and you can plant something else there now
1 Nov, 2010
Yes it was a shame Hywel but they were both on their way out anyway. I especially miss the Rowan as it was such a nice shape and perfect in it's position. Still that's gardening, constantly evolving.
1 Nov, 2010
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looks a very professional job and a wise decision too! expect you will have fun buying new plants and im sure it will soon be full again!
just wondering if the ladies in the kitchen also made a noise and a mess??!
oh yes and happy birthday!
26 Oct, 2010