Trees, front, back and side. Trees ... they enchanted me on
my first visit to the spot I now call "home." I could identify dogwood (although not the
variety), Douglas fir, Red-leaf maple, Coral Bark maple and American
Sweetgum. Stewartia and Parrotia Persica (Persian Ironwood, Vanessa), were
both new to me. I've learned Stewartia behaves herself, but Vanessa? She's not supposed to be
such a tramp!
Vanessa loves to shoot branches, thick with six-inch-long leaves,
under the porch, out over the small front garden and into my neighbor's walkway. "Slow grower"? I think not!
I am the fortunate owner of an extendable (to 12') pruner (thanks to my brother and sister-in-law). I grab this handy tool about every other week during the spring and summer, lopping off errant branches as high
as I can comfortably reach. This is a
wonder tool, but if I stretch up as far as possible, I get dizzy. This means
that Vanessa tends to drape over part of the roof. That's the reason
professional tree trimmers were called earlier in the year.
I
also have a pair of very, very sharp hand pruners. I use these on the smaller
shoots (or twigs) that pop out along the lower limbs.
Using
the hand pruners one day, my zeal overpowered my common sense and I forgot to put on my gardening gloves. I began cutting
small, 1-1.5" thick limbs. It took just two snips before I cut a big
slice out of the index finger on my left hand...the hand that held the small
branch. Lesson learned!
When
I first saw this property, I noted the beautiful Coral Bark maple in the back
sported a “flat top" haircut. Meaning, it appeared someone reached out from the deck railing and cut
across the entire top of the tree! The lower area sprouted twiggy branches. The whole tree resembled a ragged, uncared-for shrub! No more, however. Three
years of tender, loving care and the Coral Bark maple is a glorious specimen!
The other trees all get minimal pruning or
trimming. They’re quite well behaved. However, when one does need a bit of
taming, it’s usually on limbs that have proven too big for my hand-strength (I
hate to acknowledge this!).
Exploring garden tools last weekend, I came across
a set of ratchet pruning shears. Ta da!
Yes, I bought a pair (even though I was a bit chagrined to see the
advertisement for them said they were perfect for “weak hands”! That’s not easy
to admit, but guess it’s just one more thing to accept as I age).
If you would know strength and patience,
welcome the company of trees.
~Hal Boland
Two five-gallon buckets are in the garage and
two in the shed, at the ready for the times I take scissors in hand and go
around the garden deadheading flowers. I bought some inexpensive scissors to
use for this purpose. Now I need to buy some more!
Three days ago I dumped a bucket filled with
trimmings into the garden recycle bin, set the bin at the curb for pickup.
Yesterday I realized I left my scissors in the bucket! Not only am I mad at
myself for doing this, but I’m mighty concerned about what the shears will do
to the recycling machinery. Again, however, lesson learned!
After living in apartments for so many years, it seems some of
what I thought were my inherent, in-grown gardening “chops" have
flown.
As an example, last fall, in a frenzy to get the flower beds
all ready for their winter’s rest, I went way beyond my usual fall-cleanup and
cut down many perennials too soon or cut them way too low. I’ve lost a number
of my favorite plants. Luckily there are signs of life, albeit struggling, in others.
There are always flowers for those who want to
see them.
~
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