From "In Your Enthusiasm for Planting, Don’t Forget About the Trees/Trees can take a lot of punishment, but they have their limits. Here’s how to work around them safely" by Margaret Roach (NYT).
"He" = Christopher Roddick, head arborist and foreman of grounds at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.
This article caught my attention because it seemed so weird to me to think about people who would forget about their trees. And yet I have encountered people who are fired up about things they want to do with their yard that really do amount to forgetting about the trees.
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It is probably a metaphor for the Biden administration.
'This article caught my attention because it seemed so weird to me to think about people who would forget about their trees.'
I think about people who can't see the forest because they are too focused on their trees...
The spring is the time for planting, not the fall. The fall is for harvesting. There is one time for each, planting and harvesting. The plants must grow and ripen before they can be harvested. The tree will let you cut a few roots when you are planting, but not too many; too many cuts can disturb the tree. Sun, rain or other water, tree roots and cutting, spring and fall; this is about all I know about the garden.
Kamala: When we think about the garden, even when it's small, it's actually big. There's a lot to think about out there. (Awkward laugh). The plants themselves. What do we want to grow,and where? The spacing. Most of us don't think enough about the spacing. How big do we want to get things to grow? Sometimes big is too big! (Awkward laugh). Planting is kind of a positive thing, weeding is kind of negative, but it's also positive because the plants need us to weed. That's part of our job! (Awkward laugh). And then we haven't even talked about sun, rain, the seasons, and the real risks--the dangers--of cutting tree roots.
My wife is a compulsive fusser who can't leave things alone. She knows plants do better under my care and doesn't really understand why, but it's simple--I create the right conditions and otherwise leave them alone. She finds gardening relaxing. She plants flowers as much to tend to them as to look at them. So we have to replace plants a little more often than we otherwise would. No biggie. It's still a cheap hobby that looks nice.
"Will no one think of the saplings!!?!?!?!"
Really great picture of the underplanted apple tree! Something to strive for.
We've been able to get a nice "living green mulch" under our weeping cherry and Japanese maple. The red maple - not so much. It's only been 34 years. We'll be patient.
Lloyd - Jerzy Kosiński couldn't have said it better.
I'm the current chair of our HOA's landscape committee and GOOD GOD THE TREES CAUSE SO MANY PROBLEMS. Mainly because some people want their views and will cut down trees on common area property without even asking. People get mad when we trim them. People get mad when we don't trim them. Same thing with removing problematic ones.
Mainly I can't get anyone to shut the hell up about trees. . . . .
@campy
LOL
I'm the current chair of our HOA's landscape committee and GOOD GOD THE TREES CAUSE SO MANY PROBLEMS.
A neighbor planted evergreens right up close to the limit of their property and ours. We don't like the kind of fence the HOA allows (same it seems for our neighbors - no fence).
The problem is their property slightly slopes towards ours and they put a soaking hose system. It's like set it and forget it.
So, try to imagine what is like to mow the grass in a marsh.
Our guess is evergreens need a lot of water at the beginning. Hopefully it won't be necessary to soak so much at some point.
My lovely bride is an incredible gardener. I am bragging but she really is.
One thing that most people don't understand is that the lower branches of large trees need to be pruned up, especially maples and beeches, to allow air and light to get to the ground underneath, where you plant shade-tolerant plants like hostas and ferns.
One of her tricks is to lay newspapers on the ground and put bark or woodchip mulch over the newspapers, which gradually break down an enrich the soil, while allowing water to percolate through but keeping the weeds at bay. You move or cut the newspaper to plug in plants where you want them. And it looks neat and natural.
A recent problem has been a shortage of newspapers, because nobody gets the paper anymore. I just scored some big points by having the librarian at our firm save the WSJs that are put out in the reception area and bringing home a storage box full.
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