Welcome!

Dec 26

‘Tis the end of a very long year…

One which gardening turned out to be a lifeline for many.

I’m starting up this blog for gardening hints, advice, thoughts, daydreams, jokes…basically a stream of consciousness on all things gardening. As I get deeper into this, I will be more organized and proactive. But for now, I just need to get the ball rolling.

So today’s topic is trees. I am not an arborist. Only a tree lover. Please consult a licensed arborist with any concerns.

Why trees when they have all lost their leaves?

Because this is the absolute best time to see the structure of the tree. It’s hard to do that when there are leaves. Evergreens excepted, of course.

So take a good look at the trees on your property.

Heck, take a look at all the trees you run into on your walks outside. Notice the branching, the trunks, the bark…

Notice the symmetry or lack thereof. If a tree is asymmetrical, wonder why. Was there storm damage? Maybe a neighbor tree blocked the sun and later was removed and that’s why it has less branches on one side. Maybe it’s on a windy area and grew sideways? What about broken branches and trunks? Diseases? A bare tree can tell you stories that a fully leafed tree may hide until it’s too late.

With that in mind, here are a few photos…

First up - a plum with Black Knot. Not a good thing. If you can catch it early and are willing to put in the work or pay someone, then the demise of the tree can be pushed back. But sadly for this tree, it seems fully involved. When the tree if fully leafed out - it would be hard to see the growths. Want to know more - this is a good source - https://www.mortonarb.org/trees-plants/tree-and-plant-advice/help-diseases/black-knot-ornamental-cherry-and-plum

Next up, check if branches need pruning. DO NOT PRUNE NOW unless you are sure it’s the correct time.

Here is an example of a tree in need of pruning. There are multiple ‘leaders’. Leaders are the main/center trunk. Depending on the type of tree, there may be only one. In this case there are three larger trunks that are growing up. Two of them are way too close to each other. So close that they are damaging the bark.

The bark is the equivalent of our skin and serves to keep bad stuff from infecting the tree. Just as a we can get a cut in our skin, damage to the bark can get infected.

Best practices say that at least one of the crossing branches needs to be removed.

Use winter to plan what to prune.

First figure out what kind of tree you have and when is the best time to prune.

Second, identify how to prune your tree. This includes where and how to make the cuts. What equipment is appropriate - a lopper? A chainsaw? And it’s usually a good idea to disinfect the pruning equipment between cuts.

Third, check for nests. Mostly bird nests but sometimes honeybees can make a nest in a hollow tree. And if you hire someone to trim your trees, please have them look for cavity nesting birds - this includes owls and woodpeckers. if you need to take a tree down and a nest is found - call The Raptor Trust or your local wildlife rehabber/animal welfare/animal control to find out how to best proceed to save the birds/bees and remove the tree.

Another good thing to do when the trees are bare is to look for hangers. Large broken off branches that are snagged in other branches. A dangerous situation that needs attention.

On the positive side, you can see the beautiful structure of the tree. Are there burls? Does the bark look like dinosaur scales? Is the tree reaching to the sky or spreading its ‘arms’ out wide? Or in the last photo, the kinda, uh….unique structure of the tree…still cool.

So take a few photos and make notes in your garden dairy to take care of what your tree needs to have done when the time is right.