So you think your tree may be dying; what you should know

Branch has broken away at the trunk

Yesterday morning I looked outside and noticed something strange over at my neighbor's house.  Apparently a large branch from his Laurel Oak had decided to break away from the rest of the tree. As of today the large branch is still hanging there as I am assuming that they will need to hire someone to remove the branch and perhaps the tree.  So this got me thinking; is it time for this tree to go or can they simply remove the branch and move on?   

So how do you know when it is time to remove a tree?    Sometimes it is hard to say goodbye to an old tree.  Some of us see a big tree as part of the family.  We value these trees for their beauty and appreciate them for shading our homes during the hot summer months.  But like all living things, trees die. Here are a few ways you can tell if the time has come:

• Your tree has lost a large percentage of its canopy.  If you have a storm and your tree loses a bunch of limbs, it may be stressed beyond repair
• If it has lost all of its leaves (and it is not the time of year for the tree to be without leaves) or if the leaves are all brown when they should be green, then your tree has died.  It is time for you to have it removed
• Large limbs are falling off for no apparent reason.  This usually indicates there is something wrong from the inside and the tree is no longer strong enough to hold on to these branches. 
• There has been a storm and now your tree is leaning towards your home.  This can mean that some of the roots have been damaged and if so the tree could die and fall on your home.  Better the tree go than you.
• Consult an arborist.  Most tree companies have arborists on staff and they can help you determine if the tree can be saved, and if so, what treatment is necessary.  If the tree cannot be saved they will let you know that as well. 

Four Quick and Easy Landscape Projects for Fall

Halloween-Disney Style

Last week I went with my family to Disney World to attend Mickey's Not-So-Spooky Halloween Party.  When we got there I noticed that the park had been enhanced with Halloween themed elements such as Mickey pumpkins and displays of autumnal foliage.

Now most of us do not have access to the manpower or money that Disney has to change out our homes seasonally, but there are small changes that we can all make to keep our landscapes looking fresh and seasonally appropriate.  Here are a few suggestions for fall that should take about an hour to complete.

So simple and just right for fall

                                                    





1-Pumpkins: Head to the grocery store and pick up some of those pumpkins they have on sale in the big bins. Place a grouping of pumpkins out next to your front door.  Uncarved pumpkins can last for weeks, and if you like, you can use the same pumpkins for your Halloween Jack-o-lanterns.

Elegant look that cannot be any easier.  

2-Mums:  Here's another no-planting-required upgrade. While you are at the grocery store pick up a couple of mums.  You can use these to place in a planter next to your door or just place them wherever you like.  Keep in mind that mums don't re-bloom (or they never have for me) so buy one that is about to bloom and toss them when the blooms are spent.  If I buy mums I typically buy a set a few days before Halloween and another set right before Thanksgiving (but only if I'm hosting).

Purple fountain grass and pansies

Camellias: Beautiful blooms for fall and winter

Camellia covered path

While I was playing with my daughter in our backyard yesterday evening, I noticed something; a single bloom on my camellia.  It seems a bit early in the season, but it looks like the blooming has begun.

First bloom of the season

My camellias are very large and for all I know may have been planted when the house was built back in the 1950's.  Before we moved in they were the focal point of the backyard, but then my husband had to build a garage and that pretty much blocked the plants.   Growing up in Memphis you didn't see too many camellias as the climate is a bit too cool, so I am thrilled to have my own camellias, even if they are hidden behind the garage.

Bring inside and enjoy!

Camellias are an old-fashioned plant, but they are so beautiful and I wish they were used more.  Camellias bloom in white, pink and red and are often the only thing blooming in the winter.  How nice would it be to go out on a crisp morning, cut a few blooms and place them in a vase for your home or just float a few blooms in a shallow bowl.

Camellia espalier

For those interested in growing your own camellias there are two types of  camellias that are commonly used in the landscape: Camellia japonica and Camellia sasanqua.  Did you know that tea comes from a camellia?  It comes from the Camellia sinensis (which you don't want to grow).  Camellias can be used in various ways: as an accent shrub, in a mass planting, in a container, as a hedge or espaliered on a wall.  Camellias prefer light shade, but sasanquas can tolerate sun as well.  Camellias are evergreen and have beautiful, glossy leaves which are attractive even when it is not the blooming season.

If you are in the Orlando area you should visit Leu Gardens as they have one of the largest collections of camellias in the US on display with over 200 cultivars. Leu Gardens 

Singapore's Botanic Gardens; Worthy of a royal visit

This week the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge aka Will and Kate traveled to Singapore as part of their tour of Southeast Asia.  One stop on their trip was to the Singapore Botanic Gardens to view an orchid that was named for William's mother, Diana.  An orchid was also named for Will and Kate.

Three years ago I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to work in Singapore and I too visited the botanic gardens.  Despite my profession, I have not been to very many botanic gardens, but I will say that it will be hard to top the gardens in Singapore.  With Singapore being so close to the equator the vegetation is lush and exotic. If I recall correctly entrance into the gardens is free, but you must pay a small fee to visit the National Orchid Garden. It is worth your five dollars (which is really more like $3.50 USD) to go see this outstanding exhibit.  

 The gardens were founded in 1859 as a place where the residents of Singapore could go to relax.  In the 1920's the director of the gardens started a program that bred and hybridized orchids.  This research, along with all of the new varieties of orchids produced, became the basis for the orchid industry we know today.  The botanic gardens have also led the way in the greening of Singapore by providing a variety of plant materials to be used in roadside plantings and in Singapore's parks.  In my personal opinion these efforts were successful as every road and Singapore is absolutely beautiful.  

To see more about Will and Kate's trip : William and Kate in Singapore  To read more about Singapore's Botanic Gardens: Singapore Botanic Gardens

In LA they'll trade you 400 trees for a space shuttle

Discovery-April 2010

If you never saw a space shuttle launch then you missed out on a truly unique experience.  The first time I saw the space shuttle hurling towards space was early morning the day after Easter 2010.  I was reluctant to wake up early to see Atlantis take off as I had a new baby and I really needed all the sleep I could get,  yet I mustered up the energy to walk out of my house before the dawn broke to see shuttle take off carrying astronauts into space.  

 

Sleeping through history 

Several months later we went to Cape Canaveral to watch another launch in person.  As the shuttle program was coming to a close, the atmosphere was both festive and a bit depressed.  I was happy that we were able to take our then three month old daughter with us to witness such an event even if she would never remember the experience (but that is why we take photos).  

Atlantis takes off

Today the space shuttle program has ended and the space shuttles have gone to find homes at museums all over the country.  Endeavour, will be going to the California Science Center in Los Angeles.  While I am sure the people of LA will be happy to have the Endeavor on exhibit, it comes with a price.  In order to get Endeavour to the museum, 400 trees along the route to the museum must be cut down so that this oversized load can pass.   You can read more about it here: Tree removal for space shuttle arrival tempers excitement.  

While I commend the city for their plans to replace the removed trees 2:1, the negative effects of removing these large trees will be felt for years, even decades to come as the newer, much smaller trees grow.  I have a feeling that the trees that must be removed provide some of the nicer scenery along the 12 miles of road where the space shuttle must pass.  These same trees shade homes and lower energy bills where money may be limited.  The space shuttle is certainly part of history, but so too are the trees.  As the article states "Taking the massive shuttle apart would have damaged the delicate tiles that acted as heat sensors".  That may be true, but seeing as the Endeavour is retired and will never fly again, I don't see why the integrity of the heat sensors is so important.  It appears to me that the removal of 400 trees that are still thriving and people who live and work along this route should have been given a higher priority.  

Mmmmm...Mojitos

Today is Tuesday, but thanks to Labor Day yesterday it feels a lot like Monday.  On the other hand I know it is Tuesday because it is taco day in my house.  We don't eat tacos every Tuesday, but for some reason we always make tacos on Tuesday.  Although I don't like to drink on a week night (this is mainly a calorie thing for me) I am making an exception today because I want a mojito with my tacos.

I love mojitos, but I often notice that they won't make them for you at bars because they never have any mint.  I have solved this little dilemma at home by growing my own.  As my last post illustrates I have not had the best luck with my kitchen garden, but when it come to herbs, I excel.  In the case of mint it is worth noting that it will spread like a weed (yeah, it's that easy to grow) so I have planted mine in a pot.  Not only does planting it in a pot keep my mint from taking over, but it also keeps my dogs from lifting a leg on it (as they do with the flowers that I would love to cut and bring in, but cannot due to their odor).  For those who have never enjoyed a mojito or have not attempted to make one at home, here is my basic recipe:

Mojito
1-2 springs of mint (by sprig I mean the stem and the leaves, about 3 inches long)
1/2 lime-cut into wedges
1-2oz of rum (light or dark)
2 teaspoons sugar
ice
club soda

In a tall glass place lime wedges, mint (I add the stems too, but you can just use the leaves), sugar and rum.  Muddle with a muddler or crush with a wooden spoon until the lime is juiced and the mint is well bruised.  Add ice to the top of the glass and then fill with club soda.  Stir.  Garnish with some mint (if you like being fancy) and enjoy!

Our Kitchen Gardens: Then and Now

Gardening: A family tradition. My Grandma Brook with her brother in 1940 

As a child I remember my father taking me to the farmer's market on Saturday mornings.  This was a true farmer's market and not the type of urban farmer's market we go to today.  There stood stall after stall of fruits and vegetables.  The backs of trucks were brimming with produce. These were real farmers who sat there chewing tobacco and speaking in thick country accents that I struggled to understand.  You didn't go to buy one or two tomatoes or a pint of blueberries; you purchased a bushel at a time. We would buy Ripley tomatoes or sweet corn in the summer, in the fall we'd go select pumpkins for Halloween.  While I never saw the farms themselves I knew where fruits and veggies came from and it wasn't a can or a jar.  

My dad watering the yard and my little brother c. 1993

At home my dad had a garden that he planted every year.  Every year we had tomatoes, Better Boys being his favorite to grow.  We also grew eggplant, squash, peppers or whatever else he thought might grow.  This was not an elegant garden.  He did eventually fence it off, but that was due to the fact that the dogs kept getting in and eating his tomatoes. Although I wasn't really into gardening at this time (after all I was probably eight years old) I did like to grow strawberries and dad made me my own little patch flanked by miniature rose bushes that I also selected.  I remember not understanding why my strawberries weren't as big as the strawberries we bought at the store and I also remember being so mad when slugs ate the strawberries that I was waiting on patiently to ripen.  

Trial and error:  Happy basil, but no tomatoes

We also grew peaches-that never turned out all that well and got attacked by worms, we had blackberry bushes that I'm pretty sure planted themselves and tore up my hands when I would go pick the fruit.  We had a big plum tree in the back yard that made more plums than anyone would ever want to eat and we experimented with raspberries and blueberries.  Most of the time these plants thrived and we got a decent amount of produce out our (OK, my dad's) efforts.  All of this was done without any irrigation, special planting beds or compost. On the other hand I don't think the garden was all that organic as I remember dad spraying the trees or plants while wearing a mask.  Regardless, the fruits and veggies grew and we ate them. 

It looks like the backyard/kitchen garden is really seeing a revival these days and it is being done with a lot more style than when I was growing up. We are now planting kitchen gardens because we want to grow food, not necessarily because we need to.  In the past people grew their own food or many reasons: the depression,  food shortages during WWII or just plain need.  Now we grow because we want eat organic (without paying Whole Foods prices) or we want a hobby that is rewarding. Many of the newer gardens have beautiful raised beds, rain barrels or a drip irrigation system to provide proper irrigation and a compost heap used to amend the soil.   I love that people want to grow some of their own food.  It will teach you patience and teach your children to appreciate the land and understand the origins of their food.  It can also be a bit show-offish which I suppose is OK, but come on we are talking about farming!  Growing your own food, even on a small scale, is hard and dirty work. I recently became acquainted with Williams-Somoma's Agarian line and it could inspire anyone to pick up trowel and get to planting.  Everything is so beautiful and inviting. It's even made me consider setting up a chicken coop, but I don't think the chickens and the dogs will get along.  If you haven't had a chance to see these products here is the link: williams-sonoma agrarian 

So I say, whatever your motivation, may it be healthier eating or showing off your green thumb I encourage everyone to try a few plants and enjoy the fruits (or veggies) of your labor.