NOBODY LIKES TO BE TAKEN FOR GRANTED, including plants, and those who did the under-appreciating (read: me) the last few months are now in hot water as the weather chills out. I sense an uprising about to happen, a conifer uprising. Thanks, Andre Jordan, for reminding them it’s time for a hissy-fit. But you are correct: Conifers are for life, not just for Christmas!
THE LECTURE that he’s been giving for a number of years is not-so-subtly called “Kill Your Lawn.” Ecological horticulturist Dan Jaffe Wilder knows that starting over and creating an entire native habitat instead of a lawn isn’t for everyone. But Dan just wants to grab our attention and get us to start to make some changes at least in the way we care for the turfgrass we do want in our landscapes. And maybe give up a little square footage of it to some other kind of more diverse planting, too, like the wild strawberries (Fragaria virginiana, inset). Alternative, more eco-focused styles of lawn care, along with some lawn alternatives is what he and I talked about on the podcast. Dan is Director of Applied Ecology at Norcross Wildlife Foundation in Wales, Massachusetts, and its 8,000-acre sanctuary. He’s also co-author with Mark Richardson of the book “Native Plants for New England Gardens.”
(Stream it below, read the illustrated transcript or subscribe free.)
A previous owner of this house liked to get living Christmas trees. After Christmas, she planted them randomly around the yard. They’ve gotten big. I’ve already removed one big spruce from the front. It made the house too dark in the winter. Seattle winters are dark enough without evergreen trees planted on the sunny side of the house, and spruces get spruce gall here. It doesn’t kill them, but it makes them really, really ugly. There are a couple more of her Christmas trees that will come out of the back when I get to it. Too bad she didn’t plant them where they’d screen the truck parking lot behind us.
*makes note not to plant this years christmas tree on the front lawn this year*
Hmmm…I wonder if I could root a cutting of my tree this year?
Andre,….If I knew how to cut and paste, I would take my comments that I wrote in “My November Garden Chores”, Nov 1, 2009, and enter it in this new posting. I feel a lot of what I mentioned works here. As for planting Christmas trees, I think a lot of people, after planting them, let them grow as they want. A Christmas tree is no different than any FOUNDATION plant (upright or spreading yew, etc.). When the Christmas tree gets to a desired height, cut off it’s terminal bud (top growth where you would place a star). After that, start trimming (shearing) it to keep it small of size and to encourage fuller growth. Think about what TOPIARY or BONSAI are. They are plants that can grow GIGANTIC but through clipping are forced and controlled to a desired shape and size.
Watch out for Birnam wood coming to Dunsinane!!
Good Morning “Fred from Loudonville” – Where was your info 20 years ago when I lined my ski house driveway with “cute-little-guys” I moved out of the woods? Who knew how big they would grow! Too late to top them now; have resorted to elevating them so I get back some room for cars and accumulated snow.
Welcome, Jane. Things do have a way of growing, don’t they? :) After nearly 25 years here I am startled at the size of some “small” things I planted. Yikes. See you soon, I hope.
Don’t get me wrong. I like trees. I have planted trees (the ugly spruce was replaced by a Stewartia sinensis), and will plant more, even conifers, but they will be placed where they have room to grow and serve a function. People need to think about where they’re going to put those living Christmas trees before they buy them.