Posted on by tonytomeo

Horridculture – Graffiti

Is this some sort of abstract art?!

This picture is all sorts of wrong! Brent sent it to me from Los Angeles. He has a habit of sending obnoxious pictures such as this.

Firstly, why would anyone install Italian cypress in such pointless situations?! The specimen to the left is centered on a prominent window. It is an unsightly obstruction to the window, and would be just as unsightly and obstructive to the window above if only it had not been so severely disfigured. Although the larger specimen is a bit farther from the window, it is just as unsightly, obstructive and pointless.

Secondly, why would anyone disfigure Italian cypress by topping them like this?! It would be more practical to remove them if their naturally upright form is undesirable for this particular situation. Then, some other preferable vegetation could be installed instead, or perhaps nothing at all.

Thirdly, why would anyone maintain these already disfigured Italian cypress like this?! Just remove them already! They are unsightly! Seriously, someone obviously puts quite a bit of effort into shearing them so systematically. Are they that important?! Does someone actually like these pathetic trees in this pathetic condition?! Am I missing something here?!

Finally, or fourthly, how could someone make this situation any worse by defacing the larger of these two Italian cypress with graffiti?! Seriously, that takes a bit of effort also. Cut the trees down already! Why do these trees not simply die of embarrassment?! Is this supposed to be some sort of conceptual or abstract art?! Is this here merely to see what sorts of reactions it gets?! Can anyone even read what that graffiti says?! Perhaps it translates to “PLEASE CUT THESE TREES DOWN!” This picture leaves me with way too many unanswered questions. Well, if nothing else, these sad Italian cypress were strangely entertaining.

Posted on by tonytomeo · 13 Comments

Six on Saturday: Closeups II

This is the more foliar counterpart to the closeups for my Six on Saturday from last week. Some are closer than others. Some would be more easily identifiable without captions than others. All are quite random. All these subjects are in the storage nursery; but only #1 and #5 will eventually find homes in the landscapes here. The others will likely go into one of my own gardens. I have no idea of what to do with #2.

1. Agave pedunculifera – provided the most abstract picture of the six. The name is only a guess. Someone else might have been able to identify it as something else if more of it were visible.P00711-1

2. Eucalyptus globulus ‘Compacta’ – compact blue gum – was my second choice for juvenile blue gum foliage. It was easier to reach because it is more . . . compact. The other blue gum is tall.P00711-2

3. Cinnamomum camphora – camphor – is light yellowish green most of the time, and then gets slightly blushed with new growth late in spring. This young tree started late in partial shade.P00711-3

4. Trachicarpus fortunei – windmill palm – provided the second most abstract picture of the six. It is more recognizable though. Mediterranean fan palm is darker. Other fan palms are light.P00711-4

5. Picea sitchensis – Sitka spruce – was brought from Smith River, on the coast just south of Oregon. It does not seem to mind being so far from home. The happy new growth is impressive.P00711-5

6. Juniperus virginiana – Eastern red cedar – is my favorite this week because I brought it from Oklahoma. Cedrus deodara – deodar cedar – is the real cedar that provided the background.P00711-6

This is the link for Six on Saturday, for anyone else who would like to participate:

https://thepropagatorblog.wordpress.com/2017/09/18/six-on-saturday-a-participant-guide/