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A Good Arborist Can Be Difficult To Find.

Some of the most avid garden enthusiasts need help with big trees.

            It was probably best that I was not here when it happened. Although, coming home to it was horrible nonetheless. This is the second major tragedy in my garden in only a few months. Last autumn, just before it could defoliate to be less susceptible to the wind, the most magnificent black oak in my garden was blown down. Now I find that the weather has again flaunted its ominous power by claiming the innocent life of the most glorious Douglas fir, and desecrating the shattered remains in the cold mud.

            How can this be?! I am an arborist! I am supposed to protect trees from such demise! Sadly, the truth is that the fir has been deteriorating for a long time before we became acquainted. There was nothing that I could have done for it. If the tree had been located where it could have been hazardous to anyone in the area, it would have needed to be removed.

            Hazardous trees innately become much more hazardous in stormy weather. Rain loosens their anchorage by softening the soil. Wind can either destabilize trees, or break their limbs away. Ideally, it is best to give trees the attention they need before the weather gets unpleasant. Realistically though, we do not often think about it while the weather is not so threatening.

            Now that the weather is reminding us of how important it is to take care of our trees, we should be certain to do so properly. Large trees may require procedures that we are unable to perform. When it becomes necessary to procure the services of tree maintenance professionals, it is imperative to find qualified arborists. (Arborists are horticulturists of trees.)

            Unfortunately, the arboricultural (tree maintenance) industries are infested with unqualified ‘hackers’ who can inflict serious damage. Real arborists are about as specialized as physicians are. Getting anyone else to assess trees is about a sensible as getting a cardiologist to do brain surgery. 

            Arborists inspect trees to identify hazards such as instability and structural deficiency, and then prescribe corrective procedures. Not everyone involved with the crew that performs any necessary procedures is a ‘certified’ arborist. The crew should though be directed by what an arborist prescribes. Sometimes, trees are found to be too hazardous to be salvaged, and will need to be removed.

            The website of the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) at www.isaarbor.com is an excellent resource for finding local certified arborists. This site also features articles that explain in more detail than I did why it is so important to ‘hire an arborist’, as well as many other relevant topics. Perhaps just as importantly, it demonstrates how serious arborists are about arboriculture.

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California Sycamore

California sycamore develops massively gnarly trunks.

The tallest, largest and oldest trees of the World are all native to California. So are the rarest pine, rarest fir and largest oak. California sycamore, Platanus racemosa, is loyal to this tradition of distinction. Although not the tallest sycamore, it might be the grandest. It develops gnarly and sculpturally irregular form. Some develop multiple massive trunks.

Because of its scale, California sycamore is uncommonly available from nurseries. It is simply not proportionate to home gardens or even big landscapes. Most old specimens are older than the landscapes around them. They are somewhat adaptable to landscape irrigation. However, increased moisture increases potential for spontaneous limb failure.

California sycamore can grow a hundred feet tall with bulky trunks and limbs. Old trees may exhibit scars from shedding limbs throughout their long lifespans. The mottled bark is gray and tan, and roughens only slowly with age. The deciduous foliage of such large trees is very copious through a long defoliation. Foliar tomentum (fuzz) is quite irritating.

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Pollard And Coppice During Winter

Proper pollarding and coppicing are rare.

This is extreme dormant pruning. Pollard and coppice pruning involve complete removal of all new growth. They typically involve growth from a previous season annually. A two year cycle involves growth from two previous seasons, and so on. This repetitive pruning to the same origins stimulates distended callus growth there. It is as brutal as it sounds.

This is why pollard and coppice pruning are vilified in America. The techniques evolved through centuries of horticulture and several cultures. Both are still practical for various reasons everywhere else. However, American arboriculture classifies them as topping or disfigurement. Consequently, very few arborists here know how or want to do it properly.

Like other dormant pruning, pollard and coppice pruning must happen during winter. It is too severe for active vegetation. Also, pollard pruning exposes bark of trunks and limbs. Such bark would scald during sunnier summer weather. Growth from distended callus growth, or knuckles, shades lower stems by summer. It is very vigorous through spring.

That is what pollard and coppice pruning is still useful for within other cultures. Vigorous foliage is useful for fodder for livestock, including silkworms. Vigorous stems are useful for kindling and basketry. Some species bloom more vigorously on vigorous new growth. Others can not bloom to produce unwanted pollen or messy fruit within the same year.

Colorful or variegated foliage is more colorful in response to pollard or coppice pruning. Some eucalypti generate juvenile foliage for floral design. Such foliage is more aromatic than adult foliage. Improved foliar vigor enhances resistance to some diseases, such as mildew and rust. Coppicing can renovate some types of overgrown or shabby shrubbery.

The difference between pollard and coppice pruning is that pollard pruning retains limbs. Coppice pruning retains only a stump near grade. It is less reliant on repetition, and may never need it again. Pollard pruning compromises structural integrity, which necessitates repetition. Otherwise, pruning to restore structure will eventually become necessary. Not many species are receptive to such extreme pruning techniques.

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Horridculture – WWW

Online, bay laurel often passes for culinary bay.

Anyone can say anything online. There is no shortage of inaccurate information. Much of it is stupidly inaccurate. Much of this stupidly inaccurate information is more popular and more efficiently dispersed than conflictingly accurate information. To make matters worse, some accurate information that seems like it should be readily available is notably lacking. For example, I can not determine if the native blue elderberry requires a pollinator for fruit production. It is a simple question that seemingly lacks an answer.

Facebook shared a link to an article about the twenty worst trees to select for home gardens. The article does not say where this information is relevant. Nor does it bother to mention that trees perform differently within different climates. It is presented as universally accurate information.

Chinese flame tree is first on the list. What is a Chinese flame tree? The article does not provide that information. This is what botanical taxonomy was invented for.

Eucalyptus is next on the list. What species of Eucalyptus? The article does not say. Nor does it mention any of the many species of Eucalyptus that are quite practical small trees. That is like saying that France, Spain, Italy, Greece and Portugal are all countries of Europe, but Africa is just Africa. (That happens also within other contexts.)

Tulip poplar is apparently dangerous because it drops branches. That sounds reasonable. However, coast live oak, blue gum eucalyptus, California sycamore and red willow are much more likely to do so here.

Black walnut is toxic. Although true, and some naturalized black walnuts remain from understock of the now extinct English walnut orchards, black walnuts are not commonly planted, and are not even available from nurseries.

Mulberry is messy. However, the only mulberry that is commonly planted is the fruitless mulberry. Fruiting cultivars are very rare, and mostly planted by those who actually want the fruit, and maintain them so that they do not get too big and messy.

Eastern cottonwood drops limbs. However, as the name suggests, it is Eastern, so is nowhere near here. Western cottonwood is a variety of the same species, and behaves similarly, but like black walnut, is neither planted intentionally nor is commonly available from nurseries.

The list goes on to include many trees that are not available here or that are simply not problematic. After describing all of the diverse species of Eucalyptus as one, it mentions a few species of similar cottonwoods as if they are more distinct from each other than they actually are. It shows a picture of common Mediterranean olive for Russian olive, which is not even remotely related. It says nothing about palms, which are good trees within appropriate situations, but require expensive maintenance by arborists who can climb them.

The internet is a useful tool, but is not perfect.

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No Bad Habit

Washingtonia robusta, Mexican fan palm

Technically, this one is different. I did not get it from a situation that it needed to be removed from at work, and then can it because I did not want it to be discarded. I did not grow it from seed or cutting that I ‘borrowed’ from a landscape somewhere else. I did not ‘borrow’ it from Brent’s gardens at the Jungalow. I did not find it for free on Craigslist.

I found it for free on the Marketplace of Facebook, which is NOT Craigslist or any other familiar source. Therefore, technically, it is not a bad habit.

It is a Mexican fan palm, Washingtonia robusta. It was too appealing to ignore. I noticed its post several days ago, but did not respond immediately. I thought that someone else would claim it if I ignored it long enough. No one claimed it; so it is here now. Actually though, I am very pleased with it.

It came from the Willow Glen neighborhood of San Jose, so is accustomed to excellent soil and climate. Its species is remarkably adaptable though. It will be as satisfied with the slightly cooler climate and sandier soil here. I will need to provide it with plenty of water while it disperses its new roots. It is only canned now because the situation that it will be installed into is not yet ready for it. A few deteriorating black locusts and box elders will need to be pruned or removed first.

As it recovers from transplant, the presently healthy leaves will likely desiccate and need to be pruned away. I will leave them until they do so because they may not, and they help to sustain new root growth and dispersion. The process is actually less stressful through the cool and rainy season of winter.

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Leyland Cypress

Leyland cypress ‘was’ an intergeneric hybrid.

Taxonomy is a mess for Leyland cypress, X Cupressocyparis leylandii. The X preceding its genus name indicates that it is an intergeneric hybrid. Monterey cypress, Cupressus macrocarpa is the paternal parent of the original hybrid. Nootka cypress, Chamaecyparis nootkatensis, is the maternal parent. However, its name is now Cupressus nootkatensis.

Therefore, Leyland cypress is now Cupressus X leylandii, and an interspecific hybrid. It inherited attributes from both parents, as well as innate vulnerabilities. It can grow very vigorously to more than thirty feet tall in fifteen years. However, it may not live for another fifteen years afterward. It is very susceptible to cypress canker and a few other diseases.

This is why Leyland cypress often accompanies more permanent but slower vegetation. By the time it finishes its life cycle, the other vegetation is ready to replace it. Most large specimens are less than forty feet tall, with densely conical form. The evergreen foliage is grayish deep green. Less common cultivars are more grayish, yellowish or variegated.

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Living Christmas Trees Eventually Mature

Living Christmas trees are real trees.

Christmas trees are extreme cut foliage. They stand alone, rather than as accessories to cut flowers. Most are a few feet tall, and some are much grander. Ultimately though, they are as disposable as cut flowers. Because they are so expensive, their disposal seems to be wasteful. Realistically though, they are more practical than living Christmas trees.

Now that living Christmas trees remain after Christmas, they require attention. They are otherwise as disposable as cut trees are. Large specimens are too expensive to discard. They might also be difficult to maintain. Because almost all were field grown, they are in very dense and heavy soil. Such soil can retain either insufficient or excessive moisture.

Many initially healthy living Christmas trees can deteriorate through summer. Some get too shabby to function as a Christmas tree before their second Christmas. They adapt to local climates slowly after leaving the climates in which they grew. Some do not survive. They are happier in the ground than in a tub, but as such, can not come in for Christmas.

Living Christmas trees are less expensive than cut trees only after a few years of service. Several of the more compact types can actually survive containment for several years. A few can survive in tubs indefinitely with occasional pruning. Otherwise, most eventually need to graduate from containment to a garden. This is not as simple as it seems to be.

Visual appeal and price limit selection of living Christmas trees. Physical characteristics of such trees should be more of a consideration. Some are more tolerant of confinement within large pots than others are. Some will eventually be quite adaptable to landscapes. The unfortunate reality is that many become very large trees that need substantial space.

Small pre-decorated trees in mylar wrap are the most common of living Christmas trees. Unfortunately, most are either Italian stone pine or Canary Island pine. Both grow too big for compact gardens. Planting living Christmas trees in the wild is not a practical option. Without irrigation, formerly confined trees can not survive long enough to disperse roots. If they could, they can damage local ecology.

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White Alder

White alder is not exactly . . . white.

During the summer, the native white alder, Alnus rhombifolia, is a nice shade tree that looks bigger than it really is. By late winter, the bare deciduous canopy has an appealingly picturesque silhouette. This time of year is actually when white alder is typically less appealing, with dead foliage that provides no interesting fall color, but lingers until knocked down by rain or late frost. Yet, even now, it sometimes surprises with these funny looking floral structures that are interesting both in the early winter landscape, and with cut flowers.

In past decades, white alder was an ´expendable’ tree that was put into landscapes for quick gratification while slower but more desirable trees matured. By the time the desirable trees matured, the alders were removed to make more space for the desirables. This technique was practical because, like many fast growing trees, alders do not live very long, so start to deteriorate after about twenty five years anyway. However, alders often live longer than expected.

Mature alders are usually less than fifty feet tall where they are well exposed. They can get at least twice as tall where shaded by other trees or big buildings. Their plump trunks with mostly smooth silvery gray bark make them seem larger than they really are though. Too much water promotes buttressed roots which can displace pavement.

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Horridculture – Rainy Days and Mondays (deferred from Wednesday)

Deferred maintenance has consequences.

Karen Carpenter famously said, “Rainy days and Mondays always get me down.”

Several old and deteriorating box elders on the roadside outside the gate at work have survived many rainy days and many Mondays during the past many years that they have grown there. Earlier this week though, a rainy Monday brought one down.

It was no surprise. All of the several box elders there are in very bad condition. Most are completely dead and collapsing. However, I can do nothing about them because they extend over the roadway. They must be removed by a County Crew who can remove them safely. Unfortunately, they are unable to do so in a timely manner while so much similar work is needed throughout the County.

The problem with the demise of this particular tree is that it fell onto the hood of a Ford F150 that was travelling toward town. The Ford swerved and collided with a Subaru station wagon of some sort that swerved off the other side of the road, where it seemed to stop just inches from a utility pole. The tree or portion of the tree that fell was not very big, but indirectly caused extensive damage to both vehicles, and necessitated lane closures while the vehicles were removed.

In the picture, which was taken as I opened the gate for the crew, the Subaru is still visible on the opposite side of the road, at the center of the picture. The Ford has already been removed to the side of another road that extends to the right in the distance, beyond the bridge, where the traffic signals are. The taillights belong to one of the responding Sheriff’s cars. Most of the debris from the fallen box elder has already been pushed into the ditch to the right.

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Valley Oak

Foggy Oak Morning by Karen Asherah

‘Foggy Oak Morning’ by Karen Asherah, is another example of the local scenery that I miss while not taking a bus or walking. I drove past this scene for years on my way to work outside of San Martin without ever bothering to take a look at it. This happy tree is a native valley oak, Quercus lobata, like those that had been common throughout the Santa Clara Valley until only about two centuries ago. It is not exactly the sort of shade tree that everyone wants in a compact suburban garden, but is grand enough for large spaces like parks.

Mature specimens may not seem to get as tall as oaks in the Appalachian Mountains, but are actually the largest oaks in North America, and live more than five centuries. The tallest trees are mostly less than seventy feet tall, but can get taller. Trunks of the oldest trees are commonly six feet wide or wider. The distinctively and uniformly furrowed bark is as classically ‘oakish’ as the rounded prominent lobes of the deciduous leaves, and the sculpturally irregular branch structure. Odd stem galls, commonly known as ‘oak apples’, are home to the larvae of tiny wasps that rely on valley oaks for everything they need. Incidentally, Paso Robles, or ‘El Paso de los Robles’ is named for the valley oaks in the area, which Spanish immigrants thought resembled the ‘robles’, the European oaks that inhabit Spain.

More information about ‘Foggy Oak Morning’ can be found at the website of Karen Asherah at karenasherah.com.