Photo by:
http://www.naz.edu:9000/~treewalk/sassafras/sassafrastree1.htm
Sunday was a good stay-at-home day and do things in the garden. I didn't get quite as much done as I had wanted, but then, I wasn't rushing but enjoying everything more. There were about 100 bulbs to plant which got done with the bonemeal in the holes. They'll be beautiful next year. They are scattered around the new beds where I knew there weren't any. Early spring will be dotted with tulips and daffodils. I need some crocus yet for the very front tiny areas and the garden will be set.
The Sassafras got transplanted. This one was a tough one. The roots weren't as deep as I thought they'd be, but were scattered through the garden. We tried to keep as many of them as we could, making the root system as wide as the tree was high. Still, we had to cut a few that reached under the patio and deck. It was transplanted near the compost to help shade it a little from the hot afternoon sun. The tree which is just above knee high, double trunked and very pretty, was taken to a hole that was awaiting it. Just a little adjustment and the roots were back in the ground within minutes. Still within the hour, it had begun to wilt some. This tree will be watched closely this fall and into winter to make sure it is well wet and has every chance to set into the ground before it succumbs to death. Where it is planted, it will be able to adjust slowly to a drier spot, well drained and very rich in nutrients from the compost bin. I'm hoping it makes it. Husband wanted to cut one of the trunks away, but I stopped him. The double trunk is right at ground level, it naturally grew this from the seed and I thought it was pretty.
Sassafras is known for not liking to be transplanted. About half of them that are, will die. Their root system is deep and the roots that keep the tiny feeder roots are few and thick. I wanted to get this one moved while it was still very young to give it the best chance of a successful move. It is one of a few trees that should be planted by seed. Another is the Sweet Gum. Another tree in the same family that has a similar root system.
It seems to be becoming more and more the way of things, to plant trees from seed. There is a fungus that is spreading among the grafted landscape oaks, killing them in a couple of years. The wild oaks don't appear to struggle with it, at least not yet. I'm thinking from the reports that the natural oaks develop a resistance to the fungus when the trees are very young, but the grafted oaks, usually grafted on non-native root stock, don't develop this resistance. Nurseries here are getting very tiny Sweet Gum, Sour Gum and Sassafrass trees that are started from seed in large pots to keep the roots in tack. They are sold as slips at a very expensive price. I looked at a very young sassafrass at a local nursery, maybe two years older than the one I just transplanted and it was almost $100. The one I just transplanted, should it make it, is smaller, but has twice the strength for it young age. I'm hoping mine makes it. I'll be watching it every day this fall and winter.
I'm still wanting one last shade tree for the back yard. I went for a walk Sunday morning and met a young fella who was busy cleaning up a mess on a property he owned. I stopped to chat with him a bit and found out that he is a naturalist and though he had plans on building on this property, he cut only enough trees to clear a spot for his house. He planned on keeping the rest of the large trees (some of which were at least 100 years old) and to naturalize the area with native wild flowers. We spent about an hour chatting about trees and native wild flowers. It was a wonderful conversation. I've also decided on a list of trees (husband will hate me) that I'd like to think about for that last shade tree.
Some of the more abundant trees in the woods are hickory (shagbark and shellbark), ash (white and green), poplar, birch, beech, basswood, maple, sassafrass, oaks (white, red, black, burr, and scarlet), elm. I've already planted a red oak, red maple, two sugar maples, elm, two honey locusts, beech, poplar and white ash. Husband would like another white ash as the last shade tree. It's a beautiful tree, even I think this and another one would be nice. In the autumn, the back yard would then be colored yellow, bright red, rust, rust-red, bright yellow and redish-purple.
Although another white ash would be very pretty in the garden, I'd also like to see about a white oak, American beech and shagbark hickory. The oak would have to be planted from seed to assure health (easy enough to find...acorns of all types are all over the road around here right now). American beech should be easy enough to find at nurseries, though very expensive. Maybe I can get this young fellow to dig up a sappling for me out of his forest. Hickory might be difficult. No one seems to want to sell hickory trees. Hickory might also encourage deer to come into the garden. I don't really want that but hickory is a beautiful tree. Husband says I'm picking out all the nut trees. Well, I just happen to like the native nut trees around here. Besides, they are the trees that will be able to withstand the strong winds that come across this mountain. Besides, where this last tree will be planted, I don't have to worry about the nuts. Only the lawn tractor will ever know they are there and only after the tree gets large enough to toss the nuts further than the planting bed that will be placed around it.
I probably won't be planting another tree until next spring, so I have time to look around. I might try planting a white oak acorn to see what happens. I'll talk to sister about starting some too. I think she would enjoy having a white oak in her garden.
The Sassafras got transplanted. This one was a tough one. The roots weren't as deep as I thought they'd be, but were scattered through the garden. We tried to keep as many of them as we could, making the root system as wide as the tree was high. Still, we had to cut a few that reached under the patio and deck. It was transplanted near the compost to help shade it a little from the hot afternoon sun. The tree which is just above knee high, double trunked and very pretty, was taken to a hole that was awaiting it. Just a little adjustment and the roots were back in the ground within minutes. Still within the hour, it had begun to wilt some. This tree will be watched closely this fall and into winter to make sure it is well wet and has every chance to set into the ground before it succumbs to death. Where it is planted, it will be able to adjust slowly to a drier spot, well drained and very rich in nutrients from the compost bin. I'm hoping it makes it. Husband wanted to cut one of the trunks away, but I stopped him. The double trunk is right at ground level, it naturally grew this from the seed and I thought it was pretty.
Sassafras is known for not liking to be transplanted. About half of them that are, will die. Their root system is deep and the roots that keep the tiny feeder roots are few and thick. I wanted to get this one moved while it was still very young to give it the best chance of a successful move. It is one of a few trees that should be planted by seed. Another is the Sweet Gum. Another tree in the same family that has a similar root system.
It seems to be becoming more and more the way of things, to plant trees from seed. There is a fungus that is spreading among the grafted landscape oaks, killing them in a couple of years. The wild oaks don't appear to struggle with it, at least not yet. I'm thinking from the reports that the natural oaks develop a resistance to the fungus when the trees are very young, but the grafted oaks, usually grafted on non-native root stock, don't develop this resistance. Nurseries here are getting very tiny Sweet Gum, Sour Gum and Sassafrass trees that are started from seed in large pots to keep the roots in tack. They are sold as slips at a very expensive price. I looked at a very young sassafrass at a local nursery, maybe two years older than the one I just transplanted and it was almost $100. The one I just transplanted, should it make it, is smaller, but has twice the strength for it young age. I'm hoping mine makes it. I'll be watching it every day this fall and winter.
I'm still wanting one last shade tree for the back yard. I went for a walk Sunday morning and met a young fella who was busy cleaning up a mess on a property he owned. I stopped to chat with him a bit and found out that he is a naturalist and though he had plans on building on this property, he cut only enough trees to clear a spot for his house. He planned on keeping the rest of the large trees (some of which were at least 100 years old) and to naturalize the area with native wild flowers. We spent about an hour chatting about trees and native wild flowers. It was a wonderful conversation. I've also decided on a list of trees (husband will hate me) that I'd like to think about for that last shade tree.
Some of the more abundant trees in the woods are hickory (shagbark and shellbark), ash (white and green), poplar, birch, beech, basswood, maple, sassafrass, oaks (white, red, black, burr, and scarlet), elm. I've already planted a red oak, red maple, two sugar maples, elm, two honey locusts, beech, poplar and white ash. Husband would like another white ash as the last shade tree. It's a beautiful tree, even I think this and another one would be nice. In the autumn, the back yard would then be colored yellow, bright red, rust, rust-red, bright yellow and redish-purple.
Although another white ash would be very pretty in the garden, I'd also like to see about a white oak, American beech and shagbark hickory. The oak would have to be planted from seed to assure health (easy enough to find...acorns of all types are all over the road around here right now). American beech should be easy enough to find at nurseries, though very expensive. Maybe I can get this young fellow to dig up a sappling for me out of his forest. Hickory might be difficult. No one seems to want to sell hickory trees. Hickory might also encourage deer to come into the garden. I don't really want that but hickory is a beautiful tree. Husband says I'm picking out all the nut trees. Well, I just happen to like the native nut trees around here. Besides, they are the trees that will be able to withstand the strong winds that come across this mountain. Besides, where this last tree will be planted, I don't have to worry about the nuts. Only the lawn tractor will ever know they are there and only after the tree gets large enough to toss the nuts further than the planting bed that will be placed around it.
I probably won't be planting another tree until next spring, so I have time to look around. I might try planting a white oak acorn to see what happens. I'll talk to sister about starting some too. I think she would enjoy having a white oak in her garden.
2 comments:
That sounds so beautiful, the colours that'll be in your yard.
I've learned so much about gardening from this site. I'm still proud to sport my live basil plants, rosemary bush and oregano. They're actually doing well inside. I can't believe it. I have my aloe vera plant inside now as well. It's so tall. I didn't think they got that big. The longest living plant I had was a full year. I called it a milestone. LOL
Austin
Austin, keep up the good work! The next milestone will be to keep them alive for another year.
Post a Comment