Diving into Tree Debris

I wished and hoped for it. I complained about not having it. Rain, you came and you really wanted us to know it. Monday morning was a bit of a sad sight. Catalpa collapsed. Linden branches leaning. Sycamore limbs galore. A storm had rolled in Sunday and gave us some much needed rain but left a path of destruction. The big beautiful Catalpa outside the Maintenance area had completely fallen, root ball and all. Along with large limbs off some other trees. The grounds team was in for a a hot, sweaty and busy Monday.

 

Catalpa collapsed 

I love Catalpas (Catalpa speciosa). In early June my boyfriend and I will head down to Cape May for his birthday. On our drive there we count and yell out every time we see a Catalpa, like the plant nerds that we are. There really are a lot on the drive there! 

Panicles of white flowers beginning to open at the end of May

Catalpas are very distinct for several reasons. The flowers are large, white foxglove-like panicles, the leaves are heart shaped and to me appear a more lime green than other trees, and the fruit is long bean-like seed pods that give the tree it's nickname 'Cigar tree'. They are fast growing North American native trees and are easily grown from seed. The only downside is some might consider them a little...messy. Limbs often drop during storms as the wood is soft like White Pine and the leaf and fruit drop isn't everyone's cup of tea. I still love you and your messy self Catalpa! It might not be the best choice as an urban street tree but it is lovely where it can grow big and unobstructed.  

A show of white fragrant flowers

Cigar tree indeed!

Now that I've declared my love for Catalpas, back to storm clean up. As a team Mike, Andy, Alain and myself piled limbs of the fallen Catalpa onto our trailers to be hauled away for chipping. Andy, sporting his fabulous orange chaps, chainsawed the limbs into easier to move pieces. Mike, flaunting a fashionable Catalpa leaf on his ear, hauled the logs on to the trailer and tractor. On the other side of the road Alain and I, wearing matching forehead sweat, tackled the branches and debris there. Is this New York Fashion week or Foulkeways? I see no difference. 

It's called Fashion! Mike and Andy working on the large Catalpa trunk 

Alain finishing up the debris clean up on the other side of the road

The huge logs from the trunk were loaded into the dump truck by Andy

By Noon the fallen tree was reduced to just the root ball, which swiftly disappeared today. But wait, there is more! A Linden by N lost an unfortunately large limb.

 Lindens are another neat tree great for providing shade. Identified by the clusters of creamy flowers in early Summer, a neat pyramidal shape, dark green heart shaped leaves with serrated edges and grayish furrowed bark. Linden is a common name for the genus Tilia, a genus rich in folklore and history. Tilia americana, know as American basswood, is native to the East coast. Another popular species grown  here is Tilia cordata, little-leaf Linden, native to Europe. 

The center lost a huge branch, taking away that pyramidal shape

The flowers are wonderfully fragrant and a rich source of nectar for bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. The honey produced by honey bees from Linden nectar is said to be delicious! Every part including the leaves and flowers is edible to humans, the flowers often used in teas and syrups. The native Linden hosts the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, Red-Spotted Purples and Mourning Cloak butterflies. The fruit provides food to wildlife such as birds and squirrels. 

The creamy yellowish flower clusters. Photo via NC State. 

The beautiful shape of Tilia americana. Photo via NC State. 

Folklore and history is abundant around Lindens.  Greek legends consider them a symbol of love and marriage as they did in Ancient Rome, where couples would decorate their homes with linden blossoms.  Early Europeans considered Lindens a symbol of friendship and looked to them for healing. Germanic mythology saw them as holy trees, symbols of peace and justice, love and fortune. The goddess of love and fortune, Freya, was thought to be associated with the trees. Many ceremonies and celebrations were performed around old trees with dancing and music. In Germany and France many would get married under a Linden tree, the sacred trees would create strong and lasting bonds. Overall, the feelings and images around Lindens are positive and happy - I mean who could be mad at them? 

Dance under the Linden Tree, 1881. Ludwig Knaus, Germany. 

I have been around some big and beautiful Lindens and can see why they have been so cherished throughout history. A distinct memory I have from Chanticleer is the huge silver linden (Tilia tomentosa) by the terrace at Chanticleer House, the fragrant flowers would buzz with bee activity when in bloom. This spot was a lovely, quiet place to reflect and enjoy the view through the seasons.

Late Winter framed by the Silver Linden

Spring

Summer

Fall

I got distracted again by trees! Cleaning up continued on various fallen limbs throughout campus. A big sycamore limb close to Meetinghouse. A Crabapple got squashed behind a unit in N. Limbs, Limbs and more limbs! 

There was a good amount of clean up but we were able to move fairly swiftly and safely despite the excessive 90 plus degree heat that Monday brought us. Drinking lots of water really helped but working together also boosted morale.  Yee haw Grounds Team,  our small team of  4 did pretty great! And we got to work on some interesting trees that have lots of importance and history to their names. All and all it was a very positive day despite the losses. 

Are there any trees that spark a memory or with an interesting history?  Comment below! Stay hydrated and cool out there - this heat wave just won't quit. 

Sources: 

American basswood

Folklore

Painting

Blooms on a Budget

 My first introduction to the terrace garden was during my interview with Mike and Andy. We visited a few courtyards including the terrace outside of Gwynedd dining and talked about what could be done. The terrace does have plants but many are high maintenance and not too exciting- drift roses, boxwoods, daylilies.  This garden gets loads of sun and has potential to become a beautiful, floriferous garden. However, renovating the garden was not in the cards for this year but I still felt a little something could be done. 

The garden in the Fall when I started

A quick fix to add color and a view that wasn't a line of boxwoods was an annual seed mix. I ordered the Orange Sherbert Flower Seed mix from Eden Brothers which contains Zinnias, Cosmos, Coreopsis, California poppies and Daisies in shades of pink and orange. As someone who grew cut flowers for years I love Zinnias and Cosmos in the garden. They are easy to grow, great cuts and attract loads of pollinators. Plus Orange Sherbert sounded cute - have I told you how much I love when plants have food names?? It brings me such joy for some odd reason. A 'Blue Muffin' Viburnum?? I'm buying ten. Baptisia 'Lemon Meringue' - say no more I'm already in love!

You're outta here boxwoods!

Mike and Andy cut down all the boxwoods as they were completely infested and why even keep boxwoods anymore? The blight will eventually catch them and in the meantime the pests make it so spraying has to be done often. If a plant is prone to disease or insects and needs to be sprayed a lot it's not worth having in my opinion. Once the boxwoods were gone (see ya!) we put down some compost,  I seeded the mix and we topped with PennMulch to retain moisture. PennMulch is recycled newspaper and fertilizer often used over grass seed but covering with light straw works as well. The PennMulch did an amazing job at retaining moisture for the seeds to germinate and develop quickly. 

Seeded area with PennMulch on top

I continued to add to the terrace as the mix grew in. Tomatoes and basil grown by the one and only Nancy Steinberg are in pots and beds along with loads of annuals I grew with the grow light setup Nancy gave me - Nancy is the gift that keeps on giving apparently :)  Zucchini and Butternut, Calendula, Poppies, Sweet Peas, Fennel, Parsley, and Dill all started from seed are growing well up on the terrace! A pot sits at the bottom of the stairs  ( a pot that was headed for the trash) with Cardinal Climber, Basil and Dianthus that were all gifted to me by a client. This entire project at most cost around $100.  

The little guys emerging 

Shades of green fill the bed

Tomato, squash, calendula and basil 

A sweet pea started from seed bloomed earlier in the season

Cardinal Climber

Right now it's looking very vibrant out there! The mix grew in wonderfully

and pink Zinnias dot the area with Cosmos, Poppies and Coreopsis mixed in. It may just be some annuals but it is satisfying to me that those dining in Gwynedd House can look out and see color, bees and butterflies - and me probably sweating my butt off watering but I'm happy to do it! Today I saw a Monarch fluttering around and loads of bees buzzing about the flowers. It was a quick and affordable way to add a little bit of happiness to the garden. I do hope to add perennials and do a complete redesign of the garden. I would love to see more people out there enjoying it! 

An empty spot now filled

Spot the Monarch! 

Hey there butternut

I love Calendula! It will bloom into Fall. 

Something other than just mulch to look at! 

This pot was free :) Annuals like phlox, butternut and calendula were started from seed. The Alyssum and Salvia were being thrown away at a garden center. A frugal as heck pot that still looks good!

Gardening doesn't have to be super expensive. Seeds are affordable (sometimes even free) and easy to start especially if you just throw a mix down - it can even be a native wildflower mix in the Fall or early Spring. I often find the garden shop next to my apartment purging plants and will scoop them up right away. Plus the wonderful thing about gardeners is we love to share! Befriend a gardener and free plants may be coming your way.

 Happy July - let's all do a rain dance and get through this heat! 

California poppy blooming now