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Showing posts with the label Dead Trees

Lost: Columnar Scotch Pine Tree - November 2023

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Planted early this year - with MUCH fanfare - my Columnar Scotch Pine tree is dead.  I yanked it out and returned it for a store credit.   Earlier this Fall, I noticed that it was *really* struggling, so I decided to do something pretty drastic:  transplanting it.   I also decided - as part of the transplant process - to lop-off all the dead parts.  I thought that maybe it wanted more sun, so I put it by the boardwalk.  Here's what it looked like when I transplanted it in September:  some green needles, but not doing well: Six weeks later, it was gone.  Below is what it looked like before I dug it out:  no more green needles. I've talked about how I haven't, historically done enough with conifers.  But, part of the reason for that negligence is because I've had such bad luck with them.  This is another lost conifer in a long-line of them.  Have I made up for things with my new Conifer Garden?  Maybe.  But, might they all end up like this columnar Scotch Pine?  Maybe, t

LOST: Japanese Flowering Kwanzan Cherry Tree - September 2023

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Add two trees.  Take one away.  That's what has happened recently with the addition of the pair of Kousa Dogwood trees along the garage wall (pre-espalier) .  And now...the documenting of losing one of the original trees that I planted when we bought our lot:  a Kwanzan Flowering Cherry Tree.   Before we moved in, we planted five trees:  a dawn redwood (Died and replaced), a Chanticleer Pear Flowering Tree (in the back, between the tree swing tree and the Hornbeams.  Still alive).  A pair of Greenspire Linden trees that I've espaliered.  Still alive.  And this Japanese Flowering Cherry tree.  Now dead).    After we moved in, I planted a Corkscrew Willow (dead) and a Crimson King Maple (also dead).   That first year, our landscaper planted two trees:  a Saucer Magnolia and a Flowering Pear Tree.  The first of which died, but was replaced.   All-up, that means that first year (2017), we planted: 9 trees.  5 of which (now) died.  Three were not replaced (Willow, Flowering Cherry,

In Memoriam - Four Deaths in 2023 (So Far)

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Like they do at the Hollywood Awards shows, I should (if I had more time) make a montage video marking the "In Memoriam" of everything that we've planted and died.  I suppose this post - showing four trees that didn't make it through Winter this year - will have to do (for now). First tree lost:  our first Japanese Maple: Tamukeyama .  Too bad.  I'll try to replace this with another Japanese Maple.  The next two trees (if we're calling them that...) are a two of the three Green Giant Thujas planted back by the Lilacs.  One of them remains, but two of them went orange. I yanked one of them out and put it back by the compost pile.  I'll do the same with the others this weekend when I find the time. The last one, that I don't have a photo of (because...I'm pretty sure the dang rabbits gnaw'd it all the way down to the ground) is the Shagbark Hickory.   It, too, is struck out below.  With this update, I am changing some of the stats.  2023 marks my

Update on Pinus Parviflora 'Glauca Nana' - Japanese White Pine - Zone 5 - June 2022

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Earlier this Spring, I received a few comments on a post from last year where I talked about after some hemming-and-hawing, I brought home and planted a special tree: a Japanese White Pine - Pinus Parviflora 'Glauca Nana' .  Below are a couple of them - that are similar:   "I saw this tree and I'm intrigued.  How is your's doing?" I replied back in the comments with my thoughts (more on that below), but I thought this might deserve a full post.  First....about the tree.  It has a siren call.  You can't NOT notice it amongst the pallets upon pallets of Arborvitae and Boxwoods.  And, I have to admit...I saw the exact same thing that the two commentors had - at the Big Box Orange nursery this Spring.  Here's the beauty that was calling me to bring it home from back in May: So, I won't waste time.  My tree didn't make it.  My Japanese White Pine - Glauca Nana - went brown in Winter and got worse as time went on.  When Spring came, it was crispy, ha

Japanese White Pine Spotted - April 2022

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There I was, wandering around the parking lot nursery at my local big box store when I saw it staring at me.  It was pulled off the pallet and was standing proud - almost as if another shopper was intrigued by it, pulled it out to get a better look and then abandoned it.  What am I talking about?  This beauty below - a Japanese White Pine - Pinus Parviflora Nana. How does that make me feel?  Like this: Why?  Because, I hemmed-and-hawed about this tree last year and FINALLY bought one when it dropped to 50% off .  I babied it.  And what happened?  It is dead.  All brown dead.   The lure of this is strong, but I need to learn from my mistakes:  I'm not certain that this tree works for me, my garden and my zone.  But, do I really know?  Or, does it take two trees to be sure??  There's REALLY only one way to find out, right?  

Cleaning Up The Tree Planting List - May 2021

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Earlier this month, I posted some photos about our first Japanese Maple tree - a Tamukeyama Maple - and mentioned that it was the 54th tree that I've planted over the five growing/planting seasons we've been in Downers Grove.  I also mentioned that I wasn't sure my math was totally right.  We had have some trees die that I don't think I've posted updates on.  This post is my attempt to get current with the situation we have as of May 2021. First, I CAN say that I've planted 54 trees. 2017: 9 trees 2018: 17 trees 2019: 9 trees 2020: 17 trees 2021: 2 trees I've also documented 12 trees that failed. 3 Planted in 2017: Chanticleer Pear, Dawn Redwood, Corkscrew Willow 3 Planted in 2018: Weeping Cedar, Fraser Fir, Canadian Hemlock 4 Planted in 2019: Three of the six Canadian Hemlocks, Dappled Willow 2 Planted in 2020: Lombardy Popular, Horstman Recursive Larch. That would mean that we have 42 trees alive and well.  But, there are even more that have died t