Our regional hail storm on June 30th, did not encompass Evanston, but we did suffer some dramatic storm damage.
The following afternoon I was returning from a client on the North Shore (which hardly got any rain), when my husband called with breaking news. He wanted to prepare me for the change at home.
For years I have been moaning about the "evil Bradford Pear" tree, in general, but also specifically since we have, or HAD, one mature specimen on our parkway. This is municipal property and thus, basically beyond our control...even more so since we live in a vintage condo. What happened is a textbook case of why liking the flowers that appear for one week is not sufficient reason to plant this tree...ironically I had just returned from aforementioned client whose neighbor had just planted 2 (!) ten feet on center...this for a tree that grows about 40' tall and 30' wide. Yes, I have also cited the fact that being so un-native here, it hardly attracts any insects which would feed the birds. And how its roots reach so far and strong that many municipalities have banned it for the havoc it wrecks on water systems and pipes. But really, the reason you don't want to plant it now is because of exactly what happened to our tree well down-the-road (the arborists guessed about 35 years). This tree doesn't have a strong central leader and that results in many competing branches. That leads to weak crotches and branches that can fall off on cars (what happened here) or people (what luckily didn't happen here).
I assume the storm played a role in helping this weak limb fall, but what was amazing is that in this economy (diminished funds for our municipal forestry dept.), the arborists came out to assess the fallen branch and decided the whole tree was a hazard and had to go immediately. So while I feel a loss, I feel even more strongly that this change was necessary and for the best.
So above you can see the shoemaker's children's garden (mine) on the right running from the double-file viburnum (poorly pruned by some guys who are well-meaning but badly trained) up to about where the tree trunk is down. The surprise for me is that I now have a section of garden about 12' by 2' that is full sun in soil that is basically sand (old lake bed): shocking after years of working in shade. So now my challenge is how to redo that space which will be inundated by dog pee year-round and salt in the winter. I am thinking tulips, grasses, allium and bayberry. ANYBODY HAVE ANY OTHER IDEAS???
Below you can see the nice souvenir one of the arborists cut for me which I plan to display on the back porch.
7 comments:
Wow, that is quite a change. How about thinking of plants that grow near the beach, such as rosa rugosa?
Rosa rugosa would be a good idea except space is so tight, those thorns would lean over sidewalk and attack pedestrians.
"So now my challenge is how to redo that space which will be inundated by dog pee year-round and salt in the winter...."
'Dog Pee and Salt' sounds like a title for a book that might appeal to would-be urban gardeners, Julie. I live on a street corner and my upstairs neighbors and I have more or less given up on planting around shrubs on our narrow strips of land, due to the double affliction you identify.
As always, thanks for your visually wonderful and content rich blog.
Thank you, Liz, for making me chuckle!
My street bed which gets all the road salt and dog stuff has big root geraniums, Hostas, Hakona chloa, tiny spirea, daffs, mini daylilies etc and all doing fine. In the traffic island which gets better sun are more small daylilies, Asiatic lilies, catmint and colorful Heucheras. Look for traffic island post later this week.
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