While out jogging, or new year’s resolution abandoned

Not long ago, I found myself reflecting on my tree planting selections in my yard over the last year.  Two are Craigslist rescues and I’ve been having my doubts about them.

The loquat is not looking good, at all.  I don’t know what is wrong with it, but it seems ignoring it has only made it worse.

It’s been flowering for months.  A desperate reproductive strategy employed by a tree that knows its days are numbered?

I think it is time to admit defeat and say goodbye.  I have a healthy loquat that has put on a ton of growth and I might move it to this spot — less than two years ago, I planted it from a small 4-inch container purchased at Cistus.  I didn’t detect any growth the first year, but now it reaches the top of my 6-foot fence.

Then there’s the ginkgo, which I foolishly brought home sight unseen.  Constrained for time, I sent my husband and one of my sons to dig it up and bring it home in my brother-in-law’s truck.  It’s very healthy, but it has a double leader.  My favorite form for a ginkgo is upright with a central leader.  Anyone want a spreading ginkgo?

I thought I talked myself into giving up tree salvaging as a hobby.

But on Thursday last week, I was out jogging and saw this in a front yard.

I deliberated a whole 5 or 6 seconds before I knocked on the door to ask about any future plans for this tree.  No answer.  So later I drove by to drop off a polite inquiry in writing.  No call.  The next day, no call. Weekend, same.  OK, good — I was actually relieved to be saved from my vice of second hand tree collecting.

But then Monday night I got a friendly VM from the owner giving me the go ahead to rehome this poor tree.  Yippee!

I took my assistant over today.

And into the van it went.

I never thought about what to do with this thing after bringing it home.  This palm has 6 feet of trunk, and measures 9 feet with the mass of leaves.  Since it needs some elaborate burlap wrapping and staking, we decided it had to go into a pot until we could prepare a site and deal with the staking.  Embarrassing, but here it is lashed to our basement stairs and deck railing which is the only place where it wouldn’t potentially fall, endangering a child, pet or plant.

Fingers crossed.

Wordless Wednesday 12/17/2014

Wind, Wilshire Park

This is what happens with high winds following days and days of rain.

The soil becomes saturated and the force of the wind hitting that large mass of trunk and limbs causes entire trees to topple.

I’m sure this isn’t the only casualty around Portland due to yesterday’s high winds — reported gusts up to 67 mph at the airport!

October 2014 Bloom Day

My glorybower tree, Clerodendrum trichotomum, has been flowering like mad all summer and I notice that it’s still going.  I didn’t get photos yesterday and it’s pouring rain right now so instead I’ll show yesterday’s shots of my loquat, Eriobotrya japonica.

Most of the flowers aren’t open yet.

I climbed up a ladder to get this shot:

Not super impressive, but I’m excited to see the first blooms on my tree.

This tree was a Craigslist acquisition in March.  It protested the move by dropping most of its leaves and looking pretty pathetic all spring, but gradually sprouted new leaves over the summer.

The overall picture of this tree is still pretty sad, but it will fill out over time.

I planted it in a spot where I had a western serviceberry, Amelanchier alnifolia, for over 15 years.

I loved the mottled bark of the serviceberry, the rosaceous leaves, and delicate flower clusters, but I got frustrated dealing with rust symptoms and also wanted an evergreen screening tree for this corner.

Take a peek at more Bloom Day flowers on May Dreams Gardens.

10/8/2014 Wordless Wednesday