Listen & Be Heard Weekly Archives

The skeletal beauty of leafless deciduous trees elegantly evoke the wintry feeling of the season. I love seeing the intricate branching and form that is hidden by leaves from spring to fall. This is the time of year that one can fully realize the horror and folly of topping trees. They look ghastly. They forlornly stand mutilated with their thick trunks and skinny, unportioned branches that desperately popped out in clusters during the growing season. With skilled and patient pruning, a topped tree can be slowly brought back to some sort of decent form, however, the scars left behind will always affect the grace and silhouette of the tree for life. Furthermore, once topped the structural strength and integrity of a tree will be compromised forever. I suggest that if your property has a tree that has been topped, have it removed and replace it with a new one. Many times the rational of topping a tree is that it has grown too large for the lot, or is growing into existing power lines. The world is full of delightfully small sized trees that will fit perfectly within the confines of your garden. Once sited there, they will grow into beautiful specimens that will provide poetic poignancy to the bleakest wintry day to say nothing of raising your property values as much as 25% and cooling down your house in the summer as much as 25 degrees.

Finally, the City Council has approved the Vallejo Tree Master List and it is now available! Among all sorts of fascinating data, it lists trees that PG&E recommends to plant under power lines and also where you can see different varieties of trees actually growing in Vallejo. If you have a topped city tree on your property the city will arrange to have it removed and then replace it with a tree of your choice from the Master List. Is this great news or what? Call Joe Bates at 648-4434 and he?ll begin the process for you.

Madame Peony, I would like to plant birches in my yard however, I have heard that there is an insect that can kill them. What do you suggest?

Yes, unfortunately the dreaded bronze birch borer now lives in California and it kills the trees that it infects. If you live in a neighborhood that mimics their natural riparian habitat, I say give it a try. The borer seems to mainly be attracted to stressed trees. May I recommend that you plant the birch native to India? Its scientific name is Betula jacquemontii. Its pure brilliant white trunk is knock-out beautiful. It grows well in our zone, as does the ubiquitous European birch, Betula pendula. It becomes a larger tree at maturity and does not grow as quickly as it?s European relative and also does not seem to be as favored by the borer.

Madame Peony, I?ve notice trees with beautiful red, bark, do you know what they may be?

They are probably the charming and exquisite Japanese Coral Bark Maple or Sango Kaku, (Acer palmatum). At this time of year they are splendid with their bright red branches and orange trunks glowing in the winter light. There are other deciduous trees that have incredibly beautiful ornamental bark as well. To name a few: the birches I mentioned above, the slow growing Paperbark Maple, the ever present and Anthracnose prone Sycamore, the charming Crepe Myrtles, the stately Cork Oak, and many of the Willows all have beautiful bark that make the winter landscape sing. Plus don?t forget that they will provide that much needed and appreciated summer time umbra.

Be sure to pick up a copy of The Vallejo Master Tree List and keep growing!

Be Sociable, Share!

•