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RECALL A TREE, PLANT A TREE ON ARBOR DAY
When I was a boy, the tree growing at the center of our farmyard was named The Big Elm. Our driveway circled the tree. We walked past it at least four times every day to and from the barn and, on a busy day, we maybe shuffled past that tree 50 or more times.
The summer shade provided by The Big Elm served as a magnet for our noontime naps, chore-scheduling discussions, car washings and picnics.
The Big Elm came to mind this week as I thought Arbor Day on April 25. Who could have imagined - 150 or 200 years ago when The Big Elm began its majestic life - the contribution that tree would make to my family and to countless critters and birds over the decades?
Can you recall a particular tree from your youth? Others that come to my mind are the catalpa we often climbed...and then cursed each fall when it shed its huge leaves and seed pods; the willow that yielded homemade whistles when my uncle Paul came to visit and skewer sticks for wiener roasts; the two cedar trees outside my bedroom window that whistled when the wind blew; and the maple tree in the pasture woods that provided the base for my first tree house.
When you plant your tree or trees on April 25 (I'm counting on you!), give your imagination free reign and ponder some of the pleasures that tree will give to folks occupying your space 50 or 100 years from now.
Several years ago, I planted a Haralred apple tree in honor of my dad's 82nd birthday. Last summer it bore a dozen red apples and will remind me of Dad's love of trees (and apples) in the years to come.
There are plenty of excuses for planting a tree: as a gift to your wife or husband, in honor of your mother or father, to commemorate a new son or daughter, grandson or granddaughter, as future nesting and roosting place for song birds.
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In light of the hardship and devastation caused by recent flooding, I shouldn't complain about last week's frost damage to spring bulbs and tender perennials. In fact, if I had paid attention to historical weather patterns or even the weather forecast, I would have heaped mulch over the 6-inch tulips and daffodils until the arctic blast passed by.
It was depressing, nonetheless, to look at wilted tulip and daffodil greens and bud stems that had the appearance of two-day old salad. Most spring plants can take a little frost but sustained temperatures below 10ƒF is simply too much for any kind of new green growth in April.
An extension horticulturist at Dial-U told me that tulips and daffodils and other spring bulbs that weren't covered by mulch wouldn't bloom this spring. He had just returned from a tour of tulips and daffodils on the St. Paul Campus and said most looked like they had been run over by a truck.
I remember writing in this column two years ago about the delay in the appearance of oak leaves. Initial fears of oak wilt were unfounded when the problem was linked to a sub-zero cold snap in early April. So, keep last week's cold snap in mind when your plants behave unusually this May and June.
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I was asked recently about what to do with Easter pots of bulb flowers. They can be planted outdoors, but it may not be worth the bother. It's unlikely these tulips will bloom again the same year under any circumstances. If you want to save the bulbs, cut off the flower stalks after flowering and continue to water as needed until the leaves turn yellow. Then stop watering, cut leaves back, and put the entire pot in a cool (50ƒF) dark place until August. In August, separate bulbs and plant 6 inches deep outdoors with a handful of bulb fertilizer.
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PUTTING DOWN ROOTS:
A Delightful Blend of
Gardening Wisdom, Wit
and Whimsy
$10 + $2 for shipping
by Cliff Johnson |
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