FOLIAGE FOLLOW UP - august

This Maple tree in my neighbour's yard appears to have translucent leaves compared to the Elms towering over it.

It veritably glows.

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LILAC TREE FOLLOWING - part 3

This is the third post about this Lilac tree. Following a tree through the seasons I got from Treeblogging.com

When we bought our home in August it looked like a shrub. Rather bushy, not much personality.

October when we moved in I could see why. It was in need of a serious pruning and had been improperly pruned in the past, trunks cut a few feet up resulting in lots of suckers giving it its overgrown, shrub-like look.

In January we had some mild days, not many, but one was all I needed. 

So I got to work with my secateurs.

A good start.

There, tidier already.

Now that the snow around its base has receded I was out at it again yesterday, this time with a handsaw. 

 The bigger trunks are slow by hand but it is good exercise and I am eager to be outside after a long winter.  A trunk-per-weekend for the next few weeks will have a it ready for spring blooming.

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Part 1

Part 2

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY - front yard

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TREE FOLLOWING - north, part 2

The other week I did my first tree following to share with treeblogging.com

 The photo I shared was taken in the fall after all of the foliage had fallen and I thought the opportunity to see this particular tree with all its bushiness intact and would be past by the time spring comes round given my plans for winter pruning. 

Then I found this pic. 

I took it before we actually took possession of our home in the fall but had forgotten to download it - there are more to come!

And I found this pic too, which I took to share with more experienced gardeners to help me identify the tree, which I think a friend has done already!  

I had dinner guests over and one happens to be a landscape architect.  How he could tell in the darkness that this was a Japanese Lilac Tree is beyond me, but there you go, I think he was right the way he described the horizontal lenticels on the bark (see below) and the seed pods (see above).

I am very happy to have  a lilac tree, and now that I have that in mind, the leaves do look like a lilac even if the shape of the tree did not make me think of the shrubs I am familiar with.

The Japanese Lilac blooms slightly later in June and has a fragrance that I am eager to get to know and which means its placement by the front door should pay sweet dividends.

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A TREE FOLLOWING - north

I discovered a site that aggregates blog content about trees.
TreeBlogging.com
Amazing.  I love trees.


One of the things that I found is that people "follow trees" by sharing photos of a tree throughout the year.  Interesting idea, and today is the first of a few of these posts that I am going to do this year as I get to know my new property and its trees.

This is the first one I am going to document because it is in desperate need of a trim.  

It looks like a very bushy shrub with some decent sized trees in the middle but should really be just a few of the bigger trees.  In fact it should probably just be one tree, but I like a clumping look.

I do not even know what kind of tree it is, but nonetheless I can tell it needs some pruning and have an idea on how I think it should look.   

As soon as I know what it is I will share, or if you know, fill me in.

Soon I will take my secateurs and cut back the smallest stuff and then share another photo.

Then I will get the loppers from the cottage and cut back the next size, and share another photo.

And then I will take out my hand saw and get rid of a few of the bigger trees, and share a photo.

It will be an interesting project, one that I can actually do in the winter and I look forward to sharing and getting feedback.

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MACRO MONDAY - uprooted tree

Have you ever wondered what tree roots look like under the ground?  

Thought "What exactly is holding that thing in place?"

Now you know.

 I took these canoeing in Northwestern Ontario in 1994.  Slightly out of focus but fascinating.

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MACRO MONDAY - birch

I recently digitized some slides I had taken in the 90s.  Even back then I was clearly into nature.

I just love this shot of a birch tree.  

I played with the colour and exposure, which do you prefer the original or this one that has a little more yellow tone to it?

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