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Rhododendron 'Blue Baron' Greetings from a wet, wet garden. In between rains, I've managed to get a few photos... (And sorry for the erratic quality of these. I have a new phone and still learning how to use it. Some of these are from the phone and others from my camera). Acer japonicum 'Aconitifolium' ('Dancing Peacock') Flowering Currant ( Ribes sanguineum ) 'King Edward VII' Clematis 'Stolwijk Gold' is beautiful for the first time after languishing in the garden for five years. Turns out, it is all my fault. This is a clematis that should not be cut to the ground in early spring. You live and learn, and I know that I will never understand the rules of pruning clematis.  Clematis 'Stolwijk Gold'  Aucuba japonica 'Rozannie' - the aucuba that doesn't really look like the others.  But what a fine shrub this is, especially for shady situations. This was planted in 2019 and didn't grow much for the first few years but n...
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Goodbye to the Eucalyptus


 
Another wind storm, another case of the leaning tower of eucalyptus. In the past, I have been staking it after leaning it back up but it has become so big that I think the situation was hopeless. And the new fence is in the path of destruction. In hindsight, I did not place this tree carefully. It is planted in the shallow bed of the terrace and a large tree doesn't look good smacked right in the middle of the fence-line anyway.

Still, removing it (and any tree for that matter) is painful. It is such a beautiful tree. Amazingly fast-growing, this was planted from a quart-sized pot only 4 years ago.
 
Look at how beautiful the wood is - sigh
 

 
Looking out the bedroom window from above shows the new view. If you look closely, you can see the stub of the bottom trunk which is still standing. It certainly opened up the view.



I now know of a much better spot for a eucalyptus along the side of the driveway although it will involve moving a hemlock. I will mull this over during the winter months. After all, they grow so fast...


Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy
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  1. Kris PetersonNovember 1, 2021 at 12:47 PM

    The removal does open up your view from inside, Phillip. I know it's hard to take down an otherwise healthy tree but Eucalyptus do need to be very carefully sited for the sake of safety. They're notorious for coming down in bad storms here in California, which was a factor in the decision to remove a very large specimen we inherited with our current garden (in addition to the complaints of a neighbor who claimed it interfered with her view, which is an issue governed by a local community ordinance here).

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  2. ksNovember 2, 2021 at 7:00 PM

    If you leave the stump don't be surprised if your Euc pops tight back up again in spring.

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  3. Lisa at GreenbowNovember 4, 2021 at 3:01 AM

    It is always sad to have to remove a tree. The more open view is nice. You have a lot of color in the garden right now.

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  4. Hoover BooNovember 5, 2021 at 10:22 PM

    Yes what ks said, they quickly re-spout from the stump--whether you want them to or not!

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