How do you move trees?

[Penners]

I think you're misremembering, Keith.

It was Spike Milligna (the well-known typing error) who, in the persona of Eccles, sand

I talk to the trees
That's why they put me away.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIfqeCj8Xwo

 

[Juju]

The cold weather has killed off cordylines but there was also something on Gardeners World the other month that sometimes they can recover - cut them down to the base and see what happens. Ours died the previous winter so we cut it down and left the base and roots and it did start growing again - only to die this winter. So it's been dug up and chucked out unfortunately... Really they should be wrapped up in fleece for the winter - well, depends how big it is!

Although I'm a girlie I appreciated the picture of the tractor - I might be going on a 2 day course to learn about sit-on mowers, powerful strimmers, hedge trimmers etc - all the scary equipment I've been avoiding in my NT gardening duties!
Juju

 

[Penners]

I might be going on a 2 day course to learn about sit-on mowers

I think I can save you a couple of days there. You sit on them... and mow.

Now it's time for the final exam.....

:wink:

 

[jocelyn plummer]

Although I'm a girlie I appreciated the picture of the tractor - I might be going on a 2 day course to learn about sit-on mowers, powerful strimmers, hedge trimmers etc - all the scary equipment I've been avoiding in my NT gardening duties!Juju

Tractors are not just for the Boys--- have fun! It's really quite exhilarating, as I discovered in my youfff , helping some friends with their harvest, the tractor was a classic red Farmer Giles type, very ancient,but it was the best week of my life driving it!

 

[jocelyn plummer]

Just to cheer us up after talk of winter damaged plants and spookey tree trunks... these poppies flowered in April, much too soon really!

 

[Penners]

I hope this doesn't seem like "flower-upmanship" Joss, but I thought I'd just add this picture of our cactus, taken about a fortnight ago. It's never produced such an amazing display before, despite being about 25 years old.

 

[jocelyn plummer]

The older they are the better they are :wink:

It's beautiful, not one upmanship just pleasure in lovely flowers!

 

[philpjuk100]

The poppies and cacti both look great(and healthy) I promise not to post any more pics of dead trees! I whispered sweet nothings to my dead cordyline yesterday and then took a chainsaw to it!

 

[JoceAndChris]

Hi,not much of a gardener so would welcome advice,the winter has not been kind to my garden and my cordyline australis has died,I have been hoping that it may recover but now accept it is dead.It was 20+ foot tall and I now need to replace it with something interesting but more hardy and of similar habit (long trunk/bushy top) has anyone any sugestions? Also a eucalyptus probably over 40ft tall looked ok but I now notice many of the leaves have died,is this terminal?is there anything I can do to help it? would welcome any advice from "them with green fingers" phil.

I wouldn't pass a death sentence on your eucalyptus yet! They are known to drop a lot of stuff and the amount of leaves I clear here daily is colossal for June- due to drought - I'd water it and mulch and see what happens.

The growth pattern of trees is controlled by light, nutrition and what you chop off! So, really, pretty much any tree could have a long trunk and a bushy top.

Cordylines are spiky and un-cottagey anyhow, I'm glad mine died this winter. Have you looked at the cornus family? Or whitebeams? Cornus controversa variegata would make a nice anniversary gift to judrop, wedding cake tree - really lovely.
http://www.crocus.co.uk/plants/_/shrubs/cornus-controversa-variegata/itemno.PL00001749/

Laburnums are lovely too, as is pink siris - although that looks tricky to grow. Gorgeous though.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albizia_julibrissin

I'm the angel of death in my garden at the moment though. 8) Having seen the possibilities, we're saying goodbye to pretty much everything, except the very very mature beeches and yews, and some of the tall holly hedge. Chopped down 4 hollies this weekend. The sense of emerging from gloom is astonishing. And I found an old stone structure- little ice house? I'm not sure yet, it's still too covered up.

 

[Feltwell]

I know Capability Brown did it so why can't I!

I have some little yew trees, about 4 feet high - in the spinney. I want to move them to the beds by the entrance to create giant cakestands - like this.

4' - Pfah! The Yanks just have to do it bigger don't they - a 70' tree gets moved in this video, proper big boy's toys to move it as well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SL6ARIxW5u0

 

[philpjuk100]

Thanks for the advice,the euclyptus has had "fish,blood and bone" spread around it`s base and had many buckets of water poured on it but it just disappears and the soil still seems dry,as I have "riparian rights" for water extraction from the river I may rig up a pump to water it. With the cordyline cut down for a couple of days we are now getting used to the new vista and may not replace it.Nice thought a wedding cake tree as an anniversary gift for Julie but I think she would rather have a car! phil ICE HOUSE! pics please!

 

[JoceAndChris]

Yes, I'm sure I'd rather have a car too!!

Feltwell- that clip was excellent, we really enjoyed watching that, thanks! You wouldn't be able to drive that machine into this garden but still, jealous!

I won't post pics of the ice house just yet as it isn't sufficiently cleared, and may after all, just be a circular wall or rounded stone pig sty. :? Somebody's put a fence through the back of it, so it's hard to interpret. There are enough stones there to make it into a little folly though.

 

[Penners]

I wouldn't pass a death sentence on your eucalyptus yet!

I quite agree. Trees can behave very differently from year to year, depending on the seasonal weather patterns. Give Mr Gum a reprieve - he may come back strongly next year.

Cornus controversa variegata

Trust you to recommend something controversial!

 

[Moo]

may after all, just be a circular wall or rounded stone pig sty.

Or (even more exciting) a WWII pill-box!!!

 

[Penners]

From the sound of it, one that took a direct hit!

 

[Moo]

It would have had to be a direct hit by something pretty powerful, if the one we discovered in the front garden of our house-before-last is anything to go by.
Someone had obviously tried to demolish it, but had given up quite quickly: the reinforced concrete walls and roof were a couple of feet thick.

 

[Penners]

I'm always amused by the pillbox at lil' ol' Walberswick.

I can just imagine Der Fuehrer's instructions: "Herr General - ve vill now mount ze invasion of England, gaining our first foothold in ze shtrategic shtronghold of Valbersvick."

 

[AMc]

I suspect Pillboxes will be one of the most enduring 20C artifacts - they're often stuck in remote places and given their incredible strength and the low value of their materials I can't see many people removing them without a very good reason.
Are there any preserved properly?

 

[Schoolmarm]

They (lol) tried to list ours in Turton but it failed.

go to 4th pic from the bottom
http://www.wainwright-wanderings.co.uk/OP021.htm

 

[wobs]

There are many such structures on the East coast near us. At Spurn Point, there are even the remains of gun inplacements from two world wars (no world cup related structures of course). Although many are semi buried in the sand dunes, you can still get inside some of them.

Although many further up the coast from there haven't so much fallen into disrepair, as fallen into the sea.