Category: Tree Shaping

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Straightening a Damaged or Bent Tree

TheGardenLady received this question C.J.Putnam:

During this drought, I noticed my deodor cedar had developed a lean that I don’t believe it had previously.  It was always crowded by a very large pine nearby which was removed a few years ago, but it seems to have developed a wrinkled section of trunk and the lean is more pronounced from the wrinkled part up.  I suspect this is from the wind.  I had not been watering it because there is an aquifer running beneath the property and I assumed it was getting water there but the aquifer may have been drained during the drought.  It is about 40 years old and very, very, tall.  I had an arborist look at it and he suggested trimming it to control windsail, but the lean worries me so much, I’m wondering if I should just go ahead and remove it.  It is a beautiful tree, the most beautiful tree on the property, but it looks dangerous leaning the way it does.

This Garden Lady loves her trees. And Cedrus deodara being one of the most magnificent of trees, TheGardenLady planted one in her back yard. Because of this love, I will suggest doing whatever one can to save a tree. One can always cut a tree down – that’s a ” no brainer.”  First, if you can afford it,  I would get a second opinion.  Be sure that the tree service is certified. I do not recommend any service, but I can tell you that I have used Bartlett Tree Experts.

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The Dry Dip Method for Propagating Hardwood Plants, Trees or Shrubs

Ume, Japanese plum by autan

My favorite fanciful tree creators, Pooktre Tree Shapers, just notified TheGardenLady that they have put a new video on their website. This video shows how to propagate new trees from branches of the wild plum trees that they use for most of their living tree sculptures. They will be using these newly started trees for making more of their delightful tree sculptures. Readers will see how easy it is to propagate hardwood plants, trees or shrubs.

The method being used is called the dry dip method and is a very simple way to get more plants for your garden. You can use the technique to propagate other plants that you might want to grow in your garden. For example, if a friend has an old variety rose bush, you might want for your garden, you can try propagating some roses from the stems.  See here.  You want an older variety of rose to be sure it is growing on its own rootstock, so that your new rose will look exactly the same as the parent.  See here.

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Pooktre, Tree Shapers

TheGardenLady has seen and been amazed by photos of trees that have been shaped to grow in unusual and artistic shapes.

About a year ago, TheGardenLady discovered the works of Tree Shaper, Peter Cook, who is a creator of some of these artistically-shaped trees in Australia. I wrote to him asking if he had a book out about his works. I thought it might be interesting to own a coffee table work of his amazing living tree art. I just received an emailed response from this artist and his significant other, another artist, Becky Northey. Together they have mastered the art of tree shaping and started Pooktre, Tree Shapers, which creates interesting art using trees. Creative artists that they are, they have come up with other exciting art with bits of nature and natural products as well as their shaped trees.

The 2009 Ripleys’ Believe It or Not was equally amazed with Peter Cook’s trees.  See here.

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