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A Modest Suggestion

Started by A Nonny Moose, October 22, 2014, 12:11:47 PM

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A Nonny Moose

Speaking of squirrels, when I visited Grand Canyon, Arizona, I found out that the squirrels on either rim are genetically slightly different from each other.  The canyon actually divides the ecosystem enough for long enough that Darwinian drift is taking place.
Go not to the oracle, for it will say both yea and nay.

[Gone, but not forgotten. Rest easy, you are no longer banished.]
https://www.haskettfh.com/winterton-john-hensall/

rkelly17

Speaking of Black Walnuts, if I were to take one out (never had the opportunity) it would be because they are a bit imperialistic. Their roots secrete a poison (jugulin [sp?] or something like that) that kills many of the plants around them. Not at all good for gardening. We have a big one in an isolated vacant lot behind us, so it isn't a problem for us.

slink

We cut down a sapling black walnut, with great regret, because it was poisoning a larger sycamore.  Twenty years later the sycamore still is not doing very well, and I swear the black walnut is starting to grow back.   :o

Supposedly hostas are immune to their poison.  Not that this affects the ones that I planted, but I just finished planting a little over fifty hostas.  I also planted 28 coral bells and, with my husband's assistance because the ground was very hard there, 70 daffodils.  Earlier I transplanted about four dozen iris plants.  We've bought 34 cubic yards of topsoil and 17 cubic yards of mulch and planted most of two sacks of grass seed.  If the front yard doesn't look a lot better next year, I'm taking up virtual gardening for the rest of my life.   ;D

A Nonny Moose

My black walnut had a patch of grass in the back yard all to itself.  We are aware of its effect on other plants (except grass). 

We didn't have any hostas in that garden but we had several hundred of them at another place where they seemed to be some kind of local weed.  The place was nearly covered with them and wild geranium. 

Wonder of wonders, we also found one, lonely Jack in the Pulpit, which speaking of poisonous plants, is a real dilly.  Calcium oxalate in serious quantity in all parts of the plant, yet something ate the berries.  Some birds must be immune.
Go not to the oracle, for it will say both yea and nay.

[Gone, but not forgotten. Rest easy, you are no longer banished.]
https://www.haskettfh.com/winterton-john-hensall/

slink

Lucky you, to have had hostas as weeds.  We have poison ivy, Virginia creeper, wild grape, and cat brier.  Each has its own set of issues. The poison ivy and the Virginia creeper were growing right up the front of the house.  The wild grape was attempting to kill every tree and shrub in sight.  The cat brier was not doing much harm in my estimation, but my husband took exception to it when it started to climb the downspouts.  Hopefully we have driven them all back into the wild(er) areas beyond the mowed grass.

A Nonny Moose

At that time were were living in a community that was a set of modular bungalows in a forest setting.  Lots were 100 x 150', and covered with mostly forest floor cover.  However, the park had cleared the noxious stuff out.  It was mostly pine forest, very acid soil.  Some things just wouldn't grow unless you put down geocloth and fresh soil.

We had some really tall trees, mostly pines and spruces with a couple of big birches.  Lots of shade.  The interesting time was the 'yellow rain' of pine pollen.  Not a place for anyone allergic to this.  You'd wake up one morning and everything outside was yellow.

We had one really good year where one of our cleared spaces came up full of spruce seedlings.  I simply stopped cutting it, and let them grow.  The dogs seems to enjoy that area.  We had an electronic fence for them since park rules were 'no fences'.
Go not to the oracle, for it will say both yea and nay.

[Gone, but not forgotten. Rest easy, you are no longer banished.]
https://www.haskettfh.com/winterton-john-hensall/

mariesalias

I love trees, especially pine trees! My dad hated raking leaves so he cut down all the trees in our yard when we were kids; had to climb neighbors' trees instead.

I live in a pine forest (a pine rain forest) and the pollen clouds can be beautiful when the wind is blowing them off the trees, but not so nice when everything is coated. And not much fun to be outside during those times as breathing (even without allergies) can be challenging with all that pollen in the air.

irrelevant

#22
We are surrounded by pines as well; been here 11 years. I remember the first time I saw pollen clouds pouring down out of the trees; I couldn't believe it! I also was surprised to learn that pine trees do indeed shed their leaves, despite that misleading "evergreen" lie. Raking a couple of tons of pine needles up out of your lawn is such a treat. But you do have some very nice mulch at the end.

@mariesalias Nice to see you back! I hope things will settle down for you.

mariesalias

@irrelevant  Thanks! I hope you are right. Life is calmer, anyway. I missed posting here and many of the posters here! :)


rkelly17

Quote from: irrelevant on October 30, 2014, 06:16:03 PM
We are surrounded by pines as well; been here 11 years. I remember the first time I saw pollen clouds pouring down out of the trees; I couldn't believe it! I also was surprised to learn that pine trees do indeed shed their leaves, despite that misleading "evergreen" lie. Raking a couple of tons of pine needles up out of your lawn is such a treat. But you do have some very nice mulch at the end.

@irrelevant, I'm pretty sure that "evergreen" has always meant, "Sheds a little bit all the time as opposed to everything all at once." When we lived in Pasadena we had a California Live Oak in the front of our house that certainly lived by that philosophy.

We had a White Pine in the backyard here which we had to take out because the previous owner had planted it too close to the house when it was a cute little living Christmas tree. So no more yellow clouds in pollen season and no more needles to use as mulch for the strawberries (or any acid-loving plant). You haven't had a scary thrill until you've seen half of a full-grown pine flying over the top of your house on a crane!

irrelevant

We have something like 75-100 sixty-foot white pines around our house; they all drop scads of brown needles every year around this time. Currently our place is covered with a brown mat of dead pine needles that I need to get out and rake up  >:(

I'm getting too old for this stuff. :P

rkelly17

Quote from: irrelevant on October 31, 2014, 06:54:35 AM
I'm getting too old for this stuff. :P

Isn't that the truth! Not to mention weeding, general leaf-raking and snow-shoveling. We took out the front lawn years ago, so lawn-mowing isn't an issue. At least my grandson has just turned 13 and enjoys snow and shovels.

A Nonny Moose

Yup.  After my wife passed away, the property became too much for me to maintain even with help.  So I downsized into a small senior's apartment and suddenly have some pocket money I didn't have before.  Maintaining a property is really expensive but it comes in dribs and drabs that you don't notice until you stop.
Go not to the oracle, for it will say both yea and nay.

[Gone, but not forgotten. Rest easy, you are no longer banished.]
https://www.haskettfh.com/winterton-john-hensall/