As you know, I am a very big fan of old trees – maple, birch, willow, linden, to name a few. Mature specimens of many of my favorites dot the property. Luckily, I can enjoy their unparalleled beauty through virtually every window in the house. I’m very grateful to the prior owners of the past 200+ years who cared for these trees so they could reach their full potential or who selected species of trees that have so enhanced my little patch of green.
Keeping these trees clear of underbrush and vines is an ongoing priority as they add a graceful grandeur to the property that I doubt any manmade feature could.
Two weeks ago, I finally cleared beneath a stately old maple that lies west of the house and fire pond.
Doing so emphasized two nearby accent trees, a golden arborvitae and bald cypress that together with the maple form a lovely triangle. One that was overdue to be decluttered.
The Maple
It’s one of the grandest trees here and has survived decades of vicious New England weather with very little damage. However, an unsightly “bracelet” of underbrush had grown beneath it, diminishing its presence. I strongly believe that a tree trunk should be largely unobstructed in order to properly showcase the tree.
It took only two hours to cut and remove the unwanted vegetation. I was very pleased with the result which is shown in the featured image for this post.
Why did it take me three and a half years to finally do this? Well, a major reason is that I was worried about cutting any deliberate understory plants. I could identify only invasive bittersweet and burning bush and a deciduous azalea which was almost completely hidden by mystery greenery (even when loaded with gorgeous lilac blossoms). Fortunately, my two neighbors whom I’ve known for most of my life are very knowledgeable gardeners and have been answering my gardening questions.
Green Trash vs. Green Treasure
Two weeks ago, one of them kindly walked with me around the maple and identified the only other keeper hiding the trunk: fothergilla. I’d never heard of it, couldn’t remember it looking or smelling spectacular and would have cut it, if she hadn’t told me what it was.
Based on my quick research: fothergilla is a shade-tolerant North American native and has wonderfully fragrant bottlebrush-like white flowers in spring; it also pairs well with azaleas and rhododendrons. I don’t know which variety grows here, but given its size I suspect it’s Fothergilla Major (Mountain Witch Alder). If that’s what I have, it’s also the recipient of the Cary Award which recognizes outstanding plants that thrive in New England. As I’ve noted in other posts, I think it’s a good idea to postpone cutting a plant until you know what it is! Of course, if the plant poses an imminent threat, then it should be removed as soon and as safely as possible.
What else did my neighbor identify? Invasive honeysuckle. As soon as she said it, I was itching to cut it to the ground! No doubt, it and the burning bush had outcompeted the fothergilla. As we pushed back the invasives we also discovered lovely stonework, a clump of yuccas, and what appeared to be a type of geranium (or, possibly violet) ground cover. Such lovely surprises. We’re both eagerly awaiting next spring to see what other desirable plants may be growing there.
No Herbicide Yet
In this location, I would have preferred to eradicate the invasives permanently by dabbing the cut stems with an herbicide that I’ve had great success using. However, once plants go dormant in the fall, they likely absorb less herbicide, rendering it much less effective. Cutting and dabbing is slow work so when I do it, it needs to count. That means spring and summer. Also, my tree guys were scheduled to be here in a few days to do another big job of sawing and chipping leaning dead trees and big cracked branches, so I wanted to clear as much as I could before their arrival. They chip and remove everything – or, at my request, dump the chips in a big pile at the edge of a hayfield.
Golden Arborvitae (of Some Sort)
Once I begin clearing around one tree, I seem to see underbrush and fallen or dangling dead branches everywhere.
After I cleared around the maple, I examined the nearby golden arborvitae. I don’t know the exact type, but it’s about twenty feet tall with an oval shape. It was a mess.
The poor thing was swamped with bittersweet on top and crowded by aging lilacs at the bottom. I hadn’t really noticed the tree until my neighbor pointed it – and its snapped branch – out to me.
I regret not removing the bittersweet vines when I bought the property; their heaviness likely contributed to the central leader succumbing to one of last year’s snowfalls.
Many lilacs were growing almost parallel to the ground. My neighbor identified them, but I’ve forgotten their name. She also told me that they had stopped blooming some time ago; she has the same ones growing on her property and they have also petered out. I cut the lilacs to two feet, in the hopes that they will generate new growth that I can keep at about six feet tall.
The Remains
As soon as my tree guys cut and hauled away the refuse, the shape of the remaining arborvitae was evident. Sadly, I could see that at least one-third of the central leader had been lost, bent beneath a blanket of bittersweet. A few branches had been badly damaged as well, leaving one side somewhat sheared. The photos below show the dead leader section (with berry-laden bittersweet) next to the surviving arborvitae; the lilacs, prior to cutting; the tree from different angles; and the awful jungle of thick bittersweet snaking out of the ground and onto the arborvitae. I hope this upland neighbor of the maple can recover over time and may consult with an arborist to improve its chances.
Bald Cypress
The golden arborvitae’s dramatic reveal led me to survey the surrounding area. What else could I cut while my tree guys were here to haul it away? I settled on one of the two biggest bald cypresses. Its splaying trunk was hidden by weeds, and a few bittersweet vines had climbed almost to the top of the tree. Just ten minutes of cutting resulted in another welcome sight:
Later this fall or winter I will cut the bittersweet from the other trees in this area. Once spring arrives, I’ll do a fresh cut and dab the bittersweet with herbicide. Then, monthly brush hogging and weeding will need to occur so that these lovely trees (and the foot bridge in the above photo on the right) are clearly visible.
I’m grateful that the maple tree and bald cypress are healthy and that the golden arborvitae still shows such promising signs of life. As with all of the trees here, I look forward to enjoying their beauty for many years to come.