Q. First of all, thank you for your Gardening Q&A in the Review
Journal. I have found it to be most helpful in establishing my
garden in Nevada. It is a constant learning experience to find what will
grow best with the considerations of water and what the rabbits won't eat.
I have questions regarding the Australian Bottle Tree in our front yard.
(see attached pictures). Should we trim and shape the tree? It has
grown to a considerable height. The wind, appearance, and mostly
health of the tree are our concerns. Does the
cracking and area of darkness on the trunk need addressing?
And should I wrap the trunk in winter? We are at 3000 feet in
Anthem and sometimes have a slightly lower winter temperature range.
A. Very nice looking tree. Personally, I would not do anything to it.
I know it may not look picture perfect but that is what can be charming about
native trees used in our environment.
As it grows more it will naturally fill
in some of the void's. You could prune it to shape it a bit but be very careful
when you do this and do not change it radically or the plant will respond the
way it wants to and you may not like it.
You could identify some of the tallest
limbs and bring the height of the tree back down so that it's similar to the
rest. Shaping probably shouldn't have occurred a little bit earlier and you
could have avoided some of this but you could do some light pruning on this
tree if you want to. That is your call and I know that you may not be entirely
pleased with its informal look. But don't do anything dramatic to it or you
could end up with some problems such as sunburn on the lower limbs and some die
back.
If you are going to do it, do it this winter and do it yourself or hire
someone who has a good reputation with shaping trees. This tree is a focal
point on your property.
Thank you very much for your two responses to our questions. I'm very pleased to know that the tree is not in need of any drastic measures. We like it also - and will not do anything to it. It was a neighbors several comments that could have moved us in the wrong direction.
ReplyDeleteComing from Southern California, near the ocean - it has been an interesting endeavor to find what succeeds here. We installed an arbor along the entire west side of our home, and are finding it to be one of our most enjoyable gardening areas. Just within our own property, there are seperate environments. The courtyard at times radiates more heat, etc. Thanks to your column over our last 6 years here, you have helped us broaden our knowledge more specific to location than sometimes available researching the internet.