Three for Thursday

My friend Plantwoman posted this week about a semi-annual ritual we Houston area gardeners know well: the trimming of the trees. Unlike at Christmas, this is rarely a festive occasion or cause for celebration. The local electric company sends crews out to cut back trees that are growing too close to the power lines. These guys aren't much interested in artfully pruning and shaping: they're not paid to do an artistic job, just a utilitarian one. Like Plantwoman, I acknowledge the necessity of keeping power lines unobstructed and I appreciate the workers' efforts in the miserable August heat. Should we have a repeat of last September's hurricane, I'll be much happier if we don't lose power (the Head Gardener and I get cranky if we don't have a/c). It's not even my own trees that were butchered ... mangled ... decimated, but those of my neighbor across the alley. Still, the "borrowed" view is very much a part of my garden and I enjoy it as a backdrop to my own plantings. Or I did.

Here's how it looked Monday morning. The dark green tree festooned with pink coral vine (in the upper right quadrant of the picture) is a Bradford Pear; to its left but not quite visible, there's a pale pink Crape Myrtle.

This is the view today.

Here's a close-up view of what's left of the Bradford Pear tree. Pretty sad, isn't it?

Truthfully, I really don't know why my neighbors don't cut the whole danged tree down. Well, yeah, I do: it provides some shade from the afternoon sun, although I can't believe it's enough in proportion to the aggravation it causes. WHEN it has leaves, it's a very messy tree. I'll be interested to see how this one recovers from the whackness. And I believe I'll start looking for something to plant along my back fence to fill the empty spot. Too bad Grancy Greybeard (Chionanthus virginicus) is so messy, too. It's way too big for my back garden anyway.