The trees got their annual trim

I have a tree service in on an annual basis but I don't have every one of them trimmed each year.  However, this year, I included more of them than usual.  This year's exercise included pruning fourteen trees and four tree-sized shrubs, as well as the removal of two dead shrubs and shearing the tall hedge that backs our lath house.  It took the entire day. 

The house and garden had a lovely peppermint scent that day as all six of the Agonis flexuosa (aka peppermint willows) were trimmed.  I think sending the mass of that debris through the chipper is what perfumed the air.

This one on the south end of the back garden is the largest .  It singularly accounts of much of the shade in my back garden but it'll be sunnier now for a time.

This Agonis sits in the northwest corner of the front garden near the property line.  It's always been more wispy than the tree shown in the prior photo.  I don't have it pruned often.

This one alongside the driveway entrance is also on the wispy side and seldom trimmed

The 2 Agonis located directly behind the front hedge along the street may get trimmed the most frequently.  They're more prone to wind damage it seems.

This one on the south side of the garden has always looked a little wonky

The Arbutus 'Marina' (aka strawberry trees) do get trimmed annually.  A good cleanup of the trees' dense interior canopies is necessary to prevent black mildew from forming.  Pruning temporarily reduces the volume of flowers, beloved by hummingbirds, but it keeps the trees healthy and the canopies quickly flesh out.

These 2 Arbutus sit on the north end of back garden

This Arbutus on the northwest side of the front garden presents the trickiest pruning challenge due to all the succulents planted below it.  The agaves suffered "edema" (damage to their leaves) when they were covered by a tarp 2 years ago but the team avoids using those now.

This Arbutus on the south end of the front garden sits atop a moderate slope, also planted with agaves and other succulents

The other trees that received beauty treatments this year include:

Acer palmatum 'Sango Kaku' almost got lost on the list but I pointed it out before the team left and one of the crew did a neat job of cleaning it up 

Pruning this lime citrus tree (Citrus aurantiifolia) is a last chance try at saving it.  I inherited it with the garden and while it still produces a lot of fruit, they're tiny and we've little use for them.  It's in the cutting garden area and sited next to the former fence.  If the lime tree is eventually removed, that space may provide me an opportunity to install a small greenhouse.  The fence behind it separates our property from our neighbor on the north side.

The Magnolia grandiflora is another tree that receives an annual pruning.  The principal purpose is to clear its canopy from the roof.

The ornamental pear tree, Pyrus calleryana, is a messy thing, dropping both leaves and inedible fruit that even the critters don't seem to care for.  The debris has been substantially reduced (for now). 

We have ten other trees I didn't include, three additional citrus, two western redbuds (Cercis occidentalis), two pineapple guavas (Feijoa sellowiana), a noID guava (maybe Psidium guajava), and two persimmons (Diospyros kaki).  In retrospect, I wish I'd thrown in at least the redbuds and one of the persimmons, as well as the lemon tree at the bottom of the slope.

Some of my tree-sized shrubs have gotten so large that they're hard for me to handle:

This is Callistemon 'Cane's Hybrid'.  It replaced another tall Agonis flexuosa that a former neighbor bullied me into removing based on the claim that it blocked her view of the port years ago.

I used to prune these 2 'Copper Glow' Leptospermums myself, which took hours and hours.  Last year, I decided to hand the chore off to the tree service, which does the job in a fraction of the time it took me.

Leucadendron salignum 'Chief' is another plant that outgrew expectations.  There was one large limb that stretched along the ground and rested its heavy branches on the hedge behind it.  I'm a little concerned that lopping off that limb may kill it but the service did a clean job of removing it at least.  I still have more work to do to cut away the remaining dead foliage. 

The removals (not photographed) included a dead Ceanothus arboreus, also tree-sized, and a large Coprosma repens.  The much-loved Ceanothus 'Clifford Schmidt', which I'd planted from a one-gallon pot, dropped dead in late spring after ten years in the ground.  The tall Coprosma 'Plum Hussey' was poorly placed and was effectively strangled by a rampant honeysuckle vine that crept up from the upper area of the back slope.

The tree service did a great job of cleanup, although leaves and small branches continue to fall as expected.  There was relatively little collateral damage this year, although I lost a branch with Tillandsias wired onto it, which I'd stupidly left on the ground below two of the trees slated for trimming - it must have picked up with the debris and that's entirely my fault as I usually do a better job of clearing work areas before the crew arrives.  However, without an extra charge, the service agreed to send the fence boards my husband recently removed through their chipper, saving him weeks of parsing that out in stages using our recycle bins so that's a win. 

We received some more rain on Thursday, which may spill over into Friday.  From there, we expect some dry, sunny days to carry us through the Thanksgiving holiday.

Best wishes for a pleasant weekend.

All material © 2012-2025 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

Anxiety & Appreciation: My annual tree trimming exercise

I expanded my annual "tree trimming" exercise this year to include several shrubs that have gotten too large and unwieldy for me to handle on my own.  Although I have great trust in the company I've used since February 2013, there's always some collateral damage associated with the process.  Last year several large Agave attenuata rosettes and one Agave colorata suffered severe cases of what's often called "agave edema."  They were so damaged that I removed them.  I made a point of showing the arborist photos of the damage when we discussed this year's plans and he took precautions to prevent a repeat of that problem.  But the sheer volume of the debris created during the pruning process and the height from which many large branches fall, as well as the cleanup required at ground level, means that some plants on the ground will inadvertently be broken, stomped on, or dislodged.  This year wasn't as bad but then maybe I'm finally getting more accepting of the balance of the good and the bad associated with the process.

Here are the before and after shots, starting with the three shrubs I included in the trimming process this year:

My husband was disappointed that the height of the Callistemon 'Cane's Hybrid' in the back garden wasn't reduced but my objective was only to thin it down to reduce the heaviness of the branches

The same was true in the case of the 2 tree-sized 'Copper Glow' Leptospermums in the front garden

Ten trees were pruned:

This view shows the smaller of the 2 Arbutus 'Marina' in the back garden.  I delayed pruning this year principally because these trees were laden with flowers in September and I didn't want to disappoint the hummingbirds that flocked to them well into October.

This is the larger of the 2 Arbutus in the back garden

This is a shot of the interior of that tree's canopy.  I have all 4 of our Arbutus pruned each year to improve air flow and prevent the black soot that otherwise develops on the leaves.

This is a before and after comparison of the Arbutus on the north end of the front garden.  The succulents below the tree were those so severely impacted last year.  There were no problems of that nature this year.

The "before" photo of the Arbutus (left) on the south end of the front garden was marred by sun spots but it otherwise clearly shows the tree's appearance prior to pruning.  It sits atop a moderate slope so pruning it without causing damage to the area below it is particularly difficult.

The Hong Kong orchid tree (Bauhinia x blakeana) doesn't look much different does it?  All I had done there was to have a few dead branch tips removed.

These before and after shots of the 3 citrus trees bordering the cutting garden (a Mandarin orange, a navel orange, and a lime) also don't look much different.  However, all the dead branches were removed, which I could see when I viewed them close up, even if the change isn't reflected in these wide shots.  The trees are also in need to feeding, which I'll do in early spring.

These are photos of the Magnolia grandiflora in the front garden

This photo taken from the path leading to the front door shows how open the area below the Magnolia's canopy is now.  The light level is much better for all the plants below the tree.

The canopy of the ornamental pear tree (Pyrus calleryana) was thinned and some of the lower branches were cut off or shortened.  Before the pruning, I couldn't walk below some of them without ducking in places.

The crew also cleaned up the cherry laurel hedge that runs along one section of the property line in the front garden:

The 5 Prunus caroliniana shrubs that make up the hedge just get sheared to neaten them up but the crew has to be careful of the lath house, which they were.  My husband recently made repairs to the roof, which was damaged by last year's heavy rainfall.

There were also three removals on the agenda:

This peach tree came with the garden, although we didn't discover it until the massive Yucca was removed along the property line at the bottom of the slope a few years after we moved in. It grew larger and larger with intractable ivy crawling up its main trunk.  It never produced edible fruit and I didn't manage to successfully treat its annual leaf curl problem so it went on the removal list, as did a sapling it spawned.  The "after" photo is marred by sun spots but it shows how nice the Pittosporum 'Silver Magic' looks now that it's no longer hidden by the peach tree.

The removal also opens up space for the Ceanothus arboreus and the lemon tree located nearby.  I still have to cut back some of the tangled ivy left behind and should probably apply a stump killer to the base of the trees' trunks so they won't grow back.  As it is, I discovered that there's yet another peach tree sapling higher up the slope that I'd failed to identify.

The crew also cut a giant self-planted Pyracantha on the moderate slope facing the lath house flush to the ground.  I originally thought it was a Cotoneaster - until its vicious thorns showed themselves.  I'd tried to maintain it at a manageable size but it outgrew my efforts to contain it.

Its removal left a large area to be replanted

The stumps are still there so that's another problem I need to address

A lot of the smaller succulents below the Arbutus at the top of the slope and surrounding the Pyracantha were damaged or otherwise in need of a refresh.  Fortunately, the larger succulents nearby, including the Agave desmettiana, were undamaged.

I appreciate the airier look to my garden after the trees have been trimmed, as well as the additional light at ground level.  In addition, I think the trees and shrubs will be healthier for the work performed and I'm glad to be rid of the Pyracantha and the peach tree.  I've already returned everything we moved in advance of the work yet there's still a considerable amount to be done to put the garden in order, most notably a cleanup and replanting of the area previously covered by the Pyracantha and the area below it.  I'll probably rely heavily on succulent cuttings from elsewhere in my garden but this may be a plant shopping opportunity too!

As an aside, with the holidays approaching and various other stressors piling up, I'm tentatively planning to cut back my weekly blog posts from three to two per week at least through the end of the year.  At present, I expect to post on Monday and Friday each week.

Best wishes for a safe and pleasant weekend, whatever your weather.  I know that parts of the Pacific Northwest and Northern California are being hit hard by a Bomb Cyclone.  It's still not clear how coastal Southern California will be affected but it's looking more like we'll at least get at least a little measurable rain out of this system.

All material © 2012-2024 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

Tree trimming update: There's always collateral damage

The tree service I've used for ten years arrived on schedule at 8am last Thursday morning.  I walked through the garden with the arborist who owns the business and the crew's leader, reviewing what needed to be done.  (The arborist and I'd identified the work required weeks before on a prior walk-through to prepare an estimate.)  The crew of six promptly got to work.  In contrast to most of the tree services that do work nearby, they don't rely on power tools nearly as much so the job is much quieter overall.  They finished the job after 5pm.

I'm happy with the tree work.  Here are the before and after shots:

These are before and after shots of the largest peppermint willow (Agonis flexuosa) on the southeast corner of the back garden.  I think I've had it trimmed only once before.  The foliage had grown thick over the years, especially after this year's heavy rains, and it was shading much of that end of the garden.

These are before and after photos of the peppermint willow on the northwest end of the garden

There are 2 more peppermint willows sited just behind the hedge that lines the street.  Their curtain of foliage shades the garden behind the hedge.  Portions of the trees had branches that had died back, as shown in the before photo on the left.

These shots, taken from an area near the house, show the same 2 trees from the inner side of the hedge

I get the 4 strawberry trees (Arbutus 'Marina') trimmed every year.  These are before and after shots of the 2 trees on the north end of the back garden.

The Arbutus foliage was especially dense after this year's heavy rainfall.  These photos provide a closer look at the tallest Arbutus on the north end of the back garden.

And these offer a before and after comparison of the smaller Arbutus in the back garden

This is a before and after comparison of the Arbutus on the north end of the front garden.  There's an issue here we'll come back to at the end of this post.

These are before and after shots of the large Arbutus on the south end of the front garden.  It sits atop a moderate slope that drops 5-6 feet on the back side of the tree.  This shot was taken from a walkway that bisects the front garden.

These are shots of the same tree taken from the south side of the garden looking west

The Hong Kong orchid tree (Bauhinia x blakeana) got a light touch to remove the bare twiggy stems you can see in the before shot on the left

The crew tackled the thorn-covered twiggy stems in the interior of the 3 citrus trees (Mandarin orange, navel orange and lime) along the fence in the cutting garden.  It's hard to see the difference in the before and after shots as I didn't take closeups but the dead stuff was removed without sacrificing our beloved navel oranges, which usually ripen in January.

Several dead branches from the Magnolia grandiflora in the front garden were removed.  The light in the after shot on the right was weird because I took it during last week's solar eclipse, which was only partially visible here.

These are before and after shots of the cherry laurel (Prunus ilicifolia) hedge that sits along the property line.  It's a delicate trimming job because it's close to our lath (shade) house. 

Last but not least, here are the before and after shots of the ornamental pear tree (Pyrus calleyana).  In retrospect, I should've had the crew cut more off some of the lower branches but I'll see if my husband will take care of them for me.

 

There was the expected collateral damage, annoying but easily repairable.

The small succulents, especially Crassula radicans 'Large Red', looked worse for the wear after the crew cleaned up the heavy foliage cut from the Arbutus above.  As I continued to remove leaf debris, matters only got worse so I pulled the plants and took cuttings - a lot of cuttings (as shown on the right).  I'll replant them and probably other plants there but for now I've just cleared away the mess.

I also removed a lot of the overgrown peppermint geranium (Pelargonium tomentosum), some of which had been trampled in the cleanup process.  There's more trampled peppermint geranium and Arthropodium cirratum (middle photo) to be tidied up.  I'm taking cuttings of the Pelargoniums and trusting that the Arthropodium (Renga lilies) will recover in time.  The Pacific Coast Iris (left) in the back garden also suffered foot traffic but I plan to remove much of the rampant ivy and divide the Iris anyway.

 

Unfortunately, there was more significant damage in another area, where I'd previously had no problems worthy of note.

Going back to the north end of the front garden, here's another photo of the before and after of the Agonis and the Arbutus in that corner, taken from inside the hedge.  Do you notice the difference between the Agave attenuata situated between the trees in the 2 photos?

Here are before and after photos of the large clump of Agave attenuata (foxtail agave) that came with the garden.  This clump has been the source of a dozen or more pups I've planted elsewhere in the garden over the years.

A closer look at the foliage makes the degree of damage clearer.  Only the Agave attenuata and and Agave colorata (right) were affected.  In prior years, the tree crew put a planks of plywood on top of saw horses to provide cover for the succulents while they pruned the tree above.  My guess is that they used a tarp instead because the Agave attenuata were too tall for the old method to work.  The tarp was sitting next to the bed when I walked by the first time.  The damage was already clear.

At first glance, I thought the Agave attenuata had experienced sunburn but it was hard to believe that so much damage could occur in such a short time.  Yes, the succulents are now getting more sun but the change wasn't dramatic enough to account for damage that severe.  Moreover, only the agaves were affected.  When I looked at it again, I remembered an old blog post by Loree Bohl of Danger Garden that described very similar damage.  I couldn't remember the label pinned to the cause but I posted photos on Instagram hoping for input.  I also conducted an online search and found Loree's 2016 post describing "agave edema," which you can find here.  At about the same time, Loree commented on my Instagram post, affirming that her agaves and mine had suffered from the same problem.  I found Loree's original 2010 post later.  While there's some question about using the term "agave edema" to describe the phenomenon, the description Loree provided in that post seems to be spot on:

Edema occurs when the roots of the plant are absorbing moisture from the soil but the leaves stomata are closed (due to the weather conditions and the plant being covered reducing photosynthesis) and the plant is unable to transpire at the normal rate.

With my husband's help, we removed the 6 largest and most damaged Agave attenuata rosettes in the original clump.  I took out 2 more rosettes that I'd planted as pups from the same clump several years ago, as well as the Agave colorata that had already been slated for removal.  A couple of the pups that had grown up under the larger rosettes show nominal damage but I can live with that as the blisters aren't glaring.

Lesson learned - the hard way.  I don't blame the tree service.  I doubt they've had experience with this particular problem.  I made the mistake of assuming all would be well as their prior efforts to protect my succulents had been successful.  I didn't realize that they'd modified their approach, in all probability to deal with the fact that the clump of Agave attentuata on the north end of the garden had grown so tall.  Luckily, the agaves on the southwest slope of the garden weren't covered by tarps and there was no damage there.  Luckier still, I already had a number of good-sized pups in place on the north end of the garden.  I'll definitely add my concerns about how the agaves are protected when discussing future tree trimming sessions.

All material © 2012-2023 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party