And more trees

And the saga continues..as does the rain.....
The team jumped right in to their stride again today, digging, sculpting, molding, wrapping and tying more trees..... Yesterday fulfilled the order for the Calocedrus decurrens and the Cedrus deodora, today focuses on the Betula jaquemontii and the Platanus acerifolia. Bear in mind that these are not small trees; most material on the farm has a caliper (width of the tree trunk) of between 6"- over 10" which in turn equates to a height of between fifteen to over twenty feet. Not small trees....!

There is a definite art in sculpting the root balls and a particular art of wrapping the root ball. This team has embraced that education and have already have the ability of digging approximately one tree per hour, close to the industry standard. (Yes, sweet Virginia..there is a standard for the amount of trees to be dug per hour).

But, there we have it.... approximately nine trees down (excuse the pun) and thousands more to go....

Before signing off however, we must revisit that work of art in the root ball.......

Thanksgiving

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL.....

We trust that you have a safe, Happy Thanksgiving~

Tree Digging- Part 2

And the question needs to be asked, what could be more fun that to be waist deep in muddy, cold water, hand digging a large Calocedrus decurrens? I know, I can hear the blog readers crying in despair; but you have a tree spade. True, but to see the work of the these (newly taught) masters and the work of the tree spade... there is no comparison.
In reality, different methods for different types of plant material. These beautiful Calocedrus (my mouth waters at the mere thought of their beautiful form) had to be hand dug in order to preserve the root balls, and to eliminate any damage to to the lower branching structure. Oh, and the fact that the tree spade could not get into the particular area came into play as well.....

However, I digress~ the team jumped right in once they had observed the initial procedure, and took the operation on as though they had been doing it for years. Makes my heart go all a-pitter-patter when I watch these guys (and gal) work their magic with their shovels.....

Poly-houses

We have two large poly houses on site... one smaller than the other but still very usable. It is now time to begin to create some shelter for material that may not fare too well in the upcoming cold winter blasts. The team spent the day placing the poly over the houses; no mean feat as it has to be tight and then clipped into the guide rails at the side. The clips are spring loaded which makes the task even more time consuming~ pull with one hand, hold down with the other, quickly clip a fastener into place and then move on to the next one.
I have to commend my team on a job well done here!

Thoughts of Fall Color

As we get into more rain and more wintery weather, I cannot help but recall the magnificent display from the front office window. The Acer palmatum really went through its paces and stunned all who came to visit. The radinat colr far outshone anything else in the garden, and the memory will help us through the upcoming dreary days of winter.

Fragaria

Fragaria chiloensis.... No, not a swear word in some foreign language, but the Latin name for a very cool, very adaptable PNW plant. The Coastal Strawberry occurs fairly close to the shoreline throughout the PNW and is ideal for stabilizing dunes and other areas that are susceptible to erosion. The added consolation are the small fruits that can be made into preserves or just eaten raw.

It appears that more and more requests are coming in for this plant, as well as most other PNW native material, as more homeowners demand and landscapers prefer the use of native plants. And, why not? Easy to grow (for the most part), native, ecologically friendly (given that they will not escape and begin to threaten other species), and they look great to boot!

One of the reasons why the native plant trade has been able to hold its head above water while the recession continues.....