Special Trees

[JustGeorge]

I drove by my old house today, and saw all that is left of 'my' tree is a stump. About made me ill... One of the hardest parts of leaving that house was leaving the tree behind.

It was a basswood, and beautiful tiny white flowers in the spring. Basswood is sacred to Baltic Goddess Laima, and I used to make a garland of flowers for it(by tying flower ends together) on her sacred day(July 7th, if memory serves me correctly). Spent a lot of time gathering myself at that tree, and it provided a shady place to sit and watch the neighborhood. Often four leaf clovers growing around the base. The current home owners don't know what a wonderful thing they've taken away.

Do you have any special tree friends, living or non living?

 

[Ashoka]

Yes! When I was youngerI had a tree, a big oak tree. It was in our backyard and I always played underneath it. A tornado flew by one day and tore it up from the roots. I was so upset.

Now I have a little flowering dogwood in my backyard. She's docile and friendly. I planted some flowers at her base. She looks great.

 

[Vinayaka]

I drove by my old house today, and saw all that is left of 'my' tree is a stump. About made me ill... One of the hardest parts of leaving that house was leaving the tree behind.

It was a basswood, and beautiful tiny white flowers in the spring. Basswood is sacred to Baltic Goddess Laima, and I used to make a garland of flowers for it(by tying flower ends together) on her sacred day(July 7th, if memory serves me correctly). Spent a lot of time gathering myself at that tree, and it provided a shady place to sit and watch the neighborhood. Often four leaf clovers growing around the base. The current home owners don't know what a wonderful thing they've taken away.

Do you have any special tree friends, living or non living?

A couple, sure. There's my 'miracle tree' at the temple. A devotee wanted to keep the old concrete power box, when they replaced it with a new one. So he set it out in the middle of the yard, not that far away from an aspen grove. It has an opening in the top, and is about 54 feet cubic in shape. Within a year, a runner was inside the box. The new tree managed to somehow get enough sunlight to survive, and eventually made it up through the top hole, and from there it thrived. Sunlight happened. So now we have this tree that is totally surrounded by a heavy concrete box. You have to think about it to realise the box came first, and tree followed.

 

[SigurdReginson]

My grandparents had a giant weeping willow in their yard... It was like a cathedral on the inside. Every time we had a family get-together, it would be under it's branches. Unfortunately they had to cut it down due to a beetle infestation, but that tree will always be remembered fondly as an aspect of my childhood.

 

[JustGeorge]

My grandparents had a giant weeping willow in their yard... It was like a cathedral on the inside. Every time we had a family get-together, it would be under it's branches. Unfortunately they had to cut it down due to a beetle infestation, but that tree will always be remembered fondly as an aspect of my childhood.

Weeping willows are somewhat mystical... always wanted to have one, but don't have the yard for it.

 

[SigurdReginson]

Weeping willows are somewhat mystical... always wanted to have one, but don't have the yard for it.

They actually planted it the same day my brother was born. I'm surprised it got as big as it did in such a short amount of time. The thing was massive...

 

[Revoltingest]

Do you have any special tree friends, living or non living?

I have many.....
- Norway spruces
- Tri-color beeches
- A horse chestnut
- Lindens
- Dawn redwoods
- Catalpas
- Bald cyprus
- Redbuds
- Oaks
- White pines
- Even a few of those hated walnuts (last to leaf out in
spring...1st to drop leaves in late summer....all those
damnable walnuts...juglone killing many plants under
its dripline). A few are so mature that they're special.

Trees I dislike....
- Boxelder
- Walnut
- Mulberry, especially females
- Poplar
- Ailanthus (tree of heaven)

 

[Vinayaka]

My grandparents had a giant weeping willow in their yard... It was like a cathedral on the inside. Every time we had a family get-together, it would be under it's branches. Unfortunately they had to cut it down due to a beetle infestation, but that tree will always be remembered fondly as an aspect of my childhood.

We never had the soil conditions or climate for big old trees, but I envied people who did.

 

[JustGeorge]

I have many.....
- Norway spruces
- Tri-color beeches
- A horse chestnut
- Lindens
- Dawn redwoods
- Catalpas
- Bald cyprus
- Redbuds
- Oaks
- White pines
- Even a few of those hated walnuts (last to leaf out in
spring...1st to drop leaves in late summer....all those
damnable walnuts...juglone killing many plants under
its dripline). A few are so mature that they're special.

Trees I dislike....
- Boxelder
- Walnut
- Mulberry, especially females
- Poplar
- Ailanthus (tree of heaven)

It seems many people dislike the mulberry, and I imagine its because how much they spread...

We've got one large one and two small ones in the backyard. A neighbor who we were paying to do a few odd jobs in the house decided to take matters outside and cut back the ol' tree, assuming that's what we'd want. Its a very positive thing he wasn't there when I discovered the hack job(and probably a good thing he didn't show up again for a week or so). 'Cut back' is a very different thing for a very tall man who dislikes shrubbery compared to a very short woman who enjoys most plant life. I didn't get berries last year because of it, but they did start growing in this year. (Store berries are expensive. I like free.)

I'm awfully fond of catalpa trees, too. I wonder if I could fit one in the front yard.

 

[Revoltingest]

It seems many people dislike the mulberry, and I imagine its because how much they spread...

We've got one large one and two small ones in the backyard. A neighbor who we were paying to do a few odd jobs in the house decided to take matters outside and cut back the ol' tree, assuming that's what we'd want. Its a very positive thing he wasn't there when I discovered the hack job(and probably a good thing he didn't show up again for a week or so). 'Cut back' is a very different thing for a very tall man who dislikes shrubbery compared to a very short woman who enjoys most plant life. I didn't get berries last year because of it, but they did start growing in this year. (Store berries are expensive. I like free.)

I'm awfully fond of catalpa trees, too. I wonder if I could fit one in the front yard.

I had a rental house with a mulberry next to it.
When the berries dropped, it smelled like a brewery.
And not in a good way.

 

[Vinayaka]

The monastery in Kauai has a fairly neat collection. I like the rudraksha, the banyans, and the rainbow eucalyptus. (Google rainbow eucalyptus for nice pictures) One of the monks dries some rare woods and makes stuff like bowls. They also have several acres of mahogany as an investment.

 

[Trailblazer]

Do you have any special tree friends, living or non living?

All over my property, and they are all living! Pretty soon there will be nothing but trees on the property because they grow here like wildfire. It's kind of scary, but I never cut a tree down unless I have to.

And I know kind of how you feel about the tree stump. In the neighborhood around where I work, there was a big beautiful tree and one day I walked by and it was just a stump. Why oh why do people cut trees down? I will never understand it, unless those are danger trees.

 

[Bear Wild]

I drove by my old house today, and saw all that is left of 'my' tree is a stump. About made me ill... One of the hardest parts of leaving that house was leaving the tree behind.

It was a basswood, and beautiful tiny white flowers in the spring. Basswood is sacred to Baltic Goddess Laima, and I used to make a garland of flowers for it(by tying flower ends together) on her sacred day(July 7th, if memory serves me correctly). Spent a lot of time gathering myself at that tree, and it provided a shady place to sit and watch the neighborhood. Often four leaf clovers growing around the base. The current home owners don't know what a wonderful thing they've taken away.

Do you have any special tree friends, living or non living?

I consider all trees to be my friends. Planted two maples in my yard in the last two months. My neighbors comment was you will lose your grass. My answer. And? Texas summers are hard with intense sun and heat. I do not think I could be outside if it were not for the shade and coolness under the Oaks and Elms ( and in many 10 years my maples). My backyard is full of birds talking to each other and squirrels, opossums and Raccoons climbing the trees. The language of ogham is of the trees.

 

[SalixIncendium]

I drove by my old house today, and saw all that is left of 'my' tree is a stump. About made me ill... One of the hardest parts of leaving that house was leaving the tree behind.

It was a basswood, and beautiful tiny white flowers in the spring. Basswood is sacred to Baltic Goddess Laima, and I used to make a garland of flowers for it(by tying flower ends together) on her sacred day(July 7th, if memory serves me correctly). Spent a lot of time gathering myself at that tree, and it provided a shady place to sit and watch the neighborhood. Often four leaf clovers growing around the base. The current home owners don't know what a wonderful thing they've taken away.

Do you have any special tree friends, living or non living?

My patron tree is actually part of my username; salix, which is latin for willow.

At the house where my ex-wife resides, there are two now very large weeping willows I planted 20+ years ago.

At my mother's house in WV, there was a young willow I had planted that I had cut from an existing willow for a wand, and rooted the part from the tip of that wand. When I left WV in 2007, it was healthy, but my mother claims that it died. I suspect either her or my brother cut it down out of spite. I still have the wand packed away in a box here somewhere.

 

[SalixIncendium]

My patron tree is actually part of my username; salix, which is latin for willow.

At the house where my ex-wife resides, there are two now very large weeping willows I planted 20+ years ago.

At my mother's house in WV, there was a young willow I had planted that I had cut from an existing willow for a wand, and rooted the part from the tip of that wand. When I left WV in 2007, it was healthy, but my mother claims that it died. I suspect either her or my brother cut it down out of spite. I still have the wand packed away in a box here somewhere.

Buhl Farm Park in PA plants young trees one can purchase as memorials, and when one does, they place a memorial plaque at the base of the tree. I bought a scarlet oak in memory of my elder daughter near the gazebo toward the top of the hill. I just paid it a visit on Memorial Day.

I have also planted my younger daughter's favorite three, a sycamore, in my back yard.

 

[Viker]

I drove by my old house today, and saw all that is left of 'my' tree is a stump. About made me ill... One of the hardest parts of leaving that house was leaving the tree behind.

It was a basswood, and beautiful tiny white flowers in the spring. Basswood is sacred to Baltic Goddess Laima, and I used to make a garland of flowers for it(by tying flower ends together) on her sacred day(July 7th, if memory serves me correctly). Spent a lot of time gathering myself at that tree, and it provided a shady place to sit and watch the neighborhood. Often four leaf clovers growing around the base. The current home owners don't know what a wonderful thing they've taken away.

Do you have any special tree friends, living or non living?

On one of my properties.

There are these gorgeous spruces right in the center of the void of urban sprawl. They stand proud against a seeming numbness of humanity's lack of care.

 

[Trailblazer]

I consider all trees to be my friends. Planted two maples in my yard in the last two months. My neighbors comment was you will lose your grass. My answer. And? Texas summers are hard with intense sun and heat. I do not think I could be outside if it were not for the shade and coolness under the Oaks and Elms ( and in many 10 years my maples). My backyard is full of birds talking to each other and squirrels, opossums and Raccoons climbing the trees. The language of ogham is of the trees.

I do not have to plant any trees because they just grow unsolicited. Most people would probably be frightened if they knew what this property looked like 12 years ago when we moved here compared to what it looks like now. I am frightened because I do not know what it will look like next year, since I never cut trees down or even trim them. That is not even to mention the bushes and grass!

A long while back we used to have a view of the lake below, but not anymore. In winter we can see some of it through the trees, but as soon as spring comes we cannot see anything but trees. We have a wildlife refuge on our property -- birds, squirrels, chipmunks, raccoons, and possums. That is one reason I cannot cut the trees down, they provide habitat. So much for my lake view, but animals rule around here.

 

[Trailblazer]

On one of my properties.View attachment 51193 View attachment 51194
There are these gorgeous spruces right in the center of the void of urban sprawl. They stand proud against a seeming numbness of humanity's lack of care.

I only wish I had a camera that was working because you'd have to see it to believe how many trees we have.

 

[Viker]

I only wish I had a camera that was working because you'd have to see it to believe how many trees we have.

I believe you. I basically live in a forest. I could take pics all day. In fact I'll share some of the special trees out here later.

 

[Trailblazer]

I believe you. I basically live in a forest. I could take pics all day. In fact I'll share some of the special trees out here later.

I'd like to see some photos, then maybe I would not feel so bad about the tree takeover of our property, not to mention the raccoon, squirrel and bird takeover.

The irony is that back in winter 2012 we had a big ice storm and we lost several tall evergreens along our fence-line, and I was looking to replace them so I would not be able to see the neighbor house through the fence, but now I cannot see anything!