Over the years, I have learned that complacency is not a good thing for gardeners to have. One day you might be thrilled and congratulating yourself on the first beautiful flower on a rare plant you have grown, seemingly to perfection; the next day you may find it's been eaten by a snail. The enormous crop of passionfruit or tomatoes you are so sure you are going to reap this year, can disappear overnight, eaten by bush rats or possums. A sudden hailstorm can tear a gorgeous flower border, which you are feeling rather smug about, to shreds in less than 15 minutes. You may be feeling pretty satisfied with your four symmetrical topiary Murraya spheres in your front garden; all of a sudden, one of them mysteriously dies.
Rudbeckia laciniataOr one day you might be showing visitors round your garden, stopping to point out the bright yellow flower-heads of your Rudbeckia laciniata swaying gently in the breeze, intermingled with ornamental grasses, the colour of the blooms craftily echoed by the robust specimen of the yellow-variegated Euonymus japonicus 'Aureo-variegatus' and golden Duranta nearby; the next day a huge branch of your ancient Liquidambar will crash onto the very spot, smashing these and many other plants in this garden area to smithereens. This scenario is what happened to me this past week.
The tree in happier daysIt was a minor catastrophe in the scheme of things; I know readers of this blog who have suffered far, far worse natural events that have completely devastated their gardens, including bushfires, floods and mini tornados. But it was a salutary lesson not to take anything for granted in the garden. Nature will always have the final say. In the case of the Liquidambar, our local council had refused permission for us to thin the obviously top-heavy branches of the tree, and with its age, the likelihood of 'summer drop' of branches increases. We hope to get approval this time round, but who knows.
These perennials in the garden area may regrowLuckily, we gardeners are in general a resilient lot. Even with the gaping empty space created by the fallen branch, I am already envisaging how I may change this area. Maybe with those big shrubs gone, more light can come into the area, and I can capitalise on this. Did I really actually need three specimens of that Euonymus all planted within a short distance of each other? probably not - sheer laziness stopped me from removing one. Now the tree branch has done it for me. The flattened perennials, such as daylilies, Dahlia specimens, the rudbeckias, Alstroemeria and Canna will most likely recover and regrow from their roots. It isn't the end of the world. The empty spaces suggest a trip to a nursery or two may be in order, always something to lift a gardener's spirits.
The incident reminded me that I need to appreciate my garden each day for how it is at the time, and enjoy the beauty that exists, for even without natural disasters and mishaps, all gardens are ephemeral. The changes may not be as dramatic as those caused by a big event, but even so, plants are growing, ever-changing as the seasons pass, ageing and eventually declining. No garden can ever be static, and we wouldn't want them to be, really. We are always planning new planting schemes and plants to try.
This part of my garden was unscathed so I am appreciating it more!In fact, we gardeners are often preoccupied with the future - imagining how the garden will much better it look next spring or next summer when we move this plant over there or add something new in. But I am often so busy doing jobs in the garden to improve it that I forget to simply stop and stare at what surrounds me. It's wonderful to make plans, and work hard in our gardens: both are integral to the joy of gardening but don't forget to enjoy, appreciate and savour your garden today! It's the only moment we actually have, for all its imperfections.
So sad to hear of your Liquidamber's loss of so large a bough, and of the damage done. Your philosophical attitude, especially regarding light, is a lesson to us all. And I will call the tree surgeon today about the huge old, and now clearly dead, tree on our driveway that I've hesitated to have felled because it is dripping with staghorns and other smaller epiphytes and gives me such pleasure. I feel sure that with the help of your expertise the perennials will flourish again, Deirdre. Thanks, Jude. I hope things worked out re your tree. We hope ours can be dealt with it as it is quite dangerous with several huge, top-heavy limbs. It is a magnificent tree but we have to be realistic about it! Deirdre
What a timely post Deirdre! I came out this morning to find a huge limb from a scribbly gum down over one of my favourite parts of our garden :( Too big for me to tackle on my own so I'm waiting for the hubby to get home from work. Fingers crossed there's not too much damage underneath. So sorry to hear that and hope the damage wasn't too awful. I am getting used to the big gap and thinking what I can replant but am still a bit scared to be in that part of the garden! Deirdre
Hi Deidre, I am sorry for your loss but as you say it presents opportunities. We had a huge elder come down in the big wet that the Northern Rivers suffered last year. This opened up an area for a new woodland garden. No complaints, considering what those in the area are still coming to terms with almost 12 months later. Thank you for your blog. I enjoy it very much. Thanks, Lorraine; that would have been a big shock when that tree came down. Good you could reinvent that part of the garden. Deirdre
Such a lucky escape from the falling branch. The area is such a pretty one, and surely there will be some plants which will survive and re-grow, or, perhaps, a chance to plant another combination. In any case, I hope permission will be given to trim some of the liquidambar. Yes we were lucky we weren't standing in that spot on the Friday. I am getting used to the reality now and thinking what I can do with the area - will probably be good to let in a bit more light without the shrubs that used to be there! Deirdre
Sorry to hear about your liquidambar branch. I'm surprised your council needs approval to even lop branches because they are known to cause such problems when they become so large. Ours dropped branches for years but when it did this over the fence where children may have been playing we thought it was time to cut it down. Yes, it was a loss but you are right. It opened that area up to another garden. Our council is very tough; I totally understand this for native trees but for a self-sown liquidambar, a tree notorious for dropping branches when they get old? It is very frustrating. Deirdre
How is liability assigned if anyone was injured following your notice to council that there was a problem - preventing precautionary maintenance transfers liability surely? Maybe casting the need for management in terms of public liability might produce a different result? Not sure from the 'happier days' photo if the tree has any exposure to the public - but if it is on you property and not of great horticultural or local cultural significance, how is it a local government concern? Our council has a very stringent policy because we live within a remnant blue gum area - which I agree with re the blue gums but they apply it to every other tree in the area!! Hopefully with evidence of the fallen branch and the arborist's opinion on its danger, they will let us do something this time. Deirdre
So sorry to hear that. It's true we don't take time to actually enjoy the garden. I've learnt that after doing some tendon damage in my hip from gardening a few months ago. I'm still out of action & ' smelling the roses' instead of 'tending the roses'. Looking forward to seeing what you create in this space. Thanks, Kerrie. Hope you recover soon; it's frustrating not to be able to garden but it does give time to observe and make plans! Deirdre
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