Category: Trees

I only planted these palm trees for a laugh. Yeah, it doesn’t sound very funny, but I was at a meeting of the Carnegie Neat Garden Tending Committee and one of the guys happened to have the seeds with him. He got them free as a promotional item with his latest copy of ‘Pruning Monthly’, and didn’t want them. Next thing you know, we were all joking about what would happen if one of us actually tried to grow palm trees in our garden, I ended up with the seeds and I planted them in total disbelief, thinking that even if it sprouted a few inches above ground I’d be able to see what palm trees looked like in their infancy.

And now I have three massive palm trees in my garden.

Was it…the weather? It HAS been rather dry as of late. I took good care of them like I do all my plants, and here they are. In comparison to the rest of my garden collection, they’re quite the eyesore.

I’m sure a tree removal company in Caulfield would have to dealt with palm trees before, right? They should be able to lop them down with no problem. Lickety-split, bit of a saw and they’re gone. An easy job, really.

…I don’t want them to though. It’s like the IKEA effect, but with trees. I grew these fellows from tiny seeds, and even though I didn’t expect them to flourish, flourish they did. I tended to them, kept them alive, watched them grow big and strong, and now I can’t bear the thought of tree loppers coming in to take them down.

Now that I really stand back and look, they do add quite an elegant dash of the exotic. They might even bear coconuts in due time, and coconuts have all sorts of uses. And while I’m not into flower arranging, I know it’s all about making an arrangement around a central theme. Maybe it IS time for a change. Out with the old, in with the palm trees. Oh, and if those tree trimming people in Melbourne are still…in Melbourne, there are some OTHER trees that can go. That Japanese Maple is getting to be an eyesore. And the Venetian Willow? SO last year.

-Jansen

Read More

Day 1 in Australia: My notes were incomplete, so it would seem. Nobody here refers to jumpers as ‘sweaters’. Also, I pointed out the fact that there was a bouncy-mouse outside, hoping to garner the approval of my host family. They seemed to think it extremely amusing, and pointed out that even in Australia, they are mostly known simply as ‘Kangaroos’. This is truly a confusing nation.

Day 7 in Australia: My opinion of the services has gone up considerably. My host family lives in Ormond. They need tree removal for an old gum that’s gotten a bit too big and is now a danger to the home. Now, I have been told that Australians take things slowly, that everything is halted by a simple lack of urgency…and yet, it was not to be. The tree removal agents came within the day, and removed the tree post-haste. They were quite efficient about it too. They DID seem quiet casual about the whole affair, but perhaps it’s too much to expect a trades-person to show up to a tree lopping job in a suit and tie. The tie might get caught in the equipment, for one thing. Perhaps there is a method to this Australian madness.

Day 18 in Australia: The chocolate here is odd, and I’ve yet to ascertain a reason. The same goes for the milk, although the water from the tap is relatively drinkable. No more tree removal has been necessary, though I did get a chance to watch some Australian workmen working on a road. One of them was operating a pneumatic drill whilst wearing shorts. He didn’t seem too concerned. What a strange place indeed.

Day 96 in Australia: Still I have not seen any more tree removal agents within Ashwood or anywhere else, for that matter. I am forced to assume that none of them wear suits and tied, and all are garbed in the traditional work gear. Propriety is not dead in Australia, to be sure, although still further research is needed on the subject of flip-flops. Can you run in them? More research required.

-Alan

Read More