Sourwood is an East coast native belonging to the Ericaceae family. It is well-behaved, easy to care for and its small size makes it a perfect landscape specimen tree. Since it does not like to compete for nutrients it is best to mulch its base, not leave it surrounded by lawn or groundcover. Its distinct flower stalks and fruit hang onto the tree deep into fall.
A good place for Sourwood: protected, well-drained, mulched base, and no foot traffic
Flowers
Fall Color
Further Reading CLICK HERE
A few weeks ago, I got called to a Coquitlam home about a tree pruning job. Perfect! I love this kind of work, as long as it does not involve climbing the tree. But this turned out to be a horrible project. The Acer palmatum in front of the house had already been severely topped once in the past and the owner wanted it crushed again, even more severely. I mean massive topping cuts on all major limbs. Then the lady asked for a senior’s discount! I mentioned crown reduction as an alternative to topping, and listed some of the major problems with the practice of topping trees. It did not help. This was my order: massive tree topping with a discount.
Now what? Take the cash and run?
Since ISA membership requires all arborists to sign a code of conduct, the decision was easy to make. Destroying a tree also feels bad. I politely declined the job and literally days later found rhododendron reduction work without any senior discounts. Somebody completed the Acer palmatum job (see picture below) but it was not as severe as first indicated. Complete removal would have been a better option.
This then brings us to the difference between a client and a customer. We want lots of good clients, people we can educate and charge fair prices. Customers are all about pricing and insist they know what they want even when there are better alternatives leading to better outcomes.
In an Arborist News story, several years back, an arborist knocks on the door and a lady opens the door. The tree professional then tells her he got a call about a tree in the back. The owner looks at him and tells him that “hired help” uses the side gate, not the main entrance. The arborist looks at her and politely tells her that he needs new clients, not more customers, turns around and leaves!
Finished job!? I was asked to go another 3 feet lower
A) Only mow over grass!
Running over fixed objects is dangerous for the operator, passerby and leads to costly repairs. In the example below, the mower blade was destroyed. But don’t forget about the mower shaft holding the blade. It costs hundreds to replace. The mower will likely work fine for a while with a new blade and then….not so much. Remember, get to know your mowing area well, clear away any obvious debris and avoid hitting fixed objects.
An unforgiving fixed object
About to be retired mower blade
B) You CAN line-trim backwards!
There are cases where line-trimming backwards is the way to go: close to cars, windows, tree-wells and bikini girls. The two examples below clearly illustrate how trimming backwards can save you time. The messed up tree well has to be carefully raked out; blowing would dislodge most of the new bark mulch. The clean tree well was line trimmed backwards, eliminating extra clean-ups.
A clean tree well, line-edged backwards
Line-edged freestyle, clean-up required
I had my first hearing test in 2014 and I was worried about entering a claustrophobic box inside a mobile truck. Now I am glad I did it. After sixteen loud seasons in the field, always diligently wearing ear protection, it was nice to get a picture of my hearing. That first 2014 test became my baseline. The 2015 test also showed normal hearing. Great! (Only my wife questions the results.)
The few lines below normal range (see picture) could be caused by machine noise exposure for hours before the test; and, possibly, by the friendly, heavy-set female technician coughing and moving about in the mobile truck.
Action steps:
1) Always wear ear protection!
2) Get tested – best through your employer- to establish a baseline for your hearing.
3) Do NOT abuse your headset. I use Peltors and my bad habit is sticking goggles inside them. Just like resting the headset at the top of your front truck seat, this reduces the headset’s effectiveness.
Bad habit: goggles inside my headset
I met Atsushi, a 20-something Japanese guy, at a Burnaby landscape company and we did a few weekend sessions together. He went through years one and two of the apprenticeship program which I thought was a great idea. Then, he surprised me (and his boss!) with his decision to move back to Japan. Specifically, to ancient Kyoto to work for a great company. Kyoto is a must-see place with its many temples and shrines. The fall colors are so spectacular, my in-laws visit there every fall! And rumor has it that Kyoto gardening companies are a bit high on themselves because they operate in such a spectacular setting.
I took the liberty of asking Atsushi a few questions.
V: What are the biggest differences between your Burnaby landscape company and your new one in Kyoto?
A: We don’t use hedge trimmers and prune with hand pruners instead. We also don’t use blowers. We climb trees even if they are over 10 meters high. We prune and take care of our trees; we don’t call tree service companies for help.
V: What does your typical day look like? Hours, breaks, etc.
A: I work 8hrs. 10 min breaks at 10am and 3 pm. 45min lunch break.
V: Who are your clients?
A: Residential, temples
V: Are young people entering the trade in Japan?
A: Yes, there are many young people in the trade.
V: What is the average monthly salary?
A: The average is lower than in Vancouver.
V: Are jobs available?
A: It depends on the company.
V: What is your biggest challenge right now?
A: To work in a completely different environment.
V: What is it like living and working in ancient Kyoto?
A: It’s only been two months so I don’t know yet.. but I’m very happy to be able to work in Kyoto.
If you are like me, you concentrate on production and let your line-edger do its magic. Most attention goes to the engine. Re-fuel with a Proper gas and oil mix,
check the fuel and air filters, and spark plugs.
But let’s not forget about the head down below. Let’s take my commercial Stihl machine as an example.
Use good Lithium grease and Proper tools
Carefully remove the bolt and note the gears.
Pump in good Lithium lubricant and spin the head slowly as you do so
All done!
Re-check periodically, depending on how much you use your edger. A happy, well-maintained machine will allow you to provide good service all year!
This always happens in the field. A resident walks up to collect his mail and wonders what the tree next to his super mailbox is? He sees Europeans in his neighborhood collecting the red ripe fruit and he wonders what they do with it. Is he missing out? Or did he avoid certain poisoning?
You, as the green professional are left to provide the answers, on the spot, no BS, Proper answers. So let’s look at the tree and the other plants in this small park.
But first a TEST. How many can you identify? Bonus point if you know what to do with the fruit in number 1.
1)
2)
3)
4)
1) Cornus mas (Cornelian cherry)
The fruit is edible when it’s dark red; it’s used for jams and sauces with orange and sugar
according to the Kwantlen Plant Database
2) Sorbus aucuparia (European mountain-ash)
3) Prunus laurocerasus ‘Otto Luyken’
4) Viburnum tinus
Nice and healthy. In some places the bug Pyrrhalta viburni destroys it by chewing the leaves
As a fan of Linda’s work my book review is bound to be slightly biased. I had this book in my wish list months ahead of publication. As the back jacket says, if you read and study the book, you will
understand your garden and landscape better. You will learn how to weed less, how to fertilize and prune more effectively and you will see reviews of products that could potentially save you money.
Linda shows you the inner workings of plants. The magic happens when hard science is written for gardeners and green professionals in easy to understand language.
Now, a warning. I said easy to understand but you will have to make your way through some biochemistry. Just go over the sections twice, like I did. It’s fascinating stuff. The most interesting part of the book is the chapter on how, HOW, plants tell time, how they know it’s time to push out their leaves or pack it in for the winter. It’s all about phytochrome, a pigment for all seasons. If I said any more, I would ruin it for you.
There are many side bars. Some I already knew about, like what a waste of cash installing landscape fabric is; and how we should water even in the fall; and how to bare-root trees and shrubs for planting. Other side bars were new to me, like aeration tubes.
Another warning: you will get inspired by Linda to try new stuff, like bare-root tree planting I did as a helper with a municipal gardener. Not only was it a fun experience, the trees are doing well.
Wash off the root ball and inspect the roots
Ensure proper planting depth
Don’t throw away the soil from your root ball
Done, staking may or may not be required. This dogwood (Cornus) required staking.
Don’t forget to check out the suggested reading list on pages 219-220. I want all of those books in my library!
My only complaint would be the length of this book. I wish it was ten times as long, fat enough to press flowers with. Second edition perhaps?
Five stars!
Earlier this summer my buddy, who runs a small landscaping company, called me up and asked me to help him install new soil at a strata site. Sure. It sounded easy. Then he surprised me on site by having me put down newspapers first; both main pages and inserts. I consider the newspaper inserts a minor distraction for all male workers because, inevitably, I would get distracted by ladies underwear sales and bra pictures. Now back to science.
I understood the main idea- weed suppression- but I wondered what my hero, Dr. Linda Chalker-Scott (see July 24, 2015 blog) had to say about it. According to Linda (1), newspaper mulching has been used successfully in agriculture but what about strata complexes on the Westwood Plateau? There isn’t much research but we know that:
Summary: Newspaper mulches can be effective in gardens where the soil is continuously worked and irrigation is applied. On less maintained sites you might want to use free or cheap wood chips.
(1) The Myth of Paper-based Sheet Mulch, Linda Chalker-Scott, Ph.D., Washington State University Extension, www.puyallup.wsu.du
More information: www.theinformedgardener.com
Good quality, weed-free soil is a must, same for good Contractor wheelbarrows
Before picture with newspaper showing
After picture
