Outside

We Trimmed the Tree

Our Eastern Redbud is looking a little sad. And also, perhaps a little Seussian.

Three men in full protective gear came to prune that bitty little tree. Poor tree. I tried to secretly take their picture from the kitchen window, but I grabbed my camera a little too late and only got one guy as he was leaving. Hi, guy.

The arborist that came out thinks that the tree will bounce back and look fine in a couple of years. I’m just hoping it makes it through the winter.

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  • M
    June 20, 2011 at 10:42 am

    So very glad you decided to trim instead of start over!
    Bravo!

  • Sarah Hettervik @ http://agirlintransit.blogspot.com/
    June 20, 2011 at 10:48 am

    Awwww poor tree.

    – Sarah

  • StarletStarlet
    June 20, 2011 at 11:57 am

    I have to do the same for a lot of my fruit trees, especially my peach, which now is getting sick as the baby fruit won’t get bigger.

    I don’t have a heart although the gardener that I consulted with said that we’d kill them if we don’t prune and trim more agressively, while they can still be saved!

    So you did the right the decision.

    For me, it’s probably best if I’m not doing any of the pruning or even see how they do it…

    • rose campion
      June 20, 2011 at 12:07 pm

      With pruning, especially fruit trees, it’s definitely a ‘you have to be cruel to be kind’ situation. Also, make sure you thin out those baby fruits on the peach tree. Most years, they just can’t ripen all the fruits that form. Even if it could, you get bigger, better fruits that way.

      • StarletStarlet
        June 21, 2011 at 11:23 am

        Rose, very well said, and you are so absolutely right. I just have to suck it up and toughen it up. Thanks for the support and convincing. Seems like you are a gardening expert. Do you have a website full of tips that I can follow? :)

  • Paula
    June 20, 2011 at 12:10 pm

    LOL, I took your title to mean you decorated your tree (as in Christmas time “trimming”) and wondered what you’d come up with now.

    Poor little tree – hope it comes back big and strong!

  • Ashlea Walter
    June 20, 2011 at 1:22 pm

    The juxtaposition of the man in protective gear and the huge truck is hilarious next to the tiny tree – why such an uber-professional job? Hope it comes back big and strong!

  • Audrie
    June 20, 2011 at 2:06 pm

    I always feel so terrible whenever our trees / bushes are trimmed because they look so sad and pathetic. But I just remind myself that it’s good for the tree in the long run so worry not!

  • Heidi S.
    June 20, 2011 at 2:35 pm

    I will cross my fingers for your tree! I’m glad to hear you called in the experts. Hopefully it will recover and by next year will start to look full again! What did he say it was? Winter damage?

    • Making it Lovely
      June 21, 2011 at 5:45 pm

      Yes, winter damage. No evidence of disease, so that’s good.

  • GoHausGo
    June 20, 2011 at 2:43 pm

    Poor little tree! I’m sure it was happy to be saved. Now all you have to do is wait!

  • Susan
    June 20, 2011 at 2:58 pm

    Congrats on the pruning job – I think it looks great. When I saw the shots you posted before I thought the poor tree was a hopeless case. But it really looks like they found good branches to salvage and the form looks good :)

    BTW, funny about the huge truck and guy with the hard hat, but after pruning your baby tree the same guy probably went out and had to trim a 75 foot tall elm tree – at least you know you got people who know what they’re doing!

    Good luck. Water that baby a lot this summer!

  • christina
    June 20, 2011 at 5:19 pm

    Don’t worry, Nicole… we have a tree right in the front garden, and when it was trimmed, it had NOTHING left except maybe two branches. It looked much worse than yours. At least yours looks like a tree. Ours looked like a stick. (A cherry tree that never blossomed) It has bounced back and looks completely normal!

    • Making it Lovely
      June 21, 2011 at 5:48 pm

      I’m glad to hear that. It seems like it would never look normal again, but I guess trees are pretty resilient.

  • Beth
    June 20, 2011 at 9:21 pm

    Yay! I’m glad you gave it another chance. I’m sure it will bounce back in no time!

  • Rosie
    June 21, 2011 at 12:38 pm

    So what was its ultimate diagnosis? What was wrong with it?

    • Making it Lovely
      June 21, 2011 at 5:48 pm

      Winter damage from thawing and freezing too quickly.

  • Evelyn
    June 25, 2011 at 1:24 pm

    You can wrap the tree with white fabric to prevent damage in the winter. Maybe call the arborist and ask which product they recommend? It might help prevent more frost crack.