Tree Fall Down Go Boom
I was minding my own business, putting off retrieving the final load of laundry and reading in my bedroom.
In the back yard, I hear crack…crack…whooshTHUD.
I peeked between the blinds, noticed that a large branch had fallen off one of our big trees, and started calling for Ed. Ed was engrossed in video games and didn’t even hear me. Finally, I got his attention and was rewarded with a “Just a minute.” Now, a minute in Ed Standard Time is usually between 5 minutes and never, so I didn’t wait for him and went out back to survey the damage for myself.
Now, let me back up a moment and say that we just paid someone to do a lot of tree-trimming and lanscape cleanup. One of the subjects of the cleanup was a huge ornamental pear tree with a trunk that split into four larger sub-trunks and a young mini-trunk. When I stepped out onto the patio, I discovered that three of the sub-trunks were still attached to the original tree, while the fourth was now lying across one of my large planting beds and parallel with the far edge of the patio. The break may have destabilized another sub-trunk, which would hit the house if it fell, but would probably “only” take out a big stretch of gutter and shingles, rather than causing structural damage. I would love to be able to save the ornamental pear, but not at the cost of the structural integrity of the house. I will, however, replace it.
So, where in the Indianapolis metro area does one buy new trees?
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April 18th, 2004 at 7:51 pm
That branch would have made a respectable tree unto itself, it would.
As for replacing it, I’ve had very good luck with nursery stock from Habig and Allisonville Nursery. A quick trick for not paying the premium price for a tree bred to be strictly ornamental is to get a varietal tree. You get the same general shape and gorgeous blossoms, an actual sweet scent and maybe fruit in the fall, at perhaps 25% of the cost of an ornamental.
April 21st, 2004 at 1:20 am
I get behind a few days and your trees come apart. sheesh! but alisa is right, both about Habig (friendly knowledgeable and generally excellent) and about varietals. If you’re married to the idea of a fruit tree, go for it–but they do tend to be more fragile than other types of trees. If you just want flowering, I recommend redbud or one of the flowering crabs, both are hardy and attractive…