A bit on dealing w/stumps stimulated this morning by my Twitter friend & fan @2bethecoolchick: Many of us can relate to having a pesky stump from some tree that we once had and now, not only do we no longer have the shade or natural habitat for natures critters, but we want to aesthetically bring back some beauty to our yard. Heres some food for thought: Depending on the tree variety, many trunks(especially hardwood) can be carved into art work and/or characters. Others must be chemically treated or have stumps ground in order to keep sprouts and new shoots from continuing to emerge. Many varieties of trees have a very strong will to live.(Privet, Eucalyptus, Ash and Elm) All of that energy has got to go somewhere! Other times the location and height of the trunk can be conducive to creating a small table top or plant stand. Finally, theres the stump thats too low and its just gonna sit there and decay. (typically due to lack of $, access or both) This stump is the subject that could be incorporated into a natural and beautiful looking feature. While Redwoods are horrible for showcasing their foundational roots, since they have trillions of fibrous feeder roots. Oaks and Magnolia species are ideal for this type of featuring Its kinda like an archeological digging and exposing of the stump process. Mostly dealing with the crown area and large lateral root structure and whats known as the basal flare zone The soil thats carefully removed, in order to showcase this underground trunk and underground branches aka roots can be gathered and built up in particular areas, then amended with liberal amounts of compost in order to create planting mounds or pockets for new plants, flowers and ground cover. Larger shrubs can also be incorporated to give balance height and additional interest. Get yourself a couple of nice hand tools (picks, rakes, trowels, shells, weeding forks, knee pads, umbrella for shade) and have some fun. Take your time, its art, not work! Weve all been a kid and know a lil something about digging in the dirt. This process is the ultimate in organic gardening and your design will start to take shape as you play and begin visualizing and exposing whats there. So much of landscaping is done in this way. Its an organic, intuitive and creative process. Enjoy your journey and creating beauty in and WITH nature. -Ahmed Hassan
Posted on: Sun, 25 May 2014 17:23:59 +0000
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