"JNJ" wrote in message
...
Well, it's official -- my ever so brainy neighbor is going to decimate the
trees that border our properties. He's already taken out every one that
had
trunk on his side of the property line and he hired a surveyor so he could
be clear on what others he can cut down. Sigh In the last few months,
I'll wager he's cleared 30 or more trees from a 50'x75' area.

that makes it 3750 square foot........which considering the age of those
trees, IS a little close for such narrow quarters. But the loss of good
trees can never be replaced quickly. It will take as long as those that have
fallen to replace what's lost now. Have heart, Mom's Nature has a way of
compensating. What he's cutting down free's up his property for her
mischevious children........weeds. Thistles, stickies, all manner of things
that she sends her meddlesome and hyper fairies into to reseed the barren
spots. Think of an area you've seen bulldozed. Scraped completely of trees,
shrubs, everything. And them letting the area sit for whatever reason.
Aren't you amazed at how quickly the weeds and weed trees move in? I
watched that play in action one year down the road from me. The owner of the
land in mention hired someone with a HUGE bulldozer to literally dig out the
hillside. Great, old Tulip poplar trees at least 150 years of age were
knocked over, and pin oaks of younger age (the oldest trees around here were
cut decades ago and what's grown up now are just young by tree standards),
cedars and the like.

The land was raw. Great gaping red clay holes that made any gardener's heart
ache. They got to a point where the boulder they weren't expecting emerged
and everything ground to a quick halt. (the boulder was the size of a three
story house, it had sat quietly under the hillside holding everything up).
That was five years ago, and I have to tell you James, in those five years
of quiet after so much destruction, Mom's Earth moved quickly. Thistles,
blackberries, goldenrod, honeysuckle, cedars, maples, pin oaks, black
walnuts, baby tulip poplars, mimosa, dock, Johnson grass (oh lord!) the
foliage and trees that sprang up were truely amazing. And I can't even touch
the rest of what I saw that I don't always have the ability to identify. I
don't know all my weeds. Some have lance like leaves and a root that defies
tearing out of the soil even after two weeks rain (I have these myself, so I
know what I am talking about).

In just one season and into spring, the bleeding and gaping wound started
greening up. Before long I began to pass and not notice it's rawness because
it wasn't. But rains did make ponds and rivlets that were truely amazing.
Even caused some aggrivation when it covered the road with six inches of
runoff during our very wet spring much to the dismay of the city....g
Mother Nature has a mean pay back streak.

In the five years the hole and damage sat undisturbed, she reclaimed her
poor land, even though it didn't resemble what it once had looked like. You
can't rebuild a magnificent hill that millions of years has formed. You can
try but Mom's Nature has that art down pat. It's slow and steady that
creates the most beauty sometimes.

Before the owner came back this year to finish the damage he had started,
the gouge had tree saplings that were as tall as 15 foot. Grasses were head
high, weeds and such were at least waist high or higher. Joe Pye had moved
in on the third year and he's never less than 10 foot.......Wildflowers
popped up on cue, and it was fun to see the unidentified purple hazy flower
(I just can't identify this flower, adn I've even tried to sow seeds of it
for my own as I adore it's whole look), black eyed Susans, chickory, white
daisies, blackberry blossoms and poke weed. Poison ivy gave the land color
in the fall, Sumac too.

I think Mom's Nature had the last laugh though, because what he'd left
unfinished for 5 years, took him more work to undo when he returned this
fall to finish clearing out the area to sell or lease. (they dynamited the
boulder)

What a
shame -- some of those trees have been there for 50 to 100 years. :-( I
did some checking and there is no legal recourse per se, although he
should
have obtained a permit but pursuing that is just silly. Personally, I
think
he'll see the err of his ways this spring as the rains get heavy -- he
just
created a rather sizable drainage issue over there.

And if I were you, I'd build myself a berm on your side now while you have
the time to direct the flow away from your property...........

On the brighter side of things, most of the water runoff should go to HIS
property now instead of MINE and this will open my plot to quite a bit of
sunshine in the back (our plots are only on the 50'x200' range, so we're
not
talking terribly large mind you).

Look at it like this James..........@@ (just kidding) seriously, that's a
quarter of an acre. My first house in Nashville was 50' x 205' and were I
to be back there now, I'd have it filled up by now, but it would take time
That's 12,500 square foot!! So what you have is 10,000 square foot! (well
not that much as you have to consider the piece the house takes out) But you
have to look at it like that to get a better appreciation of perspective
there...........g If you saw where I have planted all my raised beds at
considering I almost have an acre, you'd laugh. It sounds like I have this
HUGE garden, when in effect I have several raised beds that are packed tight
near the house with paths between them and the majority of the land still
unused because I need to clear out my own woods of undergrowth and thin some
trees.

The pine beetle is doing his part by killing my magnificent Jack Pines, and
despite that they're prone to snap and do massive damage when they do, I
still love their height and that they are such tall over story trees.
Sometimes I think I should just top them all and get it over
with.......................but the thought makes me sad as I know I will
never see that height of tree in my woods again in my lifetime. But this is
about you.........


Since he's been so kind as to add some
dappled sunlight back there, I'll be plotting a return of the great
forest -- yup, I'm looking for trees to plant along the edge of my
property.


Go about your selection slowly and get good trees would you? True, he's
destroyed a nice woods with such a massive removal, (would but you could
have the soil that has lain underneath those great trees! It would be the
most fine humus that only time and patience has created!).

If you want quick, and something that would grow in your climate, try a
mimosa. Nice foliage, good structure, incredible flowers that drives
hummingbirds and bees nutzoid.......g

Since we've entered into colder weather, he appears to have eased off on
his
chopping frenzy. We'll be watching over the next few months to see what
else he does back there then finalize a planting plan to rebuild. I
imagine
I'll look primarily towards trees with reasonably fast growth rates,
decent
spreads, and probably something that has extended wildlife value (such as
berries, fruits, or nuts).

Just remember if you plant nut trees that the roots have substances that
aren't compatable to other things. Black Walnut trees are devilish with
other things.......I can't grow tomato's CLOSE to those black walnut trees I
have on the upper terrace of my land..........Look towards your agricultural
extension agent to provide you with ideas

There's a limited number of trees that fit that
bill and will grow here in Zone 6A (plus the soil is fairly clayish in
spite
of efforts to amend it) but we'll manage.

I think you'll be surprised at the variety you have. Give it some research
and build a berm while you can!

The bird feeding has been a hit -- probably running a couple hundred or
more
birds through a day here. We're seeing mostly the usual suspects --
sparrows, doves, cardinals, finches, and chickadees -- but a few others
flit
in and out, as do the tree rats of course. Big ole tree rat was on the
largest of the feeders this morning -- knocked himself silly trying to
bolt
when we opened the door to let the dogs out for the day.

The dogs have destroyed the lawn in the front but at the same time they've
also managed to fertilize the yard quite substantially. I'll be
heading
out tomorrow to take advantage of the warm weather (supposed to be 55!)
and
wash most of it into the soil. Although we've had some fairly cold
weather
(down into the 20s) it hasn't been sustained enough for the ground to
freeze
very deep and this little warming snap is just what we needed to give the
ground some saturation ability.

I'm about to do the same. My puppy, Sugar has decided since the side yard
near the chain link fence is the perfect place to leave her massive mounds
since Miz Mary's brother in law has electric fenced the pasture where she
and Rose were doing their business..........I need to start showing her
other alternatives. But today is perfect for turning the hose onto those
love lumps ..........(maybe even chunk out some more of that forsythia I
haven't dislodged yet

That's about it for the winter update here -- we do not do much gardening
when the season goes cold on us, preferring to hibernate a bit ourselves.
Now we'll take time to focus on the indoors and begin looking towards
spring planning.

James

There's more than plenty of stuff around here to do, and I'll holler back
once I've done some of it. Right now I have to run some enchilada casserole
over to a couple of bottomless co-workers. I never know how to make less
than a restaurant steam pan full of it when I make it...............
madgardener up on the sunny ridge, back in FAiry Holler, overlooking English
Mountain in EAstern Tennessee zone 7, Sunset zone 36