On 4/20/13 3:33 PM, abbeygardener wrote:

We recently moved into a house in London, UK, that has the trees
pictured growing at the edge of the garden. On the side facing the
garden, the trees are covered with what I think (but I'm not certain)
are small dead branches. We'd quite like to remove them as they look
unsightly, but are unsure whether this is advisable or how to do it?

Can anyone confirm from the pictures what the apparent dead wood is and
whether it can be removed (and if so, how) without causing harm to the
trees? The wood is quite dry to the touch. It seems to be fairly tangled
and attached to the trees which I'm guessing makes trying to pull it
down (eg. with a rake) unfeasible.

Thanks


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The photos look as if some kind of vine was growing on the trees and was
then cut away at the bottom without removing the top growth. I see a
similar situation near my house where wisteria grew to the top of an
Italian cypress. The wisteria would have eventually killed the cypress
but was cut last year near the ground. The dead vine is still up in the
tree, well beyond anyone's reach other than with a crane.

--
David E. Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean, see
http://www.rossde.com/garden/climate.html
Gardening diary at http://www.rossde.com/garden/diary