I love old trees with huge spreading branches and gnarly bark.
I took a picture of this tree at a campsite just outside of Temecula.
You would not believe how many tree photos I have on my hard-drive.
Everything from the ocean though twisted branches and exposed roots in Hawaii to the 300 yr. Old Ceiba Tree in Vieques.
Dove
Bellows Beach Hawaii
Another at Bellows
My former front garden tree, in San Diego... The new owners of the house cut it down :-(
Thanks for the shots from Bellows. When I was spending time there, it wasn't trees I was looking at and we were usually under the influence anyway. If you want a realllllly great book, check out 'Remarkable Trees of the World' by Thomas Parkenham. Amazing pictures of the biggest, baddest and oldest trees around the world.
I'm assuming being in CA you've already made multiple trips to see the Sequoia and Redwoods. ???
Lucky you.
How funny I wondered how many (if any) people would know about Bellows.
We had our share of "indulgences" while sitting out back watching the turtles swim by.
I'm ashamed to admit it, but we have never traveled north to see the Giant Redwoods.
It is on our list.
Thanks for the book reference, I'll take a look on amazon.
Dove
If you like tree pictures, Alan Bloom (the old co-host from Victory garden) has a book out about conifers and he has some great photography in there.
I don't have the time or money to travel and see the best specimens around the world but just love trees. I don't have the space (80x110 lot in suburbia) to have all the trees I want but for years now I kind of satisfy my infatuation by starting things from seed, growing out for a couple of years depending on the variety and eventually finding good homes. Still... I've got over 50 trees planted around the yard at last count. The only thing that came with the new construction house 10 years ago was the sorry Norway Maple 'Emerald Queen'. I have both deciduous and coniferous. Standard, semi and dwarf. Plus 6 kinds of fruit trees. Permanent additions this spring is the Acer Griseum, a variegated sycamore 'Eskimo Sunset' and a Gingko variety that's supposed to be more columnar. Trees like the Gingko and my Dawn Redwood, I look at and wonder if they will die of old age... several hundred years from now.
I love photos of trees.
I'm forever looking for the perfect black and white shot hang in my home.
I'm not that great a photographer, but I have fun trying.
I would have never considered growing a tree from seed, but my husband does.
He likes to bonsai. I'm learning patience from him when it comes to such a long term process.
I know what you mean about the trees the builder plants, everyone on our street got a magnolia. (Planted way to close to the sidewalk)
Our new home doesn't have any mature trees, I've planted ten so far and they seem to be thriving.
Cheers
Dove
I share your passion for big trees, old trees, and picturesque trees loaded with character. You can access my photo album on "Monumental Trees" via our arboretum web site if you would like to browse it sometime: www.StarhillForest.com
Guy S.
Guy,
Wow!
That's a fantastic group of photos. I am so impressed.
I've been looking for my photo of the 300 yr. Old Ceiba Tree in Vieques, Puerto Rico.
I think it's on my other PC, I'd love to share it with everyone.
I also noticed we have another interest in common. Old Churches?
Probably from my childhood, churches just don't look the same these days.
Loved your photos, thanks for posting the link
Dove
i'm very new here (and quite an amateur gardener when compared to many here!). Just had to add my name to your list of old-tree-appreciators! i started another thread about these, but I know you folks would appreciate these old guys. we've been told they are at least 100 yrs old. and they have plenty of personality! landscape architect frederick law olmstead did a lot of work in this area, and this spot was supposedly a picnic area for a long-gone nearby estate, so we wonder if they were planted by him - we've been told they are 4 different kinds of european beech. we feel very lucky to be living now, and getting to enjoy these trees in their old age. they are really amazing.
-kara
Kara,
Welcome to Dave's. I learn something new from the members here ALLLLL the time.
It's a great gardening site and we are all amateurs compared to somebody *S*
Your tree is marvelous!
The base and mounds of roots could inspire poetry.
Dove
That's an inspirational beech group! You must be very happy to have them. If the Petasites (from your other post) are becoming too aggressive, you might consider the opposite approach: remove or relocate all the large-leaved plants and instead begin a moss garden among the root flares. That will accentuate the scale of the trees even more. But don't mess around among those roots too much.
Speaking of which, I hope the house construction was enough years (5+) ago that you feel relatively safe that the trees will not decline from it. Beeches are very notorious for dying within a decade following construction disturbance in their root area. If you have any doubts about managing the soil under the trees, get a certified arborist out there to offer some on-site advice.
And Dove, if you're refering to me with that "S", we're ALL learning here from one another! If I didn't learn something almost every time I hit the forum, I wouldn't be here. Now I want to see your Ceiba!
Guy S.
I can't restrain myself. I just have to get a plug in for the best book on trees available on the market. Dovey and 8ft- you just have to get the book titled "Native Trees for North American Landscapes - From the Atlantic to the Rockies" from Timber Press. You will never regret it. ISBN: 0881926078 I refer to this book more frequently than my Dirr's.
Here's a link- http://search.barnesandnoble.com/bookSearch/isbnInquiry.asp?sourceid=00414479048454626508&ISBN=0881926078&bfdate=05-22-2005+00:53:28
Oh Kara - those trees are fantastic. Are they on your property? The girth of the trunks and the root flare are so captivating to me. Thanks for the pic!
Hi Equil! Timber Press has their act together. Some of my favorite books are from them. I'm going to casually leave a printed copy of the book description around for a Father's Day hint. ;) your link was dead but Amazon now has more of my $$!!
You've got some nice shots Guy! I like the massive trunks that are fluted and you can basically follow a root from the root flare right up the trunk under the bark.
This message was edited May 22, 2005 8:25 AM
Guy,
Heavens no I wasn't referring directly to you... although your knowledge is impressive, bordering on intimidating!
I had to dig around on my laptop to find the Ceiba photos. But I did finally find them.
The 1st photo is one where my husband took a photo of me taking a photo. I think it helps show the scale.
view 2
hi guys -
thanks for the notes on my trees. as incredible as they seem in photos, they take your breath away in person. makes you feel really, really small!
and yes our house was built a long time ago - 1965, and there has been no construction since unless you count a brick patio my husband did a few years ago, but that didn't involve much digging - and it's not mortered so the water can drain thru to the roots. it's just about that the edge of the canopy.
and the petasites are not really near the roots of the beeches...yet! i love the moss idea. i would LOVE to have a sea of moss out there. but we do know not to dig around the trees, and have pretty much let them alone. we have the best arborist EVER, he trims them when they need trimming and watches over them. i'm terrified of beech bark disease, but just read recently that european beeches are not as susceptible as american beeches are. just the same, we keep an eye on them.
we have an unusual house - so sometimes people don't like it, and they'll say "oh, those trees are too close to the house, you are going to take those down, right?". WHAT? those people aren't "tree people" like us, and just don't get it. TAKE 'EM DOWN? NEVER!
and yes, they are SUPER close to the house - here's a photo of them from another view......
I confess I'm not much of a photographer.
While we were in Puerto Rico we would go on photography trips and my Husband gave me lessons on how to use the 35 millimeter. He assumed because I have worked as a PA that I had some general knowledge of how a camera works.
Not so, I have rolls of out of focus prints of Old San Juan and the Rain Forest *LOL*
Here's another view.
kara,
I have such a love and respect for historic trees and flowers I'm in love with the garden surounding your home.
Amazing!
dovey - what a remarkable tree! nothin' like that in these new england woods! that just reminded me of a stand of white pine that we visited in maine this april. it's been noted that it is the oldest stand of white pine in the state, if not in new england. it's been protected, and there is a 1hr walk thru the grove of immense white pines (100' tall trees) - all the other old trees that size in the state have been cut down by the timber industry. here's a couple of photos from it. i think it's in Norway, Maine and is called the Ordway Grove (i think that's the name). what an amazing place that is. it's slowly reverting to a hardwood forest as the old pines fall, the younger beeches will take over....i guess that is part of the nature of the forest and the life cycle of a forest.
another of that pine grove (this downed tree was probably 100' or more).
dovey - you are so nice to say that about our yard - gosh - i look at it and just think of all the things that need to be done and what a mess it is!! we did put in a nice "river" of grass last year, and did a ton of work in the back so this year we are enjoying seeing our plants coming up. i just bought a japanese stewartia and can't figure out where i want that to go. we've been in the house 7yrs, and this is our first ever garden/yard, it's safe to say we are both obsessed with plants and trees! and i sure do love this site - it's become a new obsession with me!
Dove, do you have some background info about that great tree that tells you the age? I bet local history in Puerto Rico goes back that far. Ceibas can reach 100 feet tall in 10 years, although your tree does have the plagiotropic character and breadth we normally associate with great age.
The one from Guatemala on my album is forest-grown, thus taller and straighter with less taper. I have no idea how old it is, although I suspect it's younger than yours. I have seen some in Honduras that were planted 13 years before by the person who showed them to me, and the growth rate is unbelieveable -- trunks nearly 3 feet thick, tops 100 feet in the air -- holy cow!
I forgot to mention that I like the Temecula area also. There is a forest reserve there managed (I think?) by The Nature Conservany that has some terrific old Engelmann oaks and coast live oaks in a natural setting. As for our mutual fondness for churches (Christian and otherwise), I think they and cemeteries are productive places to look for old trees. Any sacred place is more likely to have some living antiquity preserved with it than almost any other place, and sometimes the historical documentation can be found. Of course, the inspirational architecture often distracts me from the trees -- almost!
Plymouth, I had heard of that old pine stand in Maine but have never seen it. Makes you wonder how a few scattered stands like that managed to escape the timber cutters. And I'm relieved that you know your tree stuff and are doing all you can to preserve your old beeches. Do you know what cultivars are there, or did I just miss seeing that info already given in your posts?
It's always a big relief when you find out that priceless trees are owned by folks who appreciate them. But every few decades, we short-lived humans pass the torch to another owner, and the old tree always has to worry about the next guy.
Guy S.
Guy - The only cultivar we've been able to identify is the (first one in the pic) the cut-leaf (i think that's an aspenfolia?). our arborist says it's the largest one he's ever seen (and he's been around). there's a big one (only about 20') that a neighboring town has deemed to be "historic" and is protecting. boy would they love to see ours which is probably 80 or 100' tall! the architect that built our house told us that these were picnic grounds for a nearby long-gone estate. we've actually wondered if the landscape architect frederick law olmstead (who did boston's emerald necklace) planted our beeches....he visited plymouth and did a lot of work nearby. our architect also told us the beeches are 4 different cultivars. i see the difference between the cut-leaf (obviously), the other 3 all look similar, they do leaf out at different times, not sure how to determine the difference between those other 3. do you know of a way to determine what cultivars they are? we are very dedicated to our trees. kara
If you take a trip to Europe, plan to spend a day at Trompenburg Arboretum in Rotterdam. They hold the Dutch national collections of beech, oaks, and conifers, and you probably can identify all of your beeches there. Let me know off line if you need a contact person there.
Guy S.
I really like banyan trees. We saw some wonderful ones in Hawaii when we were there.
http://www.hawaiiweb.com/hawaii/html/sites/banyan_tree_drive.html
equil - I got my book in and it's great! Thanks for the link. :)
