I have a cherry tree in my new backyard. it was badly damaged years ago, I have no idea how but most of the tree’s heartwood is exposed.
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| It's cool looking but very bad for the tree |
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| Dead section on the cherry tree, it even has mushrooms on it. |
There are only a few living branches left on it. There wasn’t even very much fruit on it this year and what was there wasn’t unusual or exciting enough to preserve. To let the tree live is to watch it die, slowly, never to really enjoy cherries from it. So this fall, I am cutting it down. Yet, I keep getting people asking me if it can be saved. I keep looking at the people asking, then looking at the sad, sad looking tree, then having to point out that the tree is dying. Perhaps I have an easier time making this decision since the tree is new to me. I inherited it with the property so I don’t have any attachment to it. or, it is because as a horticulturist I am a trained killer.
most people think that horticulturalists are purely nurturing. We plant, we water, we make sure plants in the ground are healthy. There is some of that but really, most of my job is killing stuff. In order for a desired plant to live, lots of smaller weeds need to be pulled, insects need to be kept away, and diseases kept at bay. Plus in an established garden, editing needs to be done. |
| This plant has overgrown its space and will never recover from this kind of pruning |
Plants get old, get diseased, or just get too big for their place. So they need to go. I have on several occasions, counseled people through getting rid of old plants. It is harder when you planted the plant, watched it grow for years, invested time in it. It isn’t all downsides, getting rid of an old plant can open up room for a new one. I am planning on putting in a Vine Maple ‘Pacific Fire’ to replace the old cherry tree. I will also be replanting new cherry trees, just in different places.
