Re: Maple Trees
- To: s*@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU
- Subject: Re: [SG] Maple Trees
- From: M* T*
- Date: Sun, 25 Mar 2001 22:54:22 -0500
Diann,
I agree with Claire - Norway maples are a weed tree - just as are
those black locusts. In a world with hundreds of incredibly lovely
trees that offer something of value in the garden, it is a crying
shame to keep garbage trees if you don't have to. I add box elders
to my list of garbage trees:-) Hate them. If you're going to have a
maple, A. griseum is a grand choice - MUCH better than a Norway - or
try the snake bark maple...but A. griseum is choice.
Tell your hubby to take off his blinders and get rid of that thing
before it falls on the house:-) It will probably find a way to
infiltrate your pond first, tho'. You can also tell him that Mother
Nature puts a lot of stuff around, but that is not a reason to keep
it if you want to have a garden. Mother Nature does not have
excellent taste when it comes to placing plants in the garden, in
many instances, and particularly when it comes to distributing weedy
trees!
Marge Talt, zone 7 Maryland
mtalt@clark.net
Editor: Gardening in Shade
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> From: Diann Barbee Thoma <diannthoma@EARTHLINK.NET>
> Folks,
>
> We have a lot of black locusts in our back yard, probably getting
old by
> now--let's say 30-40 years old. We also have two Norway Maples, one
in each
> corner of the front yard. As anyone familiar with these maples
knows, I must
> weed about 500 seedlings/year all over the entire yard. Also, I
don't need
> to tell you about the dry and depleted dirt around them and the
heavy shade.
>
> Another of these maples is growing in the back next to our small
pond
> amongst the locusts. It's young and has about a 6-7" diameter
trunk. I am
> dismayed that my husband (who once grew vegetables for market, but
not
> perennials) is determined that this tree stay there since "nature
put it
> there" and since the black locusts are somewhat old. He also, it
seems,
> refuses to believe me that it does deplete the soil and perhaps he
doesn't
> appreciate what "dry" means in a shadegarden.
>
> I definitely want it out, and would love to plant an acer griseum
> (Paperback) in its place. However, my husband doesn't have any
> understanding/sympathy for my desire to NOT have another Norway.
It's a
> stalemate.
>
> So I'm asking here for opinions on the situation. Yes, I will share
them
> with my husband. If you don't agree with me, that's fine: rounded
> discussions are fine. I'd greatly appreciate the knowledge and
experience of
> this group applied to this question.
>
> Thanks,
> Diann
