When we had our french neighbours round, Jean Noel asked if we were going to cut them about halfway up... This started us thinking, especially at this time of year as they do cut out the sun. The other problem is they suck all the water and nutrients out of the garden, BUT according to the locals before the house was built the site was very boggy!!!
When you look at this type of tree it appears to have a limited lifespan... and be prone to various diseases...
The trees will have some value but only as firewood... and some of them will be hard to fell or trim due to their positions...
We feel that the time is approaching where we need to do something... BUT what!!!
You can see our dilemma...
9 comments:
Hmmmm decisions, decisions..... think carefully Diane
Never ask a Libran for a decision! Perhaps you could cut them back by half and see how you feel then?
I don't envy you the decision or the work ...
I would recommend cutting them back by about two-thirds... or whatever will bring them to the around same height as your weeping willows are when in full swing... providing, of course, that they are growing from the bottom. If they are growing from the bottom then pollarding them won't be a problem.
Like all trees of a 'limited' lifespan, their life will be prolonged by regular pollarding... this is what I have done [as generations before me had] with our willows.
All trees are prone to disease... usually fungal... this hits, in the main, the older, weaker trees that are nearing the end of their life... but a pollarded tree can usually cope with these as the vigorous growth competes very well with the attack.
Additionally, pollarding them will create habitat for the birds... and create a high hedge... you will cut back their height, but you are only going to reduce the pump action for the first few years... then it will be back to normal as the tree becomes in canopy volume [not height] more like they are now.
And, please get a professional in... they have the equipment to cut the tree, whilst holding it upright with a jib and grab... then laying the tree down... much safer!! To humans and property...
I second Tim's advice.
I agree trim them you can't get rid of them completely they are what define the house!
Sounds like a good idea Tim... Do you know of anybody with such a machine?
The certainly are beautiful. Interesting to learn about pollarding -- we have trees that need cutting back, but convincing my husband to do it is often difficult. He can deal with pruning, but anything that seems more severe he just can't come to grips with.
No... but I know a man who does... and the machine will be here sometime over the winter as we are having some of the trees that border the Aigronne done, 'curtsey' of the authorities. And it is a local contractor that they have hired... Yohanne, the river technician should be able to give me their details.
Email me please, so that I can flag it for attention... else my 'aulde brayne' will forget!!
Broad, not cutting trees is an English hang-up.... well, recent English anyway. The reason that trees like the Sherwood Forest's Major Oak [near Edwinstowe, Notts] are now propped up is because people haven't faced up to the fact that it was pollarding that created the tree in the first place and, unfortunately, the tree is now beyond recovery... criminal, I call it! Here in France some of the Planes get a vertical trim... the ones at Cell St.Avant on the N10 had the treatment about four years back... looked like a row of sticks to begin with... then loo-brushes... but now a nice avenue of tall Plane trees with a nice shape.
Pollarding works... it has done for eons... there is a bit more on my 'Art en Saule' blog.
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