Tonight, while wandering the garden with the New Wild Dog and The Stanimal, I couldn't help but notice that I had horrifically failed my eucalyptus tree.
(I think it's Eucalyptus cinerea, the Silver Dollar Gum tree. Charlestonians love their eucalyptus - I suppose anyone would, right?)
~~~~~
So, can one truly fail a tree? I suppose. I think I did. I should have pruned mine when it was feet (and feet and feet) shorter - but now mine sits just off the end of my side deck, towering a good 10 or 15 feet above a deck that is already 12 or so feet off the ground. This thing is tall now. When I got it, from Pete's, it was about a foot high - a baby of a tree - unintimidating, quiet, sweet - and now it is striking, upright and tall, Suessian. Dare I try to chop off the top 10 feet so that it bushes out a bit more, gains some width, becoming less of a hurricane-waiting-to-happen disaster?
I like it though. I like it the way it is now, but I know that I have failed it. Yes, I can start all over, get a new and smaller one, a quiet one, and start pruning it at an early age.
But isn't this one beautiful? I would never think of abandoning it. That just won't happen.
Perhaps I can start pruning it back, slowly, somehow.
~~~~~
In a day where I it hit me hard that pretty much every aspect of my life is stressful challenging right now, I had a little 'find' that made me happy. There is a citrus farm in South Carolina!
Take a look at Mckenzie Farms in Scranton, South Carolina. (And Scranton is about two hours NORTH of me).
They don't just grow citrus - they grow INTERESTING citrus. Cold hardy citrus. Like citrus junos (or YUZU) - a cold hardy citrus from the highlands of Japan that has been reported (according to their site) to have survived temperatures as low as 5 F. And then there is Ten Degree Tangerine and the Ichang Lemon. Wow. The cold hardiness reported on their website is impressive - and I might just have to email the guy (the guy being Citrus Man - perhaps a new super hero?).
Anyway, this was a find. This was optimistic (considering that I have a satsuma and two Meyer's Lemons in the ground, and am craving an enlargement of my non-existent citrus grove). I want a grove. Of citrus. I want to walk in the grove in the springtime, and smell the wonderfully sweet fragrance of the flowers. I want to invite friends to come and sit in my citrus grove in springtime.
~~~~~
Back to the stressful challenging stuff. (But with a hint of fragrance lingering).
I was just perusing your links from that last post and, yes, the tassel flower looks lovely although I think those blooms are pretty small and the Giraffe foxglove? Who wouldn't want those! They actually look a bit like a giraffe! As I mentioned, I was looking at the links and this above post appeared like magic. I like your eucalyptus and wish I could grow one. Or, grow a citrus grove but, alas, they will have to be houseplants here. I would hack that tree right back. I think it will be fine! I can almost smell it! Thanks.
Posted by: layanee | 22 January 2008 at 09:36 PM
Did you ever mention this eucalyptus tree before? They seem so exotic!
A google search pulled up several sites about growing and pruning these trees. This one says you can cut 80% of the top off, but only mid-spring to summer... doing it during cold weather could kill the tree.
http://www.angelfire.com/bc/eucalyptus/eucgrowing.html
You have so much "pruning" to do with your possessions and your workload, Pam - at least the eucalyptus prefers that you wait.
Annie at the Transplantable Rose
Posted by: Annie in Austin | 23 January 2008 at 11:27 AM
Layanee: I thought the Giraffe foxglove was just lovely, and yes - there was something about the angle of the stems that made me think 'giraffe' too (even the color somewhat suits the name). Have you grown the tassel flower before? I think the flowers are small, but they're so interesting - I just thought they'd be nice contrast.
Annie: Thanks for the links, I did look for some info last night too - and pretty much concluded what you say here. I'm guessing it won't be a huge priority right now (with everything else being a bit overwhelming at the moment) - but it shouldn't take long to do, so perhaps I'll get to it.
Posted by: Pam | 23 January 2008 at 09:21 PM
Pam: I haven't grown that but I do believe that Kris at Blithewold had that in her display garden. I have a picture on my 9/02/07 blog about four down that I am pretty sure is tassel flower. I can email the picture to Kris for verification! It was beautiful and, en masse, quite enchanting.
Posted by: layanee | 23 January 2008 at 10:24 PM
Thanks Layanee - I just went and took alook at the tassel flower on your site - and I really love it. It'll definitely stay on my seed list!
Posted by: Pam | 24 January 2008 at 08:37 AM
I like your original thought: Plant another one that you can tend to and keep pruned, but let this wild beauty go... that is such an amazingly beautiful eucalyptus!
The snow is swirling outside my window, and yet somehow I am wondering whether I might actually be able to grow citrus here. 10 degrees, you say? *grin*
Posted by: Kim | 24 January 2008 at 02:24 PM
Kim: I'm a horrible pruner of trees (and shrubs and...you get the picture). I like watching things be - as they want to be - and I have friends that laugh at me about it, the wildness - and I know this eucalyptus would benefit from pruning (especially if we get a big storm come through) - but I just don't know if I have the heart to do it. Maybe, I just don't know. Oh - did you look at those citrus at that guy's (CITRUS MAN) website? He really had some citrus listed with remarkable cold tolerance. I'm curious. I'm going to email him (according to the Daves Gardens site, his place has gotten excellent reviews and he's really helpful).
Posted by: Pam | 24 January 2008 at 07:59 PM
I have, and I am seriously tempted. The Yuzu is supposedly cold hardy down to 5 degrees... I wonder at what temperature they start to lose topgrowth to winter kill, though?
Or maybe... just maybe... it would be worth trying one of these in a pot inside rather than the ubiquitous Meyer lemons, etc., that I can't keep warm enough to keep happy? Hmm.
Posted by: Kim | 25 January 2008 at 01:50 PM
I likewise have a eucalyptus growing into the heavens.
According to some buddhist poet, love never fails.
Grow, but stand firm
See, but act
Love, if only to grieve
and lose nothing
Posted by: Jane Dunnagan | 28 September 2008 at 01:31 PM
Would love to chat more about your Citrus in South Carolina. I am sending an e-mail your way also. I don't know for sure, but I think we are very close to each other. I am in North Charleston.
Check out my Blog to learn more about my Citrus in SC.
http://thecitrusguy.blogspot.com/
Posted by: Darren | 13 February 2010 at 10:28 PM