Category Archives: Trees

Tree Troubles? Send Us Your Photos

by Categorized: Gardening, Landscape, Trees Date:
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2014-03-01 00.14.55So many of us have trees that have been damaged in severe weather in recent years or that are just seriously overdue for a pruning facelift.

Before trees leaf out, it’s easier to assess the situation, see what needs doing and determine how to proceed.

If you have a challenging tree, or are just unnerved at the prospect of possibly damaging a beloved tree with your loppers and chainsaw, send us a photo (you can include some closer detail views as well). We’ll consult with experts and arborists and offer as many pruning pointers as possible in a story here and in The Courant.

Send your digital photos (minimum 300 dpi) to nschoeffler@courant.com, with the subject field “Tree Troubles.”

Photos: Storm Sandy tore off most of the back of the Bartlett pear tree (at top), but what remained bloomed prolifically this spring. The October 2011 snowstorm broke off about 25 percent of the branches of the cherry tree (below), including its leader. (If the tree were a clock, virtually all of the branches from midnight to 3 o’clock were snapped.) Most of the broken branches were pruned back, but now vertical branches have filled in that area, and a lot of interior pruning is needed. We’ll ask arborists if it’s healthy to let a tree’s vertical branches fill in gaps. (Photos by Nancy Schoeffler)

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Spring Is Just About Here

by Categorized: Composting, Do It Yourself, Elizabeth Park, Flowers And Floral Design, Garden Design, Garden Ornaments, Gardening, Gardens, Horticulture, Houseplants, Insects, Landscape Architecture, Plants, Seasons, Trees, Vegetable Gardening, Wildlife Date:
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MIO5X098_7873_9Forget about that pessimistic, unreliable groundhog. The surest sign that spring is just about here is the annual Connecticut Flower & Garden Show, which runs through Sunday at the Convention Center in Hartford.

After so much snow, the fragrance of flowers and mulch is intoxicating. Booth after booth — there are more than 300 — offer ideas and information for your “Backyard Paradise,” as this year’s show is titled. And there are numerous seminars from gardening experts.

Saturday hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For details:www.ctflowershow.com.

The Federated Garden Clubs of Connecticut’s juried show also is inspirational, with designs that have rhythm, movement balance, intriguing textural contrasts and some playfulness.

2014-02-19 00.54.53This medley in chartreuse (right), including papyrus, carnations, hydrangea, spider mums, lily grass, bells of Ireland, variegated aspidistra, amaranthus and steel grass, is by Amber Pratt of the Garden Club of Kensington.2014-02-19 00.53.392014-02-19 00.57.11

 

 

 

 

Carolyn Bernard of the Garden Club of Madison (above left) plays around with the idea of apples and oranges in this whimsical tabletop display, which also includes Brussels sprouts, asparagus and spray roses.

 

The dynamic swirl of birds of paradise with monstera, apidistra and sabal palm (left) is by Barbara Deysson of the Shippan Point Garden Club.

 

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The artful drama of this design (right) by Cathy Ritch of the Long Hill Garden Club in Trumbull includes anthurium in and under water in a glass globe, accented with wire mesh and blue swirls.

 

 

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Duane Luster of the Country Gardeners of Glastonbury garden club combines heliconia with philodendron, bamboo, fasciated (fantail) willow and red maple (left).

 

 

ButterflyJuried flower show photos by Nancy Schoeffler

Rice paper butterfly from Magic Wings, a Massachusetts butterfly conservatory. Photo by John Woike | The Hartford Courant.

 

A Shelton Spruce Makes The Cut: A Big-Time Star

by Categorized: Seasons, Trees Date:
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Cutting down a tree can be a chore. Or a relief. Or a bittersweet moment. spruceWhen that tree is 76 feet tall, it also can be quite a spectacle.

A Norway spruce in Shelton, at the home of John and Louse Vargoshe, was cut down today and now heads for the bright lights, big city. It will reign over Rockefeller Center this holiday season, crowned in crystal Swarovski, and be the star of a two-hour TV special when it’s lighted on Dec. 4.

Rose Lichtenfels has the story, with photos by Patrick Raycraft here.

Master Gardener Application Deadline Is Extended

by Categorized: Botany, Ecology, Gardening, Horticulture, Invasive Species, Plants, Trees Date:
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Bartlett Arboretum

Master Gardener Application Deadline Extended

Just about every truly serious gardener I’ve met in Connecticut is a Master Gardener; it’s a credential I aspire to and hope one day to find the time to attain. It takes serious commitment.

The UConn Extension System’s 2014 Master Gardener program, which begins the first week of January, provides horticultural and environmental training to people who want to expand their gardening know-how and share it with the public through volunteer activities.

The program includes more than 100 hours of classroom work — in 14 all-day class sessions once a week — covering botany, plant pathology, entomology, integrated pest management, herbaceous and woody ornamentals, edibles, turf grass, invasive plants and diagnostic techniques. Classes can be taken at the Bartlett Arboretum in Stamford, or at the County Extension Centers in Norwich, Torrington, Hamden or Vernon.

Students also do supervised research — on identifying insects and plants, diagnosing plant diseases and providing recommendations — and participate in community outreach projects, such as community gardens, educational booths at Earth Day events and county fairs, and working with the Connecticut Invasive Plant Group. In all, it involves about 60 hours of volunteer work.

The fee is $415, and partial scholarships may be available, depending on need.

The deadline for postmarking applications has been extended to Nov. 8. Details about the program and the application form are available at the Home and Garden Education Center’s website at www.ladybug.uconn.edu and at County Extension Center offices.

Photo: Bartlett Arboretum