Wild Flora's Wild Gardening: Thanks and thoughts

Thanks and thoughts

THANKS TO ALL who have commented on the previous post, especially to Gloria for her warm welcome back. For about 13 months I was involved in a very rewarding but very time-consuming project--educating woodland owners about ways to earn income from selective harvesting of a few trees instead of the wholesale clearcutting that is too frequently practiced in this area. I struggled to keep up with the demands of the project and this blog but finally caved in and stopped blogging. Now the project is over, I'm easing back in to posting.

While off doing other things, I did have some time to think about the blog, however, and I have been thinking about taking a slightly different approach than the one I was using before. I'd like to make it easier for me to keep up with the blog and at the same time make sure that those who are kind enough to read the blog find it, a., useful and interesting and, b., easy to read.

Here are some of the conclusions I've reached so far. I'd appreciate any comments anyone has to offer:

Every blogger has her own strengths, but I think my greatest strength is probably my ability to do research. Other bloggers are better writers, are more knowledgeable about gardening, etc. etc., but I seem to excel at reasearch. Probably it's because I'm a former journalist, but I enjoy research and seem to be pretty good at it. I also enjoy sharing the results. I also think this is probably a good service to provide for readers because, let's face it, in the Blogosphere lots of people have opinions. Facts, not so much. At any rate, I've been thinking that this blog should specialize in offering research-based answers to specific questions. In fact, I'd enjoy answering reader questions if anyone would like to pose any.
I find it impossible to post as often as other bloggers do, and yet I'm sure my erratic schedule must be annoying for people who read this blog. I wonder if it wouldn't be easier on everyone if I tried to stick to a schedule, even if it isn't very frequent. Once a month is nothing by blogging standards, for instance, but it is at least a schedule I could stick to. And those of you who do not use feed readers would at least know when to check this space for new material.

The art above is from an old cigar box label and is courtesy of Dover Publications, which gives away free samples of its clip art books and CD-Roms.

3 comments:

Gloria said...: However often you are able to blog is fine. I agree that evidence based information would be beneficial. An information filled post with links or other sources would be great fun.
I have been trying to find out how officials are reacting (behind closed doors) to the larger predators resurfacing in urban areas like Chicago.
Do animal control priorities differ with those at Fish and Wildlife? Finding answers is not easy. I can not believe I was so unaware.Sometimes we don't even know what questions to ask.
I'll be looking forward to the next addition.; December 18, 2008 at 1:37 PM
Benjamin Vogt said...: Anytime, any place, just come back to us! Your non-blogging project sounds wonderful, needed, and fruitfull, and I'm envious of the fieldwork sort of thing.; January 2, 2009 at 5:29 PM
Unknown said...: hi flora and thanks for visiting my blog. i've been reading yours for over a year, being a wild gardener myself! re/this post - i had a similar break from blogging this past summer - life got in the way! best wishes for the new year and as i said before, it's great to have you back!; January 10, 2009 at 6:49 PM

About this blog and its owner

I’ve lived and gardened in Chicago and the Seattle area, and now I live on 250 acres in eastern Canada. Most of my life has been spent as a journalist and editor, but after moving to Seattle I took a detour and ended up designing and installing wildlife-friendly gardens. For a long (sorry) but (I think) funny essay about this experience, please click here.

In this blog, I try to combine my gardening experiences with journalism-type research to come up with items that I hope will be useful to you, the gardener who wants to be kind to wildlife. The blog will probably be most useful to people living in areas where I have some practical experience, namely the band of states and provinces that are on either side of the United States-Canada border.

Being self-employed, I go through spells when I’m self-unemployed and am able to post frequently, and spells when I’m involved in a project and not able to post. This site is a labor of love and, alas, like so many labors of love it often has to take a back seat to labors of lucre.

If you like what you find here, please consider joining the site as a member or adding it to your “follow” list. The modules for this are below.

Q&A

Question: I have a neat old elm tree in the front yard which is sorely afflicted with mistletoe. I don't know quite what to do with it, as every windstorm drops branches, bark and other parts down on the yard below. I know the infected wood will have to go, at least that is what I'm told, but a considerable amount of tree must be removed in the process. It is a dear tree, and I don't want it to come to fatal harm. What should I do? From Mary

Answer: Dear Mary, old is not ugly, dying is not bad, and dead is part of the natural order. At least if you're a tree.

Old, diseased trees, and the dead trees they eventually turn into, play just as important a role in an ecosystem as the young, healthy ones do--even more important because, thanks to the misguided practices of the past, dead and dying trees have become so rare. Holes in dead and dying trees are vital nesting spots for many birds and small mammals. Dead branches and other litter (which is not necessarily a sign of disease--healthy trees drop litter too), if left to decompose naturally, are also important for ecosystem health.

When working with old trees it's important to get advice from an arborist who understands their value and won't be in too much of a hurry to make drastic changes. Before hiring an arborist, I'd ask him or her to explain the ecological value of dead and dying trees. Ideally I'd want to work with an arborist who could show me examples of dead or dying trees he/she has left standing (aka snags).

I don't know much about mistletoe because I've never lived anywhere that it grows, but I wasn't surprised to read in the Wikipedia that it is an ecologically important species. All too often, valuable native species are classified as pests just because they don't fit preconceived notions of attractiveness. To me it sounds like a pretty cool plant and one I would be happy to have in my garden.

All in all, as long as the tree doesn't pose a hazard to people or property (the advice of a professional could be helpful in making this decision), I would leave it alone to live out its life in dignity and peace. If the tree does pose a hazard, I would look for an arborist who is willing to do the least amount of work necessary to remove the hazard, making every effort to leave as much of the tree as possible and not destroy its appearance.

With any luck you will find someone who appreciates the aesthetics of old trees--who recognizes the beauty, as well as the ecological importance, of big holes, broken limbs, and gnarly wood. (With any luck, we will all find people like this as we get older--but that's another story!)

I like to answer questions! Send me a question at wildflora at gmail dot com and I'll try to answer it. If you provide an email address, I usually respond privately within a few days. (If I forget, please forgive me and send me a reminder.)

Looking for a question and answer that appeared here previously? I am archiving them at my new website. Currently you'll find one question and answer about how to get rid of a multiflora rose and another about how to move a bumblebee nest.

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