Destruction and davastation
I knew there would be damage to some of my garden after the lychee tree was pruned. I really thought though that he would be leaving some longer branches that would shade the garden a little bit as the other branches grew in. My hubby said he was very careful to drop as many of the branches as possible on the pavers or the neighbours lawn. Still, this heart shaped anthirium flower reflected what my heart felt like when I first saw the damage.
I had taken a photo of that same flower the day before the pruning.
I have spent every available minute tying plants back upright, trimming off broken leaves, and adding a little fresh compost to the base of the ground orchids that were totally flattened to the ground. I somehow don't think that name was intended to be that literal.
The area facing the gate was hardest hit, but luckily that area had also contained a lot of pots which I had removed before the surgery. They were replaced and given some protection from the fierce sun. The hanging baskets were hung back up again all to give a semblance of order. The rhoeo border is just a mess,but I have left it in place to see if it recovers. They do tend to flop around and need each other for support.
I am hoping this pink ginger will enjoy a bit more sunshine and reward me with lots of flowers. I have a flowering branch bent down into a pot to start off a new plant.
The firespike doesn't seem to have suffered any damage, and attracted lots of butterflies over the weekend to cheer me. The only way from here is up!
The sexy pink lady continues to bloom - one of my favourite flowers.
There is lots of mulch on the ground, and I will be watering quite a bit as these plants get used to their new sunny exposed conditions. Hopefully temporary - I will be watching for new leaf growth!
When I read the title of your post mt first reaction was "Oh no!" It's lucky you moved as much as you could. Hopefully they will all recover and not get too burnt. Don't worry about the rhoeo. They'll bounce back.
ReplyDeletethat is the good thing about living in this climate - I think most of the plants will recover.
DeleteI understand how you feel. This is why I am so protective of my garden; this type of damage is hard to take. Unlike me you have a great climate which will aid the plants in returning to normal in no time. For my plants that type of damage can take months and years to recover from!
ReplyDeleteYes you are right - things grow quite quickly in the tropics - the weeds too!
DeleteMother Nature has her own way of coping with devastation, just look what has happened to Qld. after our floods and cyclones. Chin up all will be right with time....
ReplyDeleteYou are right, and those areas have come back better than ever.
DeleteDearest Africanaussie,
ReplyDeleteOh my!!! I can guess how you must feel, my friend.
The firespike, pink lady of your potos are really beautiful♡♡♡ You must be busy taking care of your precious plants for coming coldness!
Love you always from east, xoxo Miyako*
Miyako,
Deletethank you, yes maybe this will make some of the flowering plants better in fact with more light.
I'm so sorry you had such a rough time with the tree trimming. I dread hiring anyone to trim my trees for the very same reason. With so much brush and plantings underneath it is nearly impossible not to have so much damage. I hope everything survives and revives for you!
ReplyDeleteMeems
Meems,
DeleteLuckily I took a tip from you way back and kept a lot of my special plants in pots :)
With a lot of T.L.C your garden will recover. It's so upsetting when this happens even if you were expecting some damage to see the plants you lovingly nurtured squished is a hard sight to take in.
ReplyDeleteSueb,
DeleteI know, nothing can prepare you, but even after one weekends work it is looking better already.
I bet you will get your garden back to normal soon. I am so taken with the last pic of the hanging pink flower...how I wish it would grow here!
ReplyDeleteah yes the sexy pink lady - I think I see a few more blooms starting as well. The best thing is that the blooms last for more than a month.
DeleteI can totally relate to your feelings. It's hard to look at the destruction that was of course hard to avoid with the felling of the Lychee branches. I know things will return fairly quickly, and at least your plants aren't exposed to the summer sunlight right now. Of course some will certainly be missing the shade, but hopefully they won't get too sunburnt or stressed. The Rhoeo will spring back quickly, and the Anthurium will have a new flower spike showing off in no time.
ReplyDeleteBernie,
DeleteThe last couple of days have been a bit overcast which I think will stress the plants less. Also plants are more adaptable than we give them credit for I think.
Did the pruning of one lychee tree really cause all of this destruction in your garden? Your firespike is looking quite lovely, on a side to side note. God bless, and happy gardening.
ReplyDelete-Tony Salmeron
Tree Service Charlotte
Tony,
Deleteactually I was very impressed that he didn't do more damage - he was very careful, and it is a small area to work in. I think the firespike will enjoy more sunshine.
When trees are heavily pruned we all feel this way. The plants recover better than the gardener. There will be sunburn for a couple of weeks and then new growth. Remember that if the branches were so big then the roots would have been the same. This has implications for your garden, and the pipes and wiring of your home. Give the garden a good dose of foliar fertiliser and stand back.
ReplyDeleteLouise,
DeleteYes I am waiting for new growth - the tree is looking quite ugly and bare right now. The tree has been there a long time.
For someone whose garden has been devastated you still have an amazing number of lovely photos to post. There's so much beauty and life in your garden that I'm sure it will quickly recover. Hang in there.
ReplyDeleteLaura,
DeleteLuckily just the one area was really bad, and I was lucky to have some lovelies to console me :)
What a shame...I am glad, though, that you got a photo of that flower before the pruning.
ReplyDeleteIt is amazing what some of the plants withstood, and I am sure they will come back better than ever.
DeleteHope that soon most of those plants will recover, it´s sad to see though...
ReplyDeleteSami,
DeleteLuckily hubby is keeping up the watering as they are normally in moist shade and I think that is helping.
Chyba bym się popłakała z żalu, ze tak piękne kwiaty zostały zniszczone. Mam nadzieję, ze wkrótce pojawią się nowe. Pozdrawiam.
ReplyDeleteI guess I would have cried in grief, with such beautiful flowers have been destroyed. I hope that soon there will be new. Yours.
Giga,
Deletewell there were a few tears shed, I must admit.
I always find it hard to prune because it looks, well, not as good as before. When we had our mango tree pruned when we were in town my heart nearly broke but in the long run it was a good thing for it and the surrounding area.
ReplyDeleteIt will all come back beautifully and with your gardening skills and love it won't take long.
KJ,
DeleteI am still feeling a bit miserable about it all - I want it to look better, and now! thanks for your kind words.
I think your attitude here is great. It can only get better:) I see a lot of burn damage that is similiar to our own if a tropical gets direct sunlight here. But that doesn't necessarily mean that the plant is gone....a lot of those tropicals will come back:) It's still a shock though seeing all the leaf damage. I deal with this every summer on my plants and it requires a little(or a lot:) of precise pruning:) Good luck!
ReplyDeleteRohrerbot,
DeleteI have shaded the more tender plants, but have been watering every second day, and slowly trimming back burnt leaves and branches.
I understand when you mentioned about the ground orchid.
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure your heart would had gone after it looking at the flatten spot.
Again - I'm also sure that your garden plants will re-bounce back to life and give more vibrant flowers as there is more sunlight for them to enjoy.
James,
DeleteI can actually already see new ground orchid shoots :)
My that is a big change. I know first-hand how devastated a garden area can look after the removal of big trees, but as you said, change is constant in the garden. I love the pink lady and all the flowers you have blooming. I can't wait to see what new delights await now with more sunshine!
ReplyDeleteKaren,
DeleteI wish I had the energy you have - maybe I should plan a garden party to spur me on!
Hope everything bounces back well. I have a certain giant oak branch that shades so much of my back garden, and I know I would just die if it ever fell. The plants would be crushed, and the shade would be gone. I fear it often.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, it looks like most of your garden stood up well. I love the anthurium and the pink lady. So wonderfully tropical!!!
Floridagirl,
DeleteI remember those lovely Florida oaks, the branches seem to go on forever!
Our neighbour took out a tree that was shading a large part of our garden and we both had a fair bit of devestation and destruction too! It wasnt much fun but a year down the track, its hard to remember what it looked like with the tree actually there. Its the raw-ness and the newness of it all at the moment that hurts. You have a wonderful attitude and an amazing green thumb -Its gonna be bigger and better than ever soon! - Kara
ReplyDeleteWow. I like big, bold steps like that. In the long run, I'm sure the plants will too.
ReplyDeleteThey are hardy plants, they will recover, if not the old leaves then the new growths. I love the analogy to the broken heart, haha! At least you gain lots of space and more sunshine.
ReplyDelete