The Arboretum Report February 10, 2017

Well the wacky weather continues. Two days ago, it was 65 degrees and sunny. Yesterday we had some light snow in the morning followed by some fierce winds. Some of the gust were up to 50 mph. Today there is still a light snow cover and the temperature probably won’t go above freezing. Tomorrow the projected high for the day is 50 degrees. Let’s hope that “Wacky” does not become the new “Normal”.

When the winds are sustained above 30mph we usually shut the Arboretum gates. During high winds being under the trees is not a good idea. When the trees start to dance in the wind I get a chill. If for some reason, I am in the woods and wind picks up I get scared and hurry out of there. Thankfully there was only a little damage to the trees from yesterday’s storm.

The planned tree work was completed by Knight Brother’s Tree Service. The Oak in front of the building received a nice pruning. Dead and dying branches were removed and thee tree lightly thinned. No branches were stubbed back as this is detrimental to oaks and most trees. We also had some medium sized Ash and Cherry trees removed. They were planted by birds and growing in places where they could not mature properly. All the work was done safely and efficiently.

February 18th the Delaware County Master Gardeners will be here to plant cool season vegetable seeds. Broccoli, cabbage, kale, collards and others will be part of the 1500 seeds to plant. They will be started in our greenhouse. When ready, they will be potted up into 4 or 6 packs and grown on here or at the Gardener’s polyhouse at Smedley Park. Then they will be available to Delaware County residents for a small donation. Details to be announced later.

On the nicer days, we have been making some progress removing invasive plants from the East Woods. Honeysuckle, Multiflora rose and Privet are infesting the understory. We separate them from the native trees and shrubs, then chop up the debris with our Gravely Brush Hog. When the spring growth starts, we will choose which plants to discourage and which to encourage. This decision is one we frequently have to make.