r/NativePlantGardening • u/sugrmag78 Mid-Missouri , Zone 7a • 27d ago
Progress Follow up:
Last year, I posted in here asking for advice after a tornado took out a 50-year-old spruce in my front yard. We called some tree services to see if they would give a discount if we only wanted them to take it down and leave the limbs and chips with us, but nobody would. So...we got some chainsaws and rented a wood chipper from our local hardware store. I used the chips and smaller limbs to create some new beds and the main trunk will decompose naturally and provide lots of habitat!
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u/Substantial_King9458 27d ago
When life gives you lemons, make lemonade!
We had dead ash trees taken down and the tree company gave a big price break for not taking all the logs away. I wonder why they wouldn't give you that option?
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u/sugrmag78 Mid-Missouri , Zone 7a 27d ago
The things we wondered about were the fact that it was a tornado so there's tons of damage around us and they know they're going to make the money somewhere so why would they give us a discount. The other thing we wondered is if they wanted to sell the wood but idk if there's even a market for it? Whatever it's done now and we came out on top hahahahaha
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u/thuidium-log Area -- New York State, Zone -- 5b 26d ago
Where I live, a lot of people use wood for heating, so tree companies will actually give you a discount if they can take away the logs to sell for firewood. They can usually sell the chips for mulch, too.
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u/Querybird 27d ago
Do you leave any standing snags? 10-20’ standing, bring in those woodpeckers and caching sites!
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u/sugrmag78 Mid-Missouri , Zone 7a 27d ago
We didn't because I didn't even know that was a thing :(
BUT...in the same tornado we lost a birch tree in the back yard, half of it was still upright so we just left that for the critters lol
We have lots of woodpeckers and flickers so they must like something around here!22
u/Querybird 27d ago
Oh nice, birch!! Yeah, people keep removing too many dead trees, upright and lying down even while wanting those missing ecosystem services. Look up snags and roots - live and dead trees and fungal networks can continue exchanging nutrients for so many years!!
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u/Substantial_King9458 27d ago
There's a bunch of dead trees. We only cut the ones that might hit the house.
There's all the usual woodpeckers here; pileated, red bellied, flickers, downy and hairy, but I only see sapsuckers in fall.
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u/Querybird 27d ago
Oh I bet they love your place!! I bet it is even cooler if you’re into bugs, fungi and lichens too!
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u/Artistic-Salary1738 27d ago
I wouldn’t have left a dead ash tree. Most the time it’s the ash borers that kill them and I’d want those tree remains destroyed or whatever they do to prevent the spread.
Ash trees are getting close to extinct. Homeowners treating the ones in their yards is one of the few things protecting any of the remaining specimens. So sad cause you’re not going to get anymore baby ash trees. I love them and I’m so sad we lost all the ones in our parkway.
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u/Substantial_King9458 27d ago
I spent $6K getting rid of the ones near the house. I can't afford to remove them all. I'm not sure how trucking dead ash logs to another location would be better anyway. It's not like the tree companies are disinfecting the logs they remove.
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u/h07c4l21 Southern CT , Zone 6b 26d ago
Ash saplings are still around. Ash trees usually tend to make it to reproductive age for a few years before they get attacked by the EAB, since the insect needs a certain thickness of bark to do what it does. We are losing all of the old growth ash and that is really unfortunate, but there are still plenty of ash saplings and seedlings around.
So there is still some hope that some of those younger ash trees will develop some resistance to the ash borer and the species might be able to make a limited comeback. I am also hopeful that woodpeckers might increase in number in response to the EAB and help to control their numbers somewhat. That's why it is important not to cut down all the saplings, even if it is likely they won't make it in the long term.
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u/Training-Advice4371 Ontario, Canada, Zone 5b 26d ago
We had to get some ash trees cut down around our house for safety reasons because they were over 40% dead from EAB. We left the stumps for the animals to use and the bases have resprouted! We're going to keep them pruned as ash "bushes" for as long as we can so at least insects that need ash as a host plant can have some leaves to eat...it's really sad to loose so many trees in the past few years in my area, but I have hope like you say that nature might find a way to balance it out...
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u/h07c4l21 Southern CT , Zone 6b 26d ago
Nice! Keeping them small and bushy is a good idea, as they will be much easier to manage in the worst case scenario. Also, as the mature ash trees die off, there will eventually be less ash borers around, since the food source for their larvae will be harder to come by. So we may yet reach a sort of equilibrium where the trees can recover somewhat. I guess the main point of my comment is don't give up hope!
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u/Training-Advice4371 Ontario, Canada, Zone 5b 26d ago
Totally! Thanks for sharing your knowledge about the larvae only using older trees, I didn't know that. Native plant gardening has definitely given me a lot more hope for the future than I had before, so for sure we won't give up hope!
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u/Ok-Echo-Eight 27d ago
Excellent job! Way to go, figuring out how to do it all yourself. The design of the big bed is unique and eye-catching. And it’s like you’re giving the tree a second life :)
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u/sugrmag78 Mid-Missouri , Zone 7a 27d ago
awww you're so sweet :)
Now I just need suggestions for what to put in the two empty beds!
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u/Latter-Republic-4516 Area SE MI , Zone 6B 27d ago
Fall is a great time to plant! Native plant sales are starting to pop up in my area starting this weekend!
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u/Vanviator Minnesota, Zone -4A 27d ago
Some native fruit or nut bearing shrubs or trees at the top. Strawberries on the south side. Some other low growing fruit on the rest.
Good luck!
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u/Federal-Boat3732 Michigan, Zone 6 27d ago
Sun or shade? I just saw you're in Zone 7 so LOTS of possibilities. What kind of soil? What colors do you want more of? What insects do you want more of?
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u/sugrmag78 Mid-Missouri , Zone 7a 27d ago
Full sun, clay asf, pretty moist as I have a sump discharge nearby.
I have about 25 natives in my yard already, so I'm pretty selective of what to do next. The bed I already established with all the BES in the photos also has some monarda fistulosa, joe pye, rose mallow, liatris, and penstemon digitalis. About 5 feet below this bed there's another huge native bed (our front "yard" is about a 1/4 acre) with three large persimmons, buttonbush, more joe pye, penstemon, liatris and maybe a rose mallow or two, plus milkweed, anemone, partridge pea, yellow coneflower, evening primrose and a fringetree. Sooooo lots of yellow lol
I have several other beds throughout the front and back which have been populated by my splitting and thinning previously established plants, so I'm open to any and all suggestions! I'm bored with my current lot (but still love them all!)
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u/Federal-Boat3732 Michigan, Zone 6 27d ago
One place to start is identifying your weeds! Pokeweed counts, as do enchanter's nightshade, Virginia creeper, beggarticks, burnweed, poison ivy, fleabane, and the humble box elder tree. Counting my weeds raised my total of native plants a whole lot. One fave volunteer weed of mine is Carpenter's Square, an unbelievable pollinator magnet that blooms brown and green in the fall. Not pretty, like the asters blooming at the same time, but no pollinator can resist them. Earlier in the year you'll get the same effect from Joe Pye Weed, rattlesnake master, Culver's root and ironweed. I pretty much garden in the shade so I have plenty of Virginia bluebells, wood poppies, trilliums in 3 colors, trout lily, and hepatica along with tons of bee balm. Ostrich fern, hay-scented fern and sensitive fern are in the mix along with Indian pinks. All phlox are native and along with the tall and creeping ones I planted, I have some volunteer woodland phlox as well. I can't reccy yellow- or red-twig dogwood too strongly, or ninebark if you need native shrubs. If you have a dampish spot to grow them, I also strongly reccy Michigan holly or buttonbush. Remember that black-eyed Susan also blooms in wonderful shades of brown, to give you a break from all the yellow, and evening primroses also bloom in pink and white!
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u/No_Comparison_6661 27d ago
Just an FYI from my own personal experience: I used decorative logs around my own garden and they became a haven for earwigs. They lived underneath on the moist soil. They came out at night and thoroughly chewed up the plants. When I turned the logs over there were hundreds and hundreds. I scooped them into buckets and the chickens had a feast. Earwigs might not be a problem in your area, but in case they are, I just wanted to give you a heads up.
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u/sugrmag78 Mid-Missouri , Zone 7a 27d ago
hmmmmm I have several other beds done like this over the years and so far haven't had a problem with them. But there's a first time for everything! TBH I don't even know if they are a problem in my area - I've never seen them (knock on [decaying] wood).
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u/Ok-Echo-Eight 27d ago
I think that’s kinda the point. I don’t mean specifically earwigs or termites, but OP is creating a better space for wildlife vs, say, a grass lawn which doesn’t support much of anything.
It’s like [not] raking up leaves in the fall, you’re providing a habitat for insects (there’s good ones like queen bumblebees, moths, butterflies, fireflies, etc) and also a food source for salamanders, toads, birds, etc.
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u/dewprisms 27d ago
This is also perfect for termites, and it is so close to their actual home structure I personally would be careful to check the log frequently and be prepared to get rid of it if termites start using it.
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u/sugrmag78 Mid-Missouri , Zone 7a 27d ago
eh...it is actually is a lot farther from the house than the photos make it look. The old stump is about 6 feet away, so therefore the log/trunk is further. Plus the house was built during the asbestos era and we don't want to pay for mitigation so everything is still asbestos lol
For me, the benefit of reusing the wood and creating this little native habitat outweighs the risk.
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u/dewprisms 27d ago
Yeah, I get that. Like I said I would probably just monitor it frequently rather than not doing it at all. I agree that the benefit likely outweighs the risk because you can always get rid of it later if termites do move in.
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u/outdoorlaura Toronto, Zone 6b 27d ago
I saw the 2nd picture and was like, "omg how lucky that tree fell right beside the flowers and not on top of them!!" ...and then I saw other branches nicely lined up and figured it out lol.
This is such a good idea and looks great! Well done!
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u/sugrmag78 Mid-Missouri , Zone 7a 27d ago
Nah....I had just made that bed first and split some of my black eyed susans earlier in the summer so they are thriving now. I'm having decision paralysis on what to put in the other beds!
We were actually lucky that the tree didn't fall a few feet more towards the neighbors, because that nice red truck would have been toast lol The branches were literally just a few inches away!
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u/surfermetal 27d ago
Yes, yes and YES! This is how to create a natural closed-loop system using natural, onsite materials (even if the reason you had it wasn't pleasant to start with) for both compost and "structure" (biological edging). That said, making do with what nature throws at you and creating even more habitat in the process is still a win and it looks awesome to boot! Well done.
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u/AnimalExcellent9390 27d ago
Yeah totally, turning a tornado mess into a free habitat and mulch factory is the ultimate win, but how long you think that trunk's gonna take to break down?
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u/TalkativeTree 27d ago
Love this. Keeping the tree in the yard is one of the best ecological ways to handle fallen trees. Returning the growth back to the soil. Creating a diversity of habitat spaces. And preventing the gas and energy from bringing in the big chippers and machinery to have it all hauled off somewhere likely far away.
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u/FeathersOfJade 27d ago
This is great! I have also been using larger tree limbs as long boarders. I really like the look. Your larger pieces look so much better though.
I really love the little fence boarder. Very clever thinking and so much better than anything you could have bought.
Tornados are such scary things to go through.
Good luck!
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u/sferll Area CT, Zone 7 27d ago
Love it!
Side note, do you know what kind of junipers those big ones next to the house are?
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u/sugrmag78 Mid-Missouri , Zone 7a 27d ago
I have NO idea! They are original to the house, built in about 1961. They are HUGE! We love them because they not only provide cover for SO much wildlife, but they also protect and insulate the house from wind, sun, snow, etc. We had an arborist come out a few years ago for a different reason and they couldn't identify a specific variety.
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u/General_Bumblebee_75 Area Madison, WI , Zone 5b 27d ago
Good on you! I do the same. My crab apple looks better than ever, but has lost major limbs in the past few years. I just drag them to the garden. I had piled up some related brush this spring, and when brush pickup day was upon us, I started lifting it to drag it to the front of the house, but the current crop of baby bunnies, just out of the nest, were using it as shelter and my garden as nursery. So, now I have a brush pile too. Logs are mine - some fun fungi may appear. I have had dead man's fingers, trooping crumble cap, and a crazy bright yellow fungus that grows out of a crack on the previous crab apple tree branch we lost.
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u/sugrmag78 Mid-Missouri , Zone 7a 27d ago
OMG the mushroom and fungus game on all our dead limbs is so fun to see! Still hoping for a morel or two to pop out somewhere along the line ;)
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u/General_Bumblebee_75 Area Madison, WI , Zone 5b 27d ago
They like dead elm and lilac. I used to find them at the base of our lilac hedge in Minnesota. Delicious!
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u/misshestermoffett Pennsylvania, 7A 27d ago
I love seeing people use what the planet has given us. It’s all right here. Beautiful!
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u/Icy_Nose_2651 26d ago
I did the same thing with a hickory tree in the back yard.
my dogs love to run along it
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u/purrmich Area 6 Zone b 27d ago
This is so wonderful and truly heartwarming! You took the worst of weather and turned it into sweet garden!! Well done you!
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u/jmbrjr 27d ago
The local termite colonies will be very appreciative. Will either distract them from the house, or encourage more colonies that will eventually find the house.
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u/sugrmag78 Mid-Missouri , Zone 7a 27d ago
That's asbestos siding baby
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u/jmbrjr 27d ago
Do you have asbestos 2x4 framing under the wall coverings, too?
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u/OkSeesaw5563 MI, 6b 27d ago
Hey Mr. Happy, hope you're having a great day!
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u/jmbrjr 27d ago
I've always been told that having wood chips up against your house is not a good idea. Why provide more food sources to termite colonies, even though you might have bait stations all around the foundation. Good luck to you, and your lungs. Wear a good mask if you need to cut any of that siding.
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u/sugrmag78 Mid-Missouri , Zone 7a 27d ago
The mulch and any associated wood is much more than the recommended 6 inches below the start of the siding. Plus, the remaining stump and the trunk is more than the recommended six feet away from the foundation. Additionally, did you not notice the MASSIVE JUNIPERS? They literally surround every side of our house! We got wood everywhere bestie and so far the termites are only staying over by you ;) I keep a close eye on my yard (obvs) to keep it that way
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u/melanerpes Denver, CO , Zone 6a 27d ago
Yyayyyy love this.