It’s been one month since I watched my over twenty-year old green ash tree (Fraxinus angustifolia) succumb to the chainsaws wielded by the crew of my favorite arborist.  The thing took over twenty years to grow over thirty feet tall and three foot thick; it took the three-man crew just twenty minutes to de-limb, de-trunk, and run its remains thru the chipper!

It’s gone!!  Everything’s gone!  The tree which was planted by the developer before I moved in!  The wonderful shade which our hardy fescue lawn had finally adjusted to, growing rather lush, green, and seed-headed; the huge roots which where zipping from our yard into the neighbor’s yard (foiling his plans to build a low wall in the swale between yards; the magnificent roots pushing against the house foundation and front steps of the house; it’s all gone! The home of every bird in the neighborhood, providing shelter AND an excellent pooping roost over my car was gone!!

Later that day, about one hour later to be roughly exact, I had a rather tall, thin, somewhat skimpy living pole covered in leaves planted where the older tree had been.  Due to pie-shaped lot,I had needed to pick out a tree variety which no longer would severely  rub shoulders with the neighbor’s palm tree, which would give that palm tree (which is also scheduled for an early exit I understand) stability in Suisun City’s frequent winds.  No longer would the flocks of doves and crows call this small area home!  Goodie!!

My “growing twig” as my husband calls is a Magnolia X solangeana known as ‘Black tulip’.  Growing to fifteen feet in height and almost as wide in the canopy, this little tree will fit quite nicely in the pointy area of the lot which is less that fifteen feet wide.  Of course, it figures that within two weeks of planting, the temperature has been soaring over eight-five degrees and higher.  My poor little tree is now wearing mature leaves that are crinkled and somewhat burnt, but new growth is coming!  Just think, about ten years from now I may have “some” shade again in the front yard!

I digress to address Dr. Robert Rabbe’s passing.  Dr. Raabe was a plant pathologist from UC Berkeley.  A nicer, kinder man I’ve never met!  I actually was working in Piedmont when I met his daughter and son-in-law who acquainted me with Dr. Rabbe.  So, you could say I knew him before I actually met him.  Words from him: “A plant can’t read”, have followed me for years. Truer words – meaning that just because “some one” tells you a particular plant can’t/won’t grow where you want it won’t translate into a NO!  “Plants can’t read”.

A true story from Dr. Rabbe:

He was growing a pyracantha in his back yard and noticed that fireblight was attacking the bush.  He told his son to go out and cut six inches off the affected branches.  When he later went out to check on the pruning progress, Dr. Rabbe discovered his son had cut six feet off the bush!  Dr. Rabbe was so shocked that he said nothing!  But as he later remarked, “It never had fireblight again!”