Garden lessons Archives - Lasting Landscapes by Carol

I moved to the east coast in 1983 after graduating from college. My first job took me to Mt Laurel, NJ. Admittedly, I struggled to adjust to my new home state as the norms were much different than what I experienced in the Midwest. But there was one thing I was excited about from the start. I thought I left the chance of tornados in Illinois. Boy was I wrong.

I’ve lived in my home in Pennsylvania for 25 years and have suffered significant tree and garden damage on three separate occasions, most recently on June 19. While I was hunkered down in my basement, straight line winds twisted a 100-foot ash tree from its roots and threw it into two other huge trees. A nearby hickory was beheaded in the process. When I emerged from the basement, I witnessed the destruction firsthand. While I scrambled to find a tree company who could quickly clean up the mess, branches continued to fall from the sky.

Lasting Landscapes by Carol debris in woodland — The debris was so expansive I couldn’t see the garden or the fence line.

Lasting Landscapes by Carol fallen branches on stone patio — A couple days after the initial storm, more winds caused suspended branches to fall. This one landed on my patio set.

A 110 ton crane, a 106 foot spider lift and 3 log trucks later the mess was mostly cleaned up. I have a new section of the garden and I’m calling it “Mother Nature’s Fury.” The uprooted and split ash tree remnants clearly demonstrate the power of angry winds. The hickory trunk stands tall for wildlife to enjoy. A nearby Nyssa topped off in a previous storm highlights the resiliency of plant life as it sprouted new branches from the trunk to create a treehouse for the birds.

Lasting Landscapes by Carol tree leaning and prep of machinery — The crane and spider lift moved into place to begin the work.

Lasting Landscapes by Carol moon gate with view of spider lift — The spider lift was positioned on the patio in front of the moon gate.

Lasting Landscapes by Carol tree being lifted by the crane — I watched in awe as my trees were removed piece by piece.

Lasting Landscapes by Carol branches being lowered in driveway by crane — The level of difficulty was a 10 out of 10. The team did their best not to damage the surrounding gardens as they laid each piece down in the driveway to process it.

Lasting Landscapes by Carol log trucks filled — I was sick to my stomach when I saw 3 truckloads of old growth forest hauled away.

Lasting Landscapes by Carol moon gate with fallen log in background — The view through the moon gate now includes a glimpse of the fallen ash, a reminder of Mother Nature’s fury.

Lasting Landscapes by Carol tree uprooted — The uprooted ash serves as a living sculpture behind a giant boulder.

red leaves of nyssa with bird house in middle lasting landscapes by carol — A Nyssa topped off in a previous storm became a bird house post and then came back to life as a treehouse.

My garden changed immediately after the storm. What was a shade garden is now blanketed in afternoon sun. Plants covered in debris were bent, mangled and in some cases destroyed completely. But that means the garden will be reborn, revitalized and reimagined. There is room for that Katsura ‘Red Fox’ tree I have always wanted. I never look forward to catastrophic garden changes like the one I just experienced. But gardening teaches us to persevere. We get up, dust ourselves off and keep moving forward. The scars of tough times remain behind as reminders but become part of a new chapter in the diary of the garden.