More tree climbing

Today it’s Terry’s turn to climb the tree and mine to take the picture. His climbing is not for fun, though, but rather for pruning the fruited mulberry. If he does not prune all the new growth, mulberries will form on the wood the next spring making for a terrible mess in our yard.

Good deed for the week

I cleared this path at a friend’s home this week. The shrubs had grown over to the fence, and when I started, I had no idea the cobblestones were there. The prunings and clippings filled 10 garbage bags.

This morning I went back and continued around the corner, pruning and clearing the deck area. Four hours and 18 bags of clippings. That’s it for this week.

Adding to my brush pile

This morning was spent pruning and raking in my lush, overgrown backyard. The last time my mother saw the backyard, shortly before she died 11 years ago, she commented on how beautiful it was now that it had filled in so well. In 11 years it’s filled in even more, and although I seem to constantly be pruning some plant or tree back there, I can’t keep up. It is very overgrown, but I like the shade that the trees and foundation plants provide. The birds, squirrels, and bugs like it, too. Even the neighbor cat now lives in our backyard. I filled the green container this morning, but I also have a brush pile behind the greenhouse pad where I put the pear tree clippings.

I wish my dad were alive to help me prune back there. Of course, he would be 103 if he was still around, probably unable to climb trees, but I bet he could tell me what to do. My dad was bossy that way. (Those of you who personally know me are thinking, “ah, so that’s where she gets it.”) His voice is often in my head any way:

“You need to open your shears more.”

“Go in further on the branch.”

“Slant the other way.”

“Take off more limbs.”

Daddy had learned to prune in the vineyards on the Welch Grape Farm in Arkansas before he brought the family (long before I was born) to California during the dust bowl era. He pruned all of the fruit trees and yard trees on our farm, and although he farmed cotton when I was  a little girl, he would hire himself out during the winters to vineyardists in the area, often teaching their crews how to prune. The man knew his way with a set of pruning sheers. I could sure use that talent in my backyard.

Trimming the tree

Trimming the tree

Originally uploaded by dkzody

What did you expect, a tree with lights and ornaments? Nope, not yet.

We have a fruited mulberry tree in the front yard that does a great job shading our living room during the summer, but come fall, the leaves turn to bright yellow and drop off. That new wood, where those leaves formed, will have mulberries next spring unless the branches are cut off now. My husband tries to get this pruning job done by Christmas or before the rains come.

He cut everything off this morning and was just starting to cut up the branches when a neighbor’s gardner came over and offered to do the job for $40. Sure, Terry said. Then he came inside to trim the Christmas tree.