norway maples
Almost all of the trees in the yard are Norway maples. We have a chestnut tree behind the herb garden, three nondescript pines, and a spindly pear tree that, as far as I know, has never produced a single pear. But it's close-growing lines of Norway maples that mark the edges of the yard and grow in the middle of the patio, upending the flagstones. "Weed trees," the neighbor who lives in the brick house called them when she was trying to get us to take down one of the biggest trees, because she thought it was casting too much shade on her flower beds. We refused, but she chopped it down anyway while we were at work and I came home to find only a stump surrounded by sawdust.
At the time, I was furious, but she did have a point. Norway maples are notoriously bad trees. They're native to Europe and Asia, but were brought to the United States to plant along city streets because they grow well in rocky soil and polluted air. They're hardy and invasive, pushing aside more delicate native trees, blocking out sunlight with their dense leaves. They grow exceedly fast. L decided to let one grow next to the driveway and now, five years later, it's as tall as the house. Their roots are shallow and spread out broadly, choking off other plants and sometimes circling back to strangle the tree itself. The Department of Agriculture gives this advice: Don't plant Norway maple.
Still, they do have some redeeming features. Their wood is solid and dense, perfect for furniture and flooring. The backs of Stradivarius violins are made of Norway maple. All summer, they rain down showers of seeds that whirl like helicopter blades and that, if you break in half and peel back the tips, will stick to the end of your nose. In the fall, their leaves turn pale gold. But what I like best about Norway maples is their stubborn optimism. Right now, all over the yard, hundreds of Norway maple seedlings are taking root. They try to grow everywhere -- in the darkness under the porch, in the spaces between clumps of lavender, in the middle of the rosebush. I pull them up, knowing that they'll sprout again, given the least bit of dirt and light. They're tenacious. They're determined. They don't know when to quit.
11 comments:
Oh, so that's the tree in the corner of our back yard. I've always wondered but have been too lazy to go look it up.
As for your neighbor: she had YOUR tree cut down? A tree entirely on your property? I'm flabbergasted.
geez-us! I'd be pissed if someone touched a single plant in my yard, even if it was a weed. However, when we moved into this house and I got seriously into gardening, I became a tree snob. Bradford Pears, Leyland Cypress, and Silver Maples were my biggest objects of derision, and this was after we'd already planted some of the latter two. They're still here, and after seeing acres of trees being felled in our insanely high suburban growth area, I'm a fan of any tree at all.
The tree's trunk was on our property, though it was right at the property line. So, yes, under state property law, it was "our" tree and she had no right to cut it down. On the other hand, unless we wanted to file suit, there wasn't too much we could do about it. In the end, we decided it wasn't worth the cost to sue her, but the whole thing was very unpleasant.
that must make for good neighbor relations, though, huh? I'd be so angry. my mouth literally dropped open when I read that, and I expected the post to turn into a tirade against your neighbor. We had lots of those trees around where I grew up... LOVED the helicopter seeds! just found some the other day in our yard (not sure what tree the dropped from, though, since we don't have one in our yard) and taught my daughter and the girls next door the joys of helicopters. Will have to teach them how to put them on their noses, next. I had forgotten all about that part, but we did that, too!
I'm also shocked by your neighbor, though I'm anti-Norway. We have two and I'm royally sick of digging up the volunteers, and if it werren't so expensive I would have at least one of ours taken down. Maybe I need to pick a fight with a neighbor?
There are other maples that do the helicopter thing that are less invasive.
I love big ol trees :) I often paint them but I prefer to draw them with pencil so I can get all the bark detail in. I'll scan one and send it to you if it interests you.
I don't think their maples but they look a bit like that picture :)
My mother used to pay 25 cents a pound for maple seedlings. That should have been a violation of child labor laws - any idea how may seedlings in a pound??? Norway maples are a scourge - but I didn't know the part about the violins.
And they remind me of the author of this post...hope against hope, determined and never a quitter :) Are you sure you are not norwegian?
Wait, you have a chestnut? An American chestnut? Or an Asian chestnut?
Leroy has a good point, one I'm dittoing, and I'm assuming the point of the post?
If I can suggest another tree as a better example though, how about a poplar? It's strong and tall, grows well in urban areas, is tenacious and determined, if the one in my front yard is any example...and it won't wreck your pipes.
Phantom: I looked up a picture of an American chestnut and I don't think that's what I have, since the leaves don't look sufficiently notched. It could be an Asian chestnut. Or, I suppose, (although I was told it was a chestnut) it might be something else altogether. The seed pods do look very chestnut-like, which must count for something.
Aurelia: Hmmm...good point. I don't think I've ever knowingly seen a poplar, but I'm sure they're much better and prettier than my weed trees. Though I have to admit that part of the reason I like Norway maples is that they are such a scourge and a blight on the landscape.
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