Cheryl wrote:
> On 6/2/2012 10:08 PM, Jean B. wrote:
>> Thanks for the reminder about waiting. I was aware of that in my last
>> abode, and I still haven't figured out everything that's here. I do
>> have some problems. First, I looked into trumpet vines before we moved
>> and decided I would NEVER plant such a thing. So, of course, that is
>> what is growing near the deck here--and it has little runners and shoots
>> EVERYWHERE in the back yard. To make matters worse, there is also black
>> swallowwort, which is coming up everywhere in the front yard. And they
>> have entered into an unholy matrimony on one side of the house.
>
> One thing I'll never plant here is poplar trees. I had three when I
> moved in and while they grow fast, they die young, and they grow tall. I
> had two removed last year and the third has a lot of dead at the top so
> it will have to go. It's also between my house and my neighbor's and is
> very tall, just like I recently posted about when I had the other two
> removed.
>
> The thing I hate about these trees is the volunteers they produce. The
> roots are so close to the surface and if you even nick a root with the
> lawnmower *bam* another tree or six want to start growing. I just hired
> neighbor kids to clear all that mess along with a bunch of weeds that
> took over around the tree, though I warned them most of it is poison
> ivy. There are still nasty vines taking over the tree trunk and again
> most of it is poison ivy. I just can't touch that stuff. Last time I
> tried to clear it I got a nasty rash, and I didn't realize the oils had
> gotten onto my sunglasses from wiping sweat from my forehead. I was
> getting rashes on my face for a week until I realized that and washed
> them with soap.

Re poplar trees... I liked them as we drove to the midwest when I
was a kid, but when I looked into them I came across the statement
that the fast-growing trees are weak, junky, short-lived. That
makes sense. I also saw that some folks use them for screening as
they wait for the slower-growing, sturdier trees to grow. But
then you have to take them down or pay top have that done.

And those trees that I so admired would, on later trips, be dead.

--
Jean B.