View Full Version : Trees--the enemy. They won a round
This sucks. The city Forestry department sneakily and without my permission planted trees, 4 trees, on the parking strip of a property we own and the next door lot owned by the city.
I hate trees, I simply hate them* Ah, the cruel irony of this situation--DH and purposely bought ghetto property to have MORE LAND TO FARM. We do not want trees. Trees suck up nutrients and sunlight and are a pain in my ass to maintain. WE DO NOT WANT TREES on these properties. I will spare you the long history of my battle with trees except to say that a few years ago the city sent a letter asking if I wanted trees planted in front of this same property, I said "no", they planted them anyway, I called to complain, and they came and dug them up. My tax dollars at work.
So now I've got a new battle. There is our property. There is, right next door, the large city-owned lot that I maintain as my personal "community" garden. I've got a formal lease with the city for this garden spot, I am the official person of record to lease the space. I have no legal standing to get those 3 trees off the city owned lot, but I could insist that Forestry remove the 1 tree in front of my house I suppose. What a stupid waste of resources.
But I will not insist that Forestry come and dig up the one tree over which I have some control. Instead, I will let the trees win. I will write a polite letter to the Forestry department letting them know how they did me wrong. I'll copy our alderman. I will allow the tree to remain on my parking strip, but I'll be damned if I maintain it. Hopefully it will die from lack of water.
There is only one thing that keeps this from being a devastating problem, and it is that the trees are on the north side and so they won't shade my plants. I purposely want 100% sunshine to grow iris. I regularly win top prizes in iris shows because I know what they need: sun. Brutal, piercing, unrelenting sun. I would seriously be crying now if the frickin' trees were on any other side of the lot.
*I will tolerate trees that are placed appropriately and are carefully maintained. If you come to my house I will show you an example of this: our back yard pin oak is the best looking tree in the city.
I vote for the trees. We Have hundreds of trees on our lot and love them.
And another vote for the trees!
I vote for the trees. We Have hundreds of trees on our lot and love them.
Of course you do.!Splat!
I am getting no love here. Well, that doesn't change my rant.
Just so you know, if these trees were on the west or south side, I'd have no compunction against cutting them down. They are not gonna displace my iris' health.
I'd saw them down and would post photos here of that take-down activity. Take THAT, you tree huggers!
I think they should go straight to France.
No love at all, Iris! LOL! :)
I think they should go straight to France.
I am stunned by the brilliance of that!
I should explain. We live in the forest and many of our trees are over a hundred years old. We have some sugar pine that are close to 200 feet tall and close to 4 feet in diameter. I will say in the summer when the squirrels bring down the young and still green cones they can be dangerous. A 3 pound cone falling from 200 feet can give you a big headache or a nice dent in your car.
Long Live Trees!! I was raised by a grove of trees, and am forever grateful for the kindness they showed me.
I can't imagine anyone hating trees.
Perhaps therapy would help? :~)
I should explain. We live in the forest and many of our trees are over a hundred years old. We have some sugar pine that are close to 200 feet tall and close to 4 feet in diameter. I will say in the summer when the squirrels bring down the young and still green cones they can be dangerous. A 3 pound cone falling from 200 feet can give you a big headache or a nice dent in your car.
Killer trees you've got and still you defend them. Completely illogical, but consistent with your other political views. haha
My neighbor often has trees like that get hit by lightning, and they perish.
I happened to notice the other day she has the word "lightning" stenciled on the side of her chainsaw...
Just sayin'....
I have my own ways of dealing with the evil creatures:
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-AwwtwAvPkOc/S_rpEhfFtiI/AAAAAAAAD8U/juDHeU5Fb8g/s576/gse_multipart6793438116023170181.tmp.jpg
I managed to hack our new Critical Areas legislation this year to allow us to nuke trees that presented fire/falling danger to our homes here, the tree-loving-lobby here previously preferred that people die and their homes burn.
I'm not a fan of having to maintain trees. Pruning and trimming are a pain and they can be messy at times, depending on the type. I have two Catalpa tress that I absolutly detest due to how messy they are.
ToomuchStuff
1-6-13, 12:21am
Does the lease say farm/garden? Then plow them down and thank them for the mulch. Use a copper nail, etc. I like trees to a point. I have none in my yard, due to them being old and diseased, so I cut them down. They were getting too big for the yard anyway (no way to garden), and I have so many large tree's around that people let their leaves pile where the wind takes them away from them.
Just don't forget.......they make the oxygen you breathe.
Well, I'm a treehugger, too, and a democrat to boot, but I'm siding with Iris lily on this one. We're talking "appropriate use" here, and if Iris lily is doing her soil, her community, and her family a huge service by growing not only food but beautiful flowers, why can't the trees be planted somewhere else?
Iris this lefty if you believe it agrees with you. The capitalist in me says cut them down and pocket the money. That would eliminate the man killing pine cones and all of the dripping sap. It would also let a lot more sun hit the lot. But a member of the family won't let me. The homeowners association has rules against that. The homer owners association can go to hell and once the trees are down what are they going to do.
I absolutely agree with you. Although i love my trees, they are there by my choosing, and the ones we didn't want we cut down when we moved here years ago. We have cut down probably 30-40 trees the previous owner planted. They actually made some good choices in trees, but some awful choices too (blocking views, trash maples, etc...)
I wonder if you could sweetly contact the city and remind them that you have lease to this property, then maybe lie and say you have already ordered some fruit trees for those exact spots. Or you could actually order some small fruit trees for those exact spots. Tidy, no more than 10 or 12 feet tall, and some nice fruit in the bargain! That would also prevent them from trying to plant there again.
Just curious...what kinds of trees did they plant?
then maybe lie and say you have already ordered some fruit trees for those exact spots.
Why would you encourage someone to lie to get their way? If she can legally cut the trees and she doesn't want the trees, she should cut the trees. If she can't legally cut the trees, she shouldn't cut the trees or she should cut the trees provided she's willing to suffer the consequences if caught. End of conversation. Why an entire thread railing about this topic?
It's uncanny to me how on this site it's possible for a political argument to spring up in even a presumably "safe" forum like gardening. I have been a member of this forum for 8 months or so. I've come to realize after reading many posts and posting many posts that there are many here who interpret simple living in the traditional views of Thoreau, Emerson and Gandhi. Many others equate simple living with survivalism. I find those two concepts mutually exclusive.
And for the record, trees are not "evil" or "the enemy." They are plants and are essential for all life to continue on this planet. And the greater their numbers, the healthier all life on the planet will be.
Why would you encourage someone to lie to get their way? If she can legally cut the trees and she doesn't want the trees, she should cut the trees. If she can't legally cut the trees, she shouldn't cut the trees or she should cut the trees provided she's willing to suffer the consequences if caught. End of conversation. Why an entire thread railing about this topic?
It's uncanny to me how on this site it's possible for a political argument to spring up in even a presumably "safe" forum like gardening. I have been a member of this forum for 8 months or so. I've come to realize after reading many posts and posting many posts that there are many here who interpret simple living in the traditional views of Thoreau, Emerson and Gandhi. Many others equate simple living with survivalism. I find those two concepts mutually exclusive.
And for the record, trees are not "evil" or "the enemy." They are plants and are essential for all life to continue on this planet. And the greater their numbers, the healthier all life on the planet will be.
The entire thread railing about this topic is entertaining to me so that's the purpose of it. I find it funny and I like to poke treehuggers.
As far as trees not being evil, please understand that that is just my black and white thinking. I am a Republican and that's just my mindset, my limited way in viewing the world. :laff:
On the topic, I can't legally cut down these trees. Peggy, Foestry departmnet won't plant fruit trees on the parking, only study "street" trees. I don't actually know what kind went in and even the certified arborist in my house can't tell me.
I could and will complain to the city about the two (yes, it is really two) that are on the parking of my property, but I'm no longer sure if I can get them removed and now I won't bother. At one time they asked before placing trees, this time they didn't ask if it was ok. I don't know if that's a policy change or just carelessness.
In the end I wand to remain in the good graces of the Forestry department because they bring me wood chips when I need them for my "community " garden. The trees are bloody annoying, but since they won't be shading my plants I can put up with them.
Why would you encourage someone to lie to get their way? If she can legally cut the trees and she doesn't want the trees, she should cut the trees. If she can't legally cut the trees, she shouldn't cut the trees or she should cut the trees provided she's willing to suffer the consequences if caught. End of conversation. Why an entire thread railing about this topic?
It's uncanny to me how on this site it's possible for a political argument to spring up in even a presumably "safe" forum like gardening. I have been a member of this forum for 8 months or so. I've come to realize after reading many posts and posting many posts that there are many here who interpret simple living in the traditional views of Thoreau, Emerson and Gandhi. Many others equate simple living with survivalism. I find those two concepts mutually exclusive.
And for the record, trees are not "evil" or "the enemy." They are plants and are essential for all life to continue on this planet. And the greater their numbers, the healthier all life on the planet will be.
Wow! Take a breath! This is a fun thread and not politicised!
Iris hates trees. The trees know this and accept it. :D
Iris, can you at least prune them? I'm thinking pollard.
shadowmoss
1-7-13, 10:33am
A weed is just a flower growing in the wrong place. So it is with trees. If the roots were collapsing the foundation of your house, a limb was taking your roof off, you wouldn't feel so much love for it. Trees want and need other trees, so they need to live in a forest. Not the lot around Iris Lillly's flowers.
How's that for an argument for your side?
A weed is just a flower growing in the wrong place. So it is with trees. If the roots were collapsing the foundation of your house, a limb was taking your roof off, you wouldn't feel so much love for it. Trees want and need other trees, so they need to live in a forest. Not the lot around Iris Lillly's flowers.
How's that for an argument for your side?Ha! Well... if people want to live where there are no trees, then they should live smack-dab in the middle of a concrete jungle! How's that, for an argument, for? LOL! :)
Iris this democrat would bring his chain saw over and cut those trees down if you were not so far away. You could claim you don't know who did it. I would do that even through you are a republican. You are one of the few good republicans.
Iris this democrat would bring his chain saw over and cut those trees down if you were not so far away. You could claim you don't know who did it. I would do that even through you are a republican. You are one of the few good republicans.
Whoa! Let's not get carried away here!;)
awakenedsoul
1-7-13, 9:24pm
I would just ask them nicely to please remove them and transplant them somewhere else. I would thank them for the mulch, explain that you grow prize winning irises, and point out that it's your property. If you smile and are friendly, they will probably really like you. (and admire your garden.)
LA County came out wanting to spray all the citrus. I grow my food organically, and my five citrus trees are very healthy. I declined the spray. (I was here when they were on our street.) When they came back a second time, I rode my bike up and down the block to run my dogs. (Just in case they tried to sneak in and spray the trees.) It worked, with no conflict...
shadowmoss
1-8-13, 11:26am
Ha! Well... if people want to live where there are no trees, then they should live smack-dab in the middle of a concrete jungle! How's that, for an argument, for? LOL! :)
Ummm, I think Iris Lilly does live in a concrete jungle... And she likes it that way. She's weird in others ways as well.
Ummm, I think Iris Lilly does live in a concrete jungle... And she likes it that way. She's weird in others ways as well.
haha yes, that is true. Thanks for the love! I do prefer concrete (well, specifically brick) to many things.
Ummm, I think Iris Lilly does live in a concrete jungle... And she likes it that way. She's weird in others ways as well.
LOL.
But she has excellent taste in flowers and in dogs, among other things.
Why don't you just develop a variety of vining iris that climbs up a tree's trunk and slowly suffocates it? Asiatic bittersweet has pretty flowers already, maybe you could cross that with an iris. No one would suspect the Republican garden lady. It would be the perfect crime!
A sort of kudzu-iris hybrid? ;)
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