pepper tree – The Gardening Blog

Some tree hugger in Austin, Texas told me to do it! But unlike Cat who has photographic evidence, there was nobody around to catch me in the act so I can’t prove it. But I hugged my tree today. And it didn’t feel weird. Really it didn’t. Try it!

And I found a really welcome little surprise. The Star Jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides) which I have growing at the base of the huge tree that stands in my front garden, has attached itself at various places and is starting to wind its way around the tree, in what seems to be a “hug”. Given the size of the little Star Jasmine and that of the big tree it might take years before it looks impressive, but I love the idea that one day this massive trunk may be smothered in this sweet Jasmine.

[one_third]The big tree …[/one_third]

[one_third]a closer view[/one_third]

[one_third_last]Star Jasmine hugs the tree[/one_third_last]

When last did you hug a tree?

You can get a perspective of the size of this tree in the second photograph – note the size of the bird bath in the lower left corner.

Happy Gardening
xxx

I just went and counted all the trees on the property – there are 33! 33 trees on a small to medium sized property … no wonder there is so much shade! It’s a medium sized property (depending on your perspective of course, to me its medium at 800 m²). Considering the house is of fair size, that’s really not a lot of space for 33 trees! But if I’m being completely honest about this, it was all the trees that first attracted me to this house. I love trees. The older, the better. To me, trees are like antiques. Valuable and irreplaceable. Sure you can go to any nursery and buy a tree and plant it. But to have or inherit a tree that has lived and grown for years, has seen generations before you live below it … well that’s priceless and valuable.

And I do love shade too. I love my old Willow tree. I love my Cherry Blossom and the old Pepper Tree in the back. And I love the American Sweetgum … and I hope that by the end of March I’ll be able to rattle off the names of all 33 trees :). For today, that’s all I know for sure. I know that there is a Coprosma (but I don’t know which one it is) and I know one of the newer trees is a Rhus (but I don’t know which type of Rhus it is – there are a few “types”), so there is much to find out and learn about my little forest! What I do know is that they are all different (except for 2 x Hibiscus, which are actually shrubs but they are so old and huge that I allow myself to call them trees) and two others are the “same tree” in the back garden, one in full view and one hidden around a corner.

For todays “daily photo” I photographed this tree. I chose this one because I thought it is quite distinctive and it should be easy for me to identify it from my books … but no luck. I’ve been through all my books and looked around the Internet and I’m still none the wiser. If anybody happens to read this that knows what type of tree this is, please let me know. I need all the “tree-identification” help I can get.

[one_half]

What tree is this?

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[one_half_last]

A closer view

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Happy gardening
xxx