Pretty as a Pollard?
As I zipped
down vertiginous Hope Chapel Hill
the other day,
heading homewards
from a garden design project
in the airy heights of Clifton, my eye was caught by:
the westerly sun was blazing on the windows
of Dowry Parade.
Love its old world elegance and its quirkily angled facade.
As much, I love at this time of year its pollarded plane trees:
For all that twitter and blogdom are alive with talk of Spring we yet have half of February to go!
And for all that genuine tree lovers will mentally tie me to a stake and stone me, these gawky creatures (which always remind me of giraffes in their neck reaching awkwardness) sell winter tree structure to me big time.
Yes I too love to see trees growing naturally, but a heavily and correctly worked tree has a character and charm all of its own.
Perhaps pretty is the wrong word.
Striking certainly!
R
Category: Design Bites, The Planty Stuff
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I agree with the striking charm those pollarded trees have. The greenish hue is even more exotic and striking to me, here where that is not a part of anything!
Pollarding is to gardens as footbinding is to shoes. I have a distinct dislike for anything so controlling in a garden and pollarding smacks of a gardener forcing something to do what it isn’t meant to do.
Hi David!
Thanks so much for your interest.
Yes I think they fascinate in their gaucherie.
Of course there is pollarding and pollarding and the effects vary from species to species.
But the effect can be striking.
Tho on occasion it is often strikingly bad!
Yes of course the green would interest you.
Not much algae and moss where you are.
Best
R
I am getting the sense you do not like it!!! :-)
Of course there is pollarding.
And then there is stooling, lopping, pleaching, pruning of fruit for production in small spaces, cordons, espalier etc, clipping of hedges, topiary, routine pruning of shrubs to reinvigorate or provide for good flowering etc etc.
I think all of these involve the same elements to a degree.
I wonder how you are on all of these?
Thanks so much for an interesting response.
Best
R