plantamnesty - memberclicks · plantamnesty continues on page 2 continues on page 3 inside: •...

PlantAmnesty

continues on page 2

continues on page 3

inside:• Misadventures of a Veggie Gardener . . page 6

• Church Fined over Trees . . . . . . . page 7

• Tree Hugger Bingo . . . . . . . . . . page 9

Doug Fir and Conifer Pruning Part 1

By Cass Turnbull

Signature Trees

If the Pacific Northwest had a signature tree, it would be our towering conifers, mostly Douglas firs (aka Doug firs) and

western red cedars, which show up everywhere, in and out of the city . You know you’re home when you look down from your airplane seat and see their dark green cones dominating the

landscape below . In the winter they stand stately on hillsides, wrapped in white mists . In the summer, their fallen needles on the campground floor emit a distinctively summer scent .

Blow Down and Limb Shedding

Equally iconic in the Northwest is news foot-age of homes crushed by conifers every time

there is a windstorm . Sure, the tree is probably a hemlock, planted on clay soil, topped fifteen years ago, its roots severed when the home was built, and left as a released tree, the sole survivor of a forest that was cut down . But the viewers don’t know that . Suddenly they look at their gentle giants as potential life threatening organisms . Never mind that one has a better chance of being hit by lightening than being hit by a tree . People are shocked to think that the trees they have con-sidered friendly for so long may not be so friendly

after all—suddenly, something needs to be done about it .Doug firs are no more likely to blow down than other

trees, which is to say that height doesn’t make them more likely to go over . Mark Mead, Seattle Parks Senior Arborist, made this point at a recent PlantAmnesty Symposium, saying that the amount of failure (arbor-speak for fallen trees) of this particular type of tree is directly proportional to the percentage of this tree in the field .

A more common occurrence for homeowners is the shedding of limbs during windstorms . The most telling predis-posing factor for limb shedding is a previous history of limb shedding . This usually happens in a storm, so all you do is go out and pick up the limbs the next day . More problematic is when those shedding limbs are within the striking distance of a house or vehicle (targets in arbor-speak) .

Hardwick’s Hardware: Rust & Dust Since 1932

By Keith and Lisa Dekker

In this era, when every chain store’s layout, lighting, inven-tory, and even their employees look the same, you can walk

into any one of these establishments in any state (and now the world) and feel right at home .

The same goes for hardware stores . The human-scale, neighborhood hardware stores of my youth (don’t ask how many years ago) have been replaced by big box clones . Gone is any sense of discovery or wonder . Now you get a long walk through a warehouse-sized structure with aisles big enough to drive a forklift through . (In fact, I’ve almost been forked up by a few of these blue monsters while shop-ping .) And because of the cavernous size of the stores, clerks may even wear headsets to communicate with fellow employees .

If you require predictability and convenience, these gargantuan retail-ers may have what you need . But if you seek adventure, a hard-to-find-item, and maybe a little time-travel, Hardwick’s Hardware in Seattle may be just the place . It’s located in the heart of the University District, at 4214 Roosevelt Way NE, just north of the University Bridge . There is some free parking at the front and rear of the premises, an old brick structure that is distinctly a senior citizen among slick apartments and new office buildings .

As you walk through the door, you immediately realize you are entering another era: the narrow aisles, flanked by eight-foot shelves and dark wood and old glass display cases,

a HanDSome poRcH bRoom fRom HaRDwick’S

Volume XXV • No. 4 www.plantamnesty.org fall 2013

2 ©2013 PlantAmnesty

Hardwick’s Hardware continued from page 1

barely fit two people, much less a forklift . Soon you are lost in a maze and may need to call for help to find your way out .

But the journey is wondrous, with no lack of merchandise to peruse . The place is bursting, overflowing, brimming with every type of tool, fastener, fixture, and gadget, as well as plenty of unfamiliar things you may never have imagined . Hammers, axes, yard tools, of course . Left-handed angle weeder? No problem . Tool holsters, scabbards, and pouches? They’re here . I tried to count how many different shovels they carry . My rough total was 39, but I kept finding more shovel collections tucked away in corners as I made my way through the warren of aisles . And on every search I got side-tracked, finding some fascinating item I never knew I needed . Hardwick’s would be the perfect place for a scavenger hunt: “Your mission is to find a steel punch dog, a vix bit, and a cow magnet...and then figure out their function.”

The garden tool collection—turn left when you enter—ranges from massive scythes with three-foot blades to tiny bamboo-handled keyhole saws for making fine cuts on Japanese maples . There are at least a dozen different hand pruners and nearby is a large selection of folding sharpening tools to keep those pruners in good shape . And among the sharpeners, I found something new to me (although surely not to many readers): Kurobara rust-preventing camellia oil . Another discovery was the handsome RAVI stiff-bristled garden broom made of fallen (recycled!) coconut leaves . You can learn a lot just by taking your time and looking carefully .

Now in a store like this, an ordinary clerk will not do; you need a tour guide who can lead you to that high shelf where your sought-after item is stocked . But Hardwick’s clerks are hard to distinguish from customers, and they definitely don’t wear headsets . But once you find that tour guide, keep up until you find your prize .

A persistent rumor suggests that the employees are humor-less, maybe even a little grumpy . However, I once saw this message on their marquis outside: “Hori Hori Not Just Another Hoe .” In fact, that sign first convinced me that I had to check this place out . And guess what? Hori horis are one of their most popular garden tools and are prominently featured on their website . And yes, this marvelous throwback to the 1930’s does indeed have a website: ehardwicks .com . Check it out, then go and enjoy exploring the real thing . s

PlantAmnestyPO Box 15377, Seattle, WA 98115-0377

206-783-9813

www.plantamnesty.org

Email: [email protected]

— Mission Statement —To end the senseless torture and mutilation of trees and shrubs caused by mal-pruning

(and other common forms of plant mismanagement).

Goals:1. Raise awareness of the problem.2. provide solutions (referral service, education,

volunteer pruning and care) and ensure they are readily accessible to the public and green industry professionals.

3. engender respect for plants.

we affirm:• That our organization is inclusive, tolerant, and

based on grassroots collective action.• That our educational materials are clear, current,

and technically accurate.• That we will maintain a sense of humor and

goodwill while being outspoken on the issues.

— Staff — General manager . . . . . . . Laura watson

office manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . margaret metz-Holland

— Officers and Board Members —President . . . . . . . . . cass TurnbullVice President . . . . . . . marianna clarkTreasurer . . . . . . . . . charlotte mossSecretary . . . . . . . . . kristin Schultz

Jack bautsch, mike ewanciw, annette freeman, alan Lamp

— Newsletter Contributors —Editorial Committee cass Turnbull, Laura watsonGraphic Design cbgraphics, constance bollenContributors keith & Lisa Dekker, ivana b. Greene, margaret metz-Holland, cass Turnbull, Laura watsonPhotographers many, Various, anonymousArtists kate allenPrinting & Distribution color printing Systems and aaa mailing Services, inc.

Please send us articles, short jokes, artwork, tales, Adopt-A-Plant and Green Share information .

The newsletter is a benefit of membership .

Volunteer for Plant the Planet Plant for the Planet is a global movement that empowers children (8-14) to help reverse climate change by planting trees for a safer future . Planting activities include learning which trees grow best in this area, and how to prop-erly plant and care for them . “Academies” train children as Climate Justice Ambassadors, teaching them to present a slide show to friends and classmates, thereby inspiring and empowering other children to learn about climate solu-tions and initiate action . Learn more at www .climatechangeforfamilies .com .

www .plantamnesty .org 206-783-9813 3

Edge and Released Trees versus Open Grown Trees

The biggest indicator of the likelihood of a conifer blow-ing down is whether the tree is open grown or an edge or

released tree . If your Doug fir appeared in your yard one day and grew up there, all alone, with limbs all along the trunk, it is less likely to pose a risk . It has adjusted its trunk taper and roots to the site and in response to wind conditions . A released tree (or edge tree) is a tree that was once part of a forest and grew up protected from the winds by its neighbors . These trees tend to have skinny trunks, with little taper, and just a fluff of green on the top . Once the land is developed, the newly exposed trees on the edge tend to blow down . Then the next row tends to follow . This is most often seen on the fool ‘em strips or green buffers of trees left by loggers along the road next to where the forest was clear cut . These strips are an accident waiting to happen, with trees predictably falling on power lines and roads—they should be illegal . A released tree is a single tree that was once standing in a forest and now stands alone . I am amazed how many survive and adjust and don’t fall over .

Wind Firming through Topping, Spiral Pruning, Crown Cleaning, Thinning, and Windsailing

I just got though reading the results of a wind firming test for trees that are at the edge of a clear cut . It was published

in Forestry and written up by Charles A . Rowan, Stephen J . Mitchell, and Hailemariam Temesgen in British Columbia, Canada . Just the term wind firming gets one’s hopes up unreasonably that there might be the magic bullet to secure a safe tree for your home . Whenever a new, interesting sound-ing term is introduced, a small alarm bell goes off in my head

warning me that term abuse is not far behind . I even bet there will be some following this article! Be that as it may .

In this particular test plot, edge trees were topped (by heli-copters!) and spiral pruned by tree workers . Spiral pruning, a term popularized in Canada by Julian Dunster, refers to the removal of limbs, back to the trunk in a spiral pattern, going up the trunk . The results showed that in the following year there was 40% less blow down and 3% mortality . One third to one-half the foliage was removed—a vast amount by arborist standards of pruning . Follow-up studies are not available, but, as an arborist who’s observed trees for 25 years, I would guess that the mortality will increase for 5-7 more years and then taper off . Tree topping and excessive pruning, like cigarette smoking, does not kill right away . It degrades health over time and shows up later as something seemingly unrelated . And let it be known that any sort of topping or reduction (including retrenchment) is worse for the health of trees than any sort of thinning, including spiral pruning, because it allows rot to invade the entire trunk .

This sort of heavy pruning may be appropriate to protect forest stands, but it has no use in urban situations . Dunster remarked that they found that spiral pruning, though lowering the incidence of blow down, increased the likelihood of limb failure . And Mitchell said that topping was not recommended in urban settings because of the likelihood that the new tops that will grow back later are weakly attached and likely to fail in succeeding years . While a 10% mortality rate may be acceptable in the edge of a larger forest stand, it is unaccept-able in the urban setting especially since many of the Doug firs being pruned are open grown, posing no particular threat, but worrying the owner .

All that being said, I acknowledge that dealing with edge and released trees is a tough, a really tough problem . If you take the risky trees out, the next ones are more likely to go down, like a set of dominoes . In these circumstances, a responsible arborist might aggressively thin out as much as 50% of the live crown to prevent blow down . Or the sacrificial tree may be topped . This is a scary solution that should not be done lightly, but rather only after a thorough assessment of the likelihood of failure for it and nearby trees . If the tree is a high-risk tree that stands alone, it should be taken out . If it is a low-risk tree, it should be left alone or perhaps lightly thinned (10% of the live crown, mostly broken and dead branches) . If it is somewhere in between, and especially if removing it will cause the next set of trees to be exposed to winds and likely blow-down, then extreme pruning may be an appropriate measure . Some would argue with me on this point, and with good reason .

continues on page 4

Doug Fir and Conifer Pruning continued from page 1

Edge Trees


Speaking of thinning, also called crown cleaning, a little bit can reduce the amount of limb failure, by taking out dead and weakened limbs . But there are serious concerns that, in some instances, the thinning will cause more limb failure by allowing more wind into the crown of the tree . We all used to promote windsailing (taking the sail out of a tree by thinning it so the wind could pass through) to customers with fears about their trees . Now we are not so certain, and several bad tree services aggressively sell windsailing as the magic cure in our region . There is also research that shows that limbs act as baffles to the wind, relieving stress on the trunk . Take too many off and the trunk begins to sway more, taking the brunt of the wind force . A little may be good, a lot might be bad, like

so many things in life . A cone, the natural shape of a Doug fir, is a nice aerodynamic structure, mess with it at your own risk .

Crown Raising, Limbing Up, Elevating, and Skirting

Research and recommendations about pruning trees for safety have been all over the map in the last 20 years . For a while

there, research indicated that taking off lower limbs was the way to go . But then NEW research came out that said the opposite was, in fact, the case . Taking off lower limbs is called crown raising, limbing-up, elevating, or skirting .

Generally speaking, trees are well-adapted to losing their lower limbs in nature as they get shaded out when they are

Doug Fir and Conifer Pruning continued from page 3

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small . In general, taking a limb off the lower part of the trunk should be done before that limb reaches one-half of the diameter of the trunk . Making larger cuts allows too much decay to enter the trunk . Crown raising is usually done to provide clearance for cars and houses and to allow in more light . The rule of thumb is that no more than one-third of the trunk should be without canopy at any given time in its life . That means you should slowly remove lower limbs, a few at a time, every year as the tree grows up . The lower limbs feed the lower part of the trunk making it strong .

But Doug firs are often high-crowned, showing as much as two-thirds trunk with only one-third live canopy, which they seem to tolerate surprisingly well . Just know that the principles of engineering are at work here—the higher the crown, the greater the force on the top; the likelihood of stem failure is respectively greater .

Other Causes of Risky Trees

Other causes of a conifer becoming dangerous are con-struction damage, previous mal-pruning, and root rots .

Construction damage includes cutting and filling the soil, compacting the soil around trees by driving on it or storing mate-rials there, blading (scraping), trenching for utilities, and paving . Trees’ roots are much closer to the surface than people imagine . If I were to have a second life to devote to trees, it would be spent trying to end construction damage . Just putting in an irriga-tion system or a patio can do your tree in . Unfortunately, the tree often takes five-to-seven years to run through its energy reserves or to have the root rots progress to such an extent that the tree actually dies or falls over . By then, so much time has passed that no one connects the effect with the cause .

Our great Pacific Northwest is also home to a huge number of root rots . Of course it is . It’s wet nine months of the year . You got your Armillaria, you got your Phellinus weirii, you got your Heterobasidion annosum, and God knows what else . Sometimes arborists can tell if you have a rot by drilling the root flare or the roots, or by the presence of mushrooms on the trunk, trunk flare, or roots . Call an arborist if you spot mush-rooms and things that remind you of mushrooms growing on your tree . Not all of them are bad .

Previous mal-pruning, by which I mean topping or over-thinning, especially lion’s tailing (stripping off the inside laterals of branches leaving only some foliage at the very end), can cause trouble . Topping allows rot to enter the trunk of the tree to eat its way down as far as it can before the tree walls it off . This process, called compartmentalization, was thoroughly researched and described by Dr . Alex Shigo, forest patholo-gist, in the past two or three decades . The other thing that happens after a top job is that epicormic sprouts (like water-sprouts) attempt to become the new top . They are likely to be

poorly attached in the future, even after they grow large . And the next set of side branches, located just below the topping cut, slowly turn up over the course of several years, sometimes resulting a candelabra or flame-shaped new crown . These often poorly attached competing leaders are also more likely to break out in windstorms . Many of the tree tops that failed in Seattle’s Inaugural Day storm were those formed after people topped their trees in fearful response to the Columbus Day Storm 50 year earlier . I have often noticed a theme in life: one can create the problem one is trying to avoid by trying to avoid it . Forest fires, for example .

So what do you do if you have tree that has been topped? First, you get an arborist to go up and look it over . How far has the rot progressed? How well attached are the new leaders? If caught early enough, a new leader can be chosen and any others suppressed by removal or shortening (reduction) .

End-Weight Reduction

One more potential problem is when limbs become over extended (another term prone to misuse) . This can

happen with open-grown trees and previously topped or lion’s tailed trees . An over extended limb reaches out too far from the basic outline of the tree and is prone to breakage in snow . In this case, responsible arborists may choose to shorten the limb a bit, looking for an outer-facing branchlet to take over as the lead stem, preserving apical dominance . This is done to only about five limbs of a tree (never more than ten—certainly not the entire crown), most frequently at the bottom of the tree, but not always . It is called end-weight reduction . Add alarm bells here .

Risk assessment

Worried? Then get an ISA-certified arborist to do a risk assessment . Hire somebody who is middle-aged . And

please know that they can only foretell about 10-20% of the tree failures . Often a tree is just in the wrong place during a high wind . Remember, chances of getting hurt are very slim . If you are arborphobic, sleep downstairs during the storm and recognize that the insurance company will buy you a new roof . Don’t do anything stupid to your tree, like topping or over-thinning it, just in case . s Part 2, next issue

Doug Fir and Conifer Pruning continued


Save time and money by growing your own vegetables! Just sprinkle out some seed, wait a little while, and you’ll have

all the fresh, organic veggies you need, and then some . Oh, if only it were true .

Like most people, I started veggie gardening by building a complicated series of raised beds . I wasn’t quite sure why the plants needed to be higher than the surrounding soil, but the beds certainly looked good . Next I got seed . Although cheaper than starts, after narrowing down to the bare minimum of what I wanted, I easily surpassed the $100 mark . I set up my laundry room with a bazillion full-spectrum lights and a timer, and purchased fertilizer, seed starting mix, potting soil, and a variety of assorted plastic trays and containers . Hmm . This saving time and money scheme sure was getting expensive and time-consuming .

After sowing seeds, I watered by rotating them in and out of the sink and a series of catch trays . My husband, in his evening effort to feed us, started regularly asking where all the cookie sheets, broiling pans, and other useful kitchen implements had gone to . Thankfully he’d taken over the cooking, since I certainly didn’t have time . I was busy thinning, fertilizing, potting up, and water-ing . I hardened them off to prepare them for outdoors (in, out, in, out, in, out), planted them out, and watered . It added up to hundreds of hours . Ok, maybe not hundreds, but a lot, I tell ya . A lot . After three years of starting seeds indoors, I moved to starting seeds outdoors and buying starts . Starts aren’t cheap, but think of all the time I was saving!

After I moved plants outside, I developed new troubles . My yard is a giant sand box . I’ve been adding compost annu-ally for ten years and it just eats it up . No matter how much I water, those thirsty vegetables want more, more, more . I’m nothing if not ambitious, so I plant a lot and watering takes forever . Yes, forever . Several years ago, I decided the most I could water was every other day . Some plants suffer, but my sanity is at stake here . Although I hardly water anything but the veggies, our summer water bill manages to rival our winter heat bill .

And then there are the products . Sluggo . Various fertil-izers . Fish emulsion . Books on veggie gardening . An array of various snake oils from the garden center . Compost . Row covers . Tomato cages . Strings, ties, and stakes for the wibbly wobbly ones . How about a cover crop? Or a hoop house?

Better yet, a greenhouse . My vegetables seemed to accessorize more than I do!

Maybe watering would be easier in a container, I thought . So the year my gigantic ceramic container was empty, I tried growing potatoes in it . I needed about $60 worth of organic potting soil to fill it up, plus the seed potatoes, fertilizer, and watering . I followed all the directions and after a few months, the plants died down and I went hunting, filled with excitement . We harvested about 20 extremely tiny potatoes . Potatoettes you could call them . Years later, I’m still not sure why they were so small .

Eventually, though, for about two or three months, we always have an abundance . Sweetie, I say, why not use some of the beans or peas in dinner? They’re all the way outside, my

husband says, these (veggies in the fridge that we bought) are closer . Why am I growing veggies, you ask, if we’re not going to eat them? I ask myself (and my husband) the same question .

Every year I have mediocre yields and a few crop failures . I’ve tried to get a government subsidy, but apparently a 70’ x 3’ plot doesn’t count . I’m still waiting for the endless stream of zucchinis I always hear about . I do actually

know what to do to be more successful . I could add drip or soaker hoses (work and money) . Sow and plant successively (work and money) . Fertilize and add compost more often, use products for bugs and disease, and grow a cover crop (work and money) . Grow more and learn to can, freeze, ferment, dry, store, and pickle (surprise – more work and money!) . Or I could join Costco, where a 20-pound bag of onions or potatoes is $3 .99 . No, I’m not joking, this is the actual price . How do I know? Because I joined Costco .

I’ve decided growing vegetables is a bit like getting a tattoo . As soon as you forget how painful it was, you real-ize you like having it and find yourself wanting a new one . Coincidentally, it took me about a year to forget about the expensive pain in the butt that growing vegetables is . Instead, I focus on the incredible sense of satisfaction that comes from growing your own food . I know it’s 100% organic and good for the earth, and there’s no comparison between the taste of a Safeway vegetable and one picked at the height of ripeness from my own back yard . Homegrown veggies are no monetary bargain, but a fresh picked, perfectly ripe Sungold tomato is, well, priceless! s

misadventures of a Veggie Gardener—By Ivana B. Greene

pRiceLeSS TomaTo


RewardPlantAmnesty is still offering a $100 award for a photo of a gas station landscape that has NOT been sheared, headed, or topped . We need to know the location, too (cross streets and city name is sufficient) . The landscape must be established for at least three years .

Thank you, Cynthia CreaseyCynthia Creasey, our good friend from Lake and Company Real Estate, generously donated a scholarship to the PlantAmnesty Board/Committee Re-tree-t . Gosh, she’s good!

PCC ScripShop PCC and support PlantAmnesty! Order a PCC Scrip Card from us and make your shopping dollars count for PlantAmnesty, too . Just send $50 to PlantAmnesty, and we’ll send you a PCC Scrip Card pre-loaded with your $50 . You

can reload the card at any time . The best part is that at the end of the year, PCC will send PlantAmnesty a donation of five percent of the total you spent using the card! Can’t beat that!

Thank you, West Seattle Garden TourThe West Seattle Garden Tour made this year’s Urban Forest Symposium on Trees and Views possible . They granted us $2,000 to hire first rate speakers from out of state to give us the straight skinny on trees and the law . Grants to an organiza-tion with a strange name like ours are hard to come by, so our gratitude is even more deeply felt .

hydrangea TestFor those of you still following Cass’s hydrangea test, you should know that by September 17th there was only one tiny, tight flower bud on the plant . The lacecap had been cut down to two feet above ground in February as a test . This is only a test . s

This and That

IN THE NEWSChURCh FinED OvER TRimminG TOO mUCh

Kale Williams, John Coté, August 16, 2013

A Mission District church was hit with a $17,540 fine by the Department of Public Works this week after removing nearly all the foliage from trees adjacent to its property .

The Greek Orthodox Cathedral of the Annunciation, near Valencia and 14th streets in San Francisco, was fined for “topping” the trees, effectively removing all of the leaves and branches, leaving only barren trunks .

The pruning in this case went far beyond what a certified arborist would have done, according to Department of Public Works Urban Forester Carla Short, who oversees permitting and inspection of all plants and trees on public property .

“Usually, an arborist will only remove 25 to 30 percent,” she said . “In this case it was basically 90 to 100 percent .”

Removing that much of a tree’s branches can have long-lasting effects on the health and longevity of a tree, Short said .

“Once all the leaves are removed, the tree has no way to produce energy . That leads to weakly attached branches and can leave them open to decay and pathogens . These trees will never be the same .”

The trees in question, 10 ficus, were planted by the church but because they are on city property on Stevenson Street, still come under city supervision, Short said .

The church was fined $1,754 per tree, the cost of planting a new one and maintaining it for three years .

Representatives from the church would not comment on the fine, and it remains unclear why the trees were pruned .

The fine may be appealed within 60 days, in which case an administrative hearing will be held at City Hall .

— Kale WilliamsFrom San Francisco Chronicle

For $25 you can make change happen!

Join TreePAC,a political action committee to promote, protect, and preserve the Urban Forest.

g Go to www.TreePAC.org. hPaid advertisement.


Friday, October 11, 8:30 am—3:30 pm Spanish Language Pruning and Landscape Renovation Workshop

(See Workshops on page 12 for details .)

Sunday, October 13, 10 am—noon, master Pruner Class Tools with Cass Turnbull, Pete Putnicki, and friends

(See Class List on page 13)

Tuesday, October 15, 7 pm—9 pm meeting of Like minds

The Heritage Tree Committee hosts this gathering . Our speaker is Susan Dolan who will be giving a PowerPoint presentation about the National Park Service’s work to preserve historic orchards . These meetings are potlucks, although you don’t have to bring anything to be able to eat—a small donation will pay your way out of minor guilt . We also have a fun auction, the proceeds of which help to pay the hall rent, and announcements of current events . Meetings are free and open to the public . Find us at NHS Hall at the Center for Urban Horticulture, 3501 NE 41st Street in NE Seattle .

Tuesday, October 29, 6 pm—9 pm halloween Bingo with Ciscoe morris

Win valuable plants, eat chili, drink beer, and have a foot-stomping good time . Location: Shilshole Bay Beach

Club in Golden Gardens, northwest Seattle . (See flyer on opposite page for details .)

Sunday, november 10, 10 am—noon, master Pruner Class Pruning art or atrocity with Cass Turnbull

(See Class List on page 13)

Tuesday, December 17, 7 pm—9 pm holiday Party and annual membership meeting

Come enjoy a glittering and merry night of fine food, friendly people, and live entertainment . Folks are encouraged to bring their best potluck dish and dress up . Those who are fashion resistant or cannot cook can come in jeans and use some of their cold hard cash to donate and then help themselves to the feast . And you are also encouraged to enter a photo in the annual Ugly Yard Photo Contest . Photos will be on display throughout the night . It’s easy to win! Everybody thinks they’ll stop and snap a shot but so few do that your chances of winning a cool prize (mailed to you if need be) are quite good . Entries can be made via email . Please bring three, one-dollar bills .

This will also be our annual meeting where we go over the year’s many and great achievements . If you would like to nominate yourself or someone you know to the position of PlantAmnesty Board Member, please do so . To receive a nomination form or to vote for new board members by mail, please make a request to PlantAmnesty at info@plantamnesty .org or call 206-783-9813 . s

upcoming events

volunteers Still needed for Tree-hugger Bingo on October 29

We need more chili makers as well as people to help with setup, takedown, kitchen, and other chores . We also have a couple of very special needs

• A salad maker to create a very large salad (250 people) . PlantAmnesty will pay for the ingredients—you put it all together .

• A giant truck and driver for picking up transporting 200 1 gal . consolation plant prizes from an eastside nursery to the Shilshole Bay Bingo site in Ballard, on October 29th.

If you can help, contact Laura at 206-783-9813, x3 or laura .watson@plantamnesty .org.

Connie AdamsElizabeth Annen

Mary CairnsRuth CallardCarlos CastroGail ChiarelloSusan Cook

Sherry DantonioBJ Deering

DeWitt LandscapingMikal DonnellySara Giesler

Mario Guevara Alden Hackmann

Dede HarrisRicardo A. Herrerra

Peter Hobbs

Marta HorvathGeorgette Kozloff

Donna LinnPat Lofthus

Barbara LoomisFrank Munson

Marvin PettwayKathy PruzanToddy SewellJane Sherman

Thomas SinnamondLaurie Skandalis

Cynde StarckCarla Stevens

Elizabeth Sundquist

new members major DonorsDenise Anderson Tim O’Connor

West Seattle Garden Tour


For reservations postmarked on or before October 14th, tickets will be mailed. Otherwise, pick up your tickets at Will Call. Present tickets at the door to get your bingo cards. *The Washington State Gambling Commission prohibits ticket purchases by CREDIT Card, but Visa / MC DEBIT Cards ok. Questions? 206.783.9813 — [email protected] — www.plantamnesty.org

Name

Company

Address

City / State / Zip

Phone

EmailMail form & payment to: PlantAmnestyPO Box 15377, Seattle, WA 98115-0377

of $30 Individual Seats of $150 Tables / 6 Seats - Bring your friends!

$________ Additional donation

My check is enclosed

Charge my DEBIT Card*

( )Card #Exp. Date /

Tue Oct 29th • 6-9pm

Reservation Form

Halloween2013

A Benefit for PlantAmnestyJoin Cass & Ciscoe for a wildly entertaining night with fabulous horticultural treasures for garden lovers! Costumes are welcome but not required — you could win a prize! No bingo experience required to eat chili and win. Tickets include chili, salad, dessert, and bingo cards. Must be 18+ to participate.

Shilshole Bay Beach Club in NW Seattle6413 Seaview Ave NW, Seattle, WA 98107Plenty of free parking!

Doors& Dinner6:00 pmFirst Game7:00 pm


June meeting of Like minds (mOLm)On a beautiful balmy evening close to 50 people attended

PlantAmnesty’s June MOLM to hear Zsofia Pastzor of Innovative Landscape Technologies speak about rain gardens, bio retention systems, and water capture . We enjoyed hearing about all the different kinds of plants that can be used in rain gardens, just about the same as in ornamental and native plant gardens .

June Tour of GardensThe PlantAmnesty events committee sponsored this special

tour of NW Seattle Gardens . Sixty members and their friends explored three very different home gardens . Each touree seemed to choose a different garden as the best, which goes to prove beauty really is all in the eye of the beholder . Thank you hard-working volunteers and hosts Laura Watson, Meghan Fuller, and Shelagh Tucker.

June volunteer Garden Clean-up, Letter from Recipient.Dear Cass and Crew,

On June 15, 2013 a company of angels came down on my yard in the Broadview neighbor-hood and performed some miracles . Their chief Guardian Angel was Cass Turnbull of Plant Amnesty with her cheerful and hardworking crew of Marianna, Tracie, Connie, Penny, Denise and Antonio . Latter one was hired to haul away all the branches and debris but—sur-prise—he came by bus . Fortunately, Cass’s and Denise’s trucks were on hand to do the hauling

to the dump . Some six hours later I couldn’t recognize my formerly overgrown yard . As a result of their miraculous work various things came to view or were created, such as a stone wall that was formerly covered by ivy, some lawn furniture that were buried by bushes, flower beds that now have plants planted in them, a lovely variegated holly tree that was obstructed by numerous little (wild) plum trees and other seeded greenery, buried children’s toys and countless plastic and clay pots . I can see my fence in places that I haven’t seen it before and the trunks of some trees…So, thank you Cass Turnbull and Plant Amnesty’s crew . I am forever grateful for your generosity and amazing help to this “little old lady” in her seventies . God bless you all and may he repay you all for your kindness!

Sincerely, Marta Horvath

Summer BoothingsPlantAmnesty hosted an informational booth at the Shoreline Solarfest and at the West Seattle Garden Tour,

and the Seattle Tilth Harvest Fair . PlantActivists donated their valuable time to raise awareness

of bad pruning among the crowds . We were well-received .

July Fruit Tree Pruning Field DayThe summer of ‘13 in Seattle will

be remembered as a string of endless sunny days, just a little too hot for natives and outdoor workers . On just

such a day PlantAmnesty’s Fruit Tree Pruning Field Day was held at Marra

Farm located just past the industrial district South Park . Thirty students and ten teachers

plant activist update

J to EThey do crappy tree work, go door to door lying to people, and have been infesting the island for several months. Steer clear. —e

E to Jwow. sounds like good column fodderthey scared the (expletive deleted) out of me.wind-sailing issues which will kill me, they say ten trees need work or i’ll be widowmak-ered next week. they only want 4Ki told her if i had 4K i wouldn’t be living in the woods. then she wanted 120 bucks up front, dropped the price from 400 a tree to 300 a tree, and we could start today

i took her card. do we need to alert the locals?

she told me that of 290 properties she has looked at on whidbey, all 290 need workand that our local boys are not doing a good job. maybe i’ll call BBB? but their logo is on the card, maybe they are in cahoots! don’t you love fraud? what is wrong with this world?

thanks Ei owe you lunch

E to JHmm; guess I understated their perfidy. Did you get anything in writing? Save the card; what is the outfit? (expletive deleted) fear

merchants—prey on the timid and unin-formed—make big bucks. Fear is the root of all evil.

This is a job for drewslist, but I haven’t got the energy to write it up without getting sued for slander. Maybe send this exchange to the local tree guys? Maybe contact ISA—International Society of Arboriculture, NW Chapter. I’m worn.

EDITOrIAL COMMENT: This email exchange was followed by a good post about how to hire an arborist sent to drewslist.

WE gET EMAILS! The following is a cc’d email thread posted verbatim, except where the names and expletives have been deleted.

The initial email, lost, was about door to door tree work solicitation happening on Whidbey Island.


in small groups demonstrated how to prune apples, pears, plums, figs, fruiting quinces, and grape vines . We saw goldfinches, we saw Pike Place squirrels, we saw big trees and fields of ripening vegetables and blooming artichokes being worked over by bees . Thank you instructors Andy Major (Major Tree Service), Mark Harman (Stonehedge Tree Experts), Dana Harper (Legendary Tree Service), Ingela Wanerstrand, Pete Putniki (winner of Best Teacher), Tracey Bernal, Michelle Scannel, Cass Turnbull, and Bill Wanless. And thank you to all the volunteers who made or brought food, schlepped chairs, flip charts, water, sandwich boards, pop-up tents, cones, signs, and who drank victory beer with the teachers (after class) . And we thank the Marra Farm’s staff for handling the debris piles, always a big treat for the crew . And a very special thanks is due to Marianna Clark, our chief organizer, leader, planner, and schlepper for all things educational .

august meeting of Like mindsAlmost 80 people came to hear Alex LaVilla of Great

Plant Picks and Swanson’s Nursery speak about plants for dry shade . Alex also gave a short explanation of the selection process of the Great Plant Picks designation . The talk was preceded by a spirited auction and wonderful potluck!

September heritage Tree Dedication and Tree Walk

On September 7, the Ross Community Club held its first neighborhood Tree Walk—a walking tour showcasing the neighborhood’s distinctive and notable trees . The walk began

at the Fremont Peak Park (4357 Palatine Ave N, 98103) at 10am and continued down the hill to Ross Park (3rd Ave NW and NW 43rd St) . The tour ended with a dedication, led by PlantAmnesty’s Cass Turnbull, of Seattle’s latest Heritage Tree, the beautiful big-leaf maple in Ross Park . The Heritage Tree Program, managed in partnership by Plant Amnesty and the City of Seattle, identifies, celebrates, and protects trees of exceptional size, form, or rarity . A potluck picnic at Ross Park followed to celebrate the event, which was supported by the Tree Ambassador Program, the Department of Neighborhoods,

and the Heritage Tree Program .

The Shear madness CampaignThe work to end nuisance pruning continues on . During

the last quarter, PlantAmnesty reached out to municipal and commercial landscapers, giving a presentations and hands-on demonstrations to the Kirkland City Public Works Landscape Workers and to the leads of Plantscapes grounds crews . We videoed 20 two-minute pruning topics on species-specific plants, assuming that this is the new standard attention span of the digital public, and posted them on the PlantAmnesty YouTube Channel . And, finally, we audio-recorded a Shear Madness commercial scheduled to air on hot-talk radio this fall . Our sincere thanks go to the landscape company sponsor-ing the campaign, Rock Solid—you rock! s

plant activist update

CaLiFORnia CURiOSiTiES

Why BOThER?

BLm

Please mail form below to: Plantamnesty, PO Box 15377, Seattle, Wa 98115-0377

——— Plantamnesty’s Pruning and Garden Renovation Workshops ———Spring—Saturday, June 14, 2014, 10 am—3 pm

Fall—Saturday, September 6, 2014, 10 am—3 pmFall (in Spanish)—Friday, October 10, 2014, 8:30 am—3:30 pm

The Renovation Workshop is a popular hands-on all-day event that features a rare 3:1 student-teacher ratio and real-world experi-ence . Students will learn pruning and creative solutions for the overgrown garden as an entire yard is renovated during the class . The day begins with a lecture followed by hands-on experience out in the yard . Topics discussed will be pruning, transplanting, and landscape maintenance . The group will move through an overgrown landscape while instructors give on-the-spot evaluations of plants and demonstrations of pruning . Workshop participants will then cycle between jobs to learn what the landscape has to offer .

The workshop typically takes place at a private residence within King County selected for its neglected state and diverse plant material so as to provide class instruction on a wide variety of topics . All participants receive a pruning DVD and handouts on various pruning topics .

——— Plantamnesty’s Japanese Garden Pruning Workshop ——— A Saturday in May, 2014 (date TBD), 10 am—3 pm

This workshop will be held at Seattle’s Kubota Garden and will cover the Japanese-style pruning of pines, including the demonstration and practice of needle and candle pruning, Japanese maple pruning (upright and weeping), and bamboo pruning . The prerequisite for this workshop is attendance at a Japanese Garden Pruning lecture—the next one is Sunday, May 11, 2014, or viewing the Japanese Garden Pruning video on PlantAmnesty’s YouTube Channel .These workshops are for home gardeners, landscape professionals, and students in the Master Pruner Program . Complete details and materials will be sent to students a few weeks prior to the workshop .

Questions: PlantAmnesty at 206-783-9813 (please leave a message) or info@plantamnesty .org . For more information about the Master Pruner classes check out: www .plantamnesty .org .

Preregistration is required for all workshops—space is limited.

plantamnesty workshops

Japanese Pruning WorkshopA Saturday in May, 2014 (TBD)

Spring Renovation WorkshopSaturday, June 14, 2014

Fall Renovation WorkshopSaturday, September 6, 2014

Spanish Renovation WorkshopFriday, October 10, 2014

_____# of PlantAmnesty members @ $75 .00 = $________ _____# of non-members @ $85 .00 = $________

_____# of PlantAmnesty members @ $75 .00 = $________ _____# of non-members @ $85 .00 = $________

_____# of PlantAmnesty members @ $75 .00 = $________

_____# of non-members @ $85 .00 = $________

_____# of PlantAmnesty members @ $30 .00 = $________

_____# of non-members @ $45 .00 = $________

Total $ ——————Name(s): ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Address: _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ City State ZipPhone: (_______) __________________________________________ Email: ____________________________________________________

You may pay by credit card or check . Please make checks payable to PlantAmnesty . Mail completed form and check (if applicable) to: PlantAmnesty, PO Box 15377, Seattle, WA 98115-0377

MasterCard o Visa o Credit Card No . _____________________________________________ Expiration date ____________

master Pruner Series Sponsored by Steuber Distributing Company, 308 3rd St, Snohomish, Wa 360-568-2626


Plantamnesty Presents: Cass Turnbull’s Master Pruner Program

2014 Pruning ClassesPruning expert Cass Turnbull and other guest instructors teach topic-specific pruning tech-

niques in this series of in-depth classes and workshops . The Master Pruner Program is the

set of classes and workshops that, when completed, certifies the student as a Master Pruner .

These classes are open to home gardeners, landscape professionals, and horticulture students .

Complete the entire series to earn a certificate or just attend a few classes . Horticulture stu-

dents can apply their college pruning classes towards certification . Master Gardener and ISA

CEUs can be earned . No pre-registration is required for the Sunday morning classes .

WhERE: Warren G. magnuson Park, the Brig (Bldg #406) 7400 Sand Point Way nE, Seattle, 98115

WhEn: Sundays, 10 am to noon, except for Workshops

COST: $20 per class, $15 for Plantamnesty members, $5 for horticulture students and native Spanish speakers

Questions? Email [email protected] or call PlantAmnesty at 206-783-9813.

also sponsored by FannO Saw Works www.fannosaw.com

plantamnesty offices, classes and events

2014 Schedule• 1/12 pruning fruit Trees• 2/9 Roses• 3/9 Vines• 4/13 Trees 1• 5/11 Japanese pruning• TBD Japanese Pruning

Workshop• 6/8 Rehab pruning • 6/14 Spring Reno Workshop• 7/13 Renovate/prune• august—no class• 9/6 Fall Reno Workshop• 9/14 easy plants• 10/10 Renovation Workshop (en Español)• 10/12 Difficult plants • 11/9 Hackables, Shearables,

and untouchables • December—no class

upcoming pruning classes

Sunday, October 13, 2013—ToolsProfessional gardeners bring their pruning and gardening tools for this popular show and tell class . Common and uncommon tools will be featured, as will their care and sources for purchase . Bring your favorite tools that you have questions about .—Taught in conjunction with Cass Turnbull and Pete Putnicki

Sunday, november 10, 2013—Pruning art or atrocity?Class covers the three main forms of mal-pruning: tree topping, inappropri-ate shearing of trees and shrubs, and over-thinning . We compare and contrast mal-pruning with bona fide examples of pruning art: pollarding, cloud pruning, topiary, pleaching, and coppicing . Class ends on a humorous note with photos of the Good, the Bad, and the Bizarre .—Taught by Cass Turnbull

Sunday, January 12, 2014—Pruning Fruit TreesLearn the basics of fruit tree pruning, covering apple, cherry, plum, and pear trees .—Taught by Don Marshall

Sunday, February 9, 2014—Pruning RosesLearn the basics of rose pruning—hybrid tea, shrub and climbing roses . Tools and timing are also covered .Taught by Keith Dekker

The complete Master Pruner Course is

also offered through the Center for Urban

Horticulture (CUH) on Thursdays in February,

March, and April, 2014. For more informa-

tion, contact CUH at [email protected].

edu or 206-685-8033.


Bellevue: One very healthy 5' tall red leaved Japanese Maple . Photos available . Contact Theresa at tcuthill@comcast .net . 9/10

green Lake: One 7' tall laurel . Deck installation requires that this shrub be removed . Contact Tom at fritz35@hotmail .com 9/10

Madrona: many plants available, including dutch iris (purple), bearded iris (also purple), and a very hardy attractive evergreen ground cover (rubus) . Contact Ann at 206-276-8090 or m_ann_joyce@msn .com . 9/10

Lake Union: two lime cypress trees, a little over 10' tall, are available to new homes . These evergreen coni-fers have beautiful lime foliage (needles) and a citrusy fragrance . Access is up about 6-8 stairs but owner has a wheelbarrow and is willing to help . Contact Zack at zheupel@retirement .org . 9/10

Bellevue (Master Gardener Demo Garden): two large and beautiful perennial ornamental grasses need new homes . The first grass is a lovely arching semi-ever-green grass that dances in the wind . It’s botanical name is Amenanthele lessoniana (formerly Stipa arundana-cia)—its common names include New Zealand wind grass and pheasants tail grass . This grass is about 3-4' tall and 7' across . The second grass has very tall grace-ful fronds (at least 8' tall), though the grass has already been cut back (there is another in the area for viewing) . Both grasses will have to be wheeled up a path to the parking lot . Contact Carolyn at gscr@comcast .net . 9/6

Queen Anne: Three mature shrub roses for adoption . One deep dark red, almost burgundy in color; one white with a delicious fragrance and one pale pink rose that blooms in little bunches . Easy access . Contact Ashley at ersh99@earthlink .net . 9/2

Ballard: a beautiful clump of black bamboo has escaped its containment and needs a new home . This stunning bambo, which makes a great 15' screen, definitely needs to be contained . Can be cut back to move . Clump is about 3' x 4' . Easy access from the

alley . Also available is Sarcococca ruscifolia (Vanilla Plant), a wonderful evergreen bush about 4-5' tall with deliciously scented small flowers in January . Contact Julie at annieshee@msn .com . 9/2

Fremont: One 6' tall dogwood, healthy, makes a nice layered green accent, has not bloomed yet . Contact Marcia at 206-706-3137 .

Bellevue: Six 6' tall forsythia shrubs available . Contact Vera at 425-747-2677 .

Kirkland: One 10' tall deep pink flowering rhododen-dron and one 6' tall purple flowering rhododendron . Easy access . Contact Leda at 425-444-4639 or lcbdesign@comcast .net .

Cle Elum: HOUSEPLANT One 8' tall yucca plant, indoor only, originally from Guatemala . You will need to bring your own tarp and/or pot for transporting . Contact Sue at 509-857-2420 .

Suquamish: One Korean dogwood 7' tall, one 7' tall smoke tree and two globe cedars . Contact Frances at fuguefran@hotmail .com .

West Seattle: One weigela and one mock orange shrubs pruned for easy removal . One 4' tall red flower-ing rhododendron . Contact Catherine at kipano@gmail .com or 206-407-7054 .

Ballard: One 6' tall bridal wreath spirea . Non-evergreen . it may wilt on you upon transplant, but even if it looks dead, it is pretty bombproof . Water frequently (like daily when it is hot) til the fall rains come, then it’s pretty drought tolerant . It’s on plywood and a tarp in the middle of the parking strip in front of 7025 10th Ave NW in Ballard . come and get it (leave the plywood and tarp) . Karen sweetpmt@drizzle .com or 206-782-5770 .

Lake Stevens: HOUSEPLANT One 6' tall potted rubber tree . Contact Janice at lucy22653@comcast .net .

Highland Park: Groundcover geranium, Shasta daisies and coreopsis are available . Contact Antoinette at 206-372-6734 .

greenlake: Two Chinese dogwoods, one 6' tall and one 8' tall; one 3' tall azalea with large white blossoms; one 2' tall maroon blossoming lollipop shaped azalea; Two pieris japonicas, one 3' tall and one 6' tall, twelve roses, some planted, several potted . Contact Judith at riverbluff@gmail .com .

renton: grEEN SHArE Over two yards of Moo-Doo available, aged cow manure and sawdust . Contact Gail at 206-660-9875 .

Everett: HOUSEPLANTS Two 6' tall, healthy and thriving Mexican breadfruit plants (aka cut leaf philodendron) are available . Getting ready to move and they won’t fit into the new home . Contact Elsie at 425-870-8428 .

Ballard: HOUSEPLANTS Thirteen phalaenopsis orchids available . All healthy but not blooming . Nancy is moving and can’t take them with her . Contact Nancy at 206-906-9670 .

imPORTanT nOTiCE: The adopt-a-Plant and Cyber Library password: the user iD is pruner and the pass-word is cherry.

adopt-a-plant. You call, you dig, you haul, that’s all.

The PlantAmnesty Adopt-a-Plant list is available on our website for members. If you do not have access to the internet, please call us at 206-783-9813, and we’ll mail you a current copy of the complete list.

Adopt-A-Plant is a PlantAmnesty membership perk . But you don’t have to be a member to put a plant up for adoption . No money shall be given or received for these plants; if you are hired to transplant any, of course your labor (only) may be charged . Keep things neighborly!

Get GREEN! Most everything you need to know about trees in one lovely gift!

In Keepers of the Trees, local author-naturalist Ann Linnea tells the stories of 14 people across North America who have devoted their lives in one way or another to TREES. Packed with story

and education, readers make a delightful journey to greater understanding of the

complex and essential role of trees.

Featuring Plant Amnesty’s Cass Turnbull

in her own chapter as The Activist Pruner of Emerald City!

A beautiful coffee table book with 100+ color photographs and drawings.

Foreword by Seattle nature writer Lyanda Lynn Haupt.

Regularly sells for $24.95. SPECIAL PRICE available to readers

of this newsletter for $15.

Call 360-331-3580 or buy online at www.keepersofthetrees.com

Type in promo code: KEEPERS at check-out.

Printed on recycled paperAdopt-A-Plant is sponsored by:

www.sbims.com


Are You a Photosynthesizer Sympathizer?Join PlantAmnesty Today!

MEMBErSHIP INFOrMATIONNew Member(s) Name_______________________________________________ Phone (_________)____________________

Address _______________________________________________________________________________________________ City State Zip

Email ______________________________________________ o I want to receive the newsletter ONLY electronically

o This is a gift so the check’s enclosed . o Send them a gift card with my name .

ALL NEW MEMBERS GET A FREE TWO-HOUR DVD OF CASS GIVING THE WORLD FAMOUS SLIDESHOW (SECOND EDITION) AND THE PRUNING MICRO COURSE!!! Send o them a free DVD or o me a free DVD o English o Spanish (include your address) .

IF YOUr COMPANY HAS A COrPOrATE MATCH PrOgrAM, PLEASE INCLUDE YOUr COMPLETED COrPOrATE MATCH FOrM WITH YOUr MEMBErSHIP. PLANTAMNESTYIS A NONPrOFIT, 501 (C) 3 OrgANIZATION.

Please charge my o Visa o MC Exp . Date _______/________ ISSN: 1095-4848

Card # _________________-_________________-_________________-__________________

Print Name on Card ________________________________________ Signature _______________________________________________

o Adventitious Buddy . . . . . . . . . . . . . $25 .00o Family . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $35 .00o Felco-teer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $60 .00o Tree Defender . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $120 .00

o Heartwood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $250 .00o Cambium Club (Lifetime) . . . . . . . $500 .00o Limited Income/Student . . . . . . . . . . $15 .00

northwest arborvitaeTina cohen

certified arborist

206-789-3283

on site tree & plant diagnostic

services.

Horticultural Schools. Try them, you’ll like them.

Center for Urban horticulture(U district, Seattle) www .uwbotanicgardens .org

Edmonds Community College(Lynnwood) www .edcc .edu

Lake Washington institute of Technology (Kirkland) www .lwtech .edu

South Seattle Community College (West Seattle) www .southseattle .edu

“To end the senseless torture and mutilation of trees and shrubs”

Non-Profit Org .US Postage

PAIDSeattle, WA

Permit #5011

PlantAmnestyP .O . Box 15377Seattle, WA 98115-0377

RETURN SERVICES REQUESTED

What to do with Old Gumboots

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