Texas Arbor Day – In the Garden
Dear Reader,
I proudly, yet humbly, give all due credit to the late, great Robin Williams for anything enjoyable you may find about this little, shall we say “article,” because I watched his videos for, shall we say, a “couple of hours” prior to this moment, and am still under his, shall we say “delirium” for lack of a better word. As such, I cannot be held responsible for its content.
Nanu nanu.
Di-j’all all hear ‘boutta da free trees?
This is a groovalicious event! Off the chart family-friendly! Here’s the deal…
Okay, you get a free tree. That’s cool! But what you can also get – for free – is about half a college semester worth of bare-knuckle knowledge in about an hour – two if you really get into it. And even better, they will perform a live demo right in front of you, and you can get your hands dirty if you like. You can scope out mature specimens to see the potential of your free tree. Dig it?
The frosting on this cake is that the place will be loaded with Master Gardeners, many of whom are grandparents who love teaching gardening/nature stuff to little learners.
Bottom line for me is this: If someone got a free tree and did exactly what they tell you/show you, I’d bet $100 that tree would be thriving in five years. Without the training, I wouldn’t bet a nickel that it makes it past May.
Hang around and talk trees for an hour with folks who walk, talk, live, and breathe trees. I heard Steve Chaney will be there, so I figured I’d drop by, pose with him for our famous “double grizzly” portraits, and generally bother people for a while.
Hmmm … last time I crashed a tree party, they made me dig the hole!!!
Just For Grins
Tidbits of knowledge that stuck in my brain from my early FWBG days, from now-retired Texas State Forester Larry Schaapveld:
The word “acorn” is pronounced “Ache-urn” but you need to say it quickly and confidently (or some Yoo-hoo from Hullabaloo will proclaim it, “A-corn” – which is absurd.) Now here comes a fella from north of the 49th and he sounds like he’s saying hello to the crop … “Ey, corn.”
Also by Larry – from my Trees class at TCJC-NW (1988?)
“What’s the best way to positively identify the species of a tree?”
The Internet! What’s the Internet?*
Trail guide! No.
A tree book! No.
A tree identification book! No.
A Tree Identification KEY! No.
We give up. (Big ole toothy grin)
“The best way to positively identify the species of a tree is to … ask someone who knows.”
* This line did not actually happen, but I thought it was funny, so I left it in.
So, let’s face it, the weather for the last few weeks of the year is about as good as it gets in Texas, right up there with mid-March to mid-May. Time to get out and about with the family or go on a classy date. So, in that spirit, may I recommend a visit to your local public garden, especially when they get all gussied up for the holidays. If you dig it, and you will, consider gifting a public garden family membership to your friends, colleagues, customers … maybe even your own family.
Sure beats a store-bought fruitcake. (I used to think fruitcakes were holiday doorstops – until my Aunt Audrey sent me her homemade version.)
I can always use another road trip! Let me know if you’d like me to come out and speak to your group sometime. I’m low-maintenance, flexible, and you know I like to go just about anywhere. No city too big; no town too small. Just send me an e-mail at stevenchamblee@yahoo.com and we’ll work something out.