Fagus sylvatica 'Riversii'

For every gardener there are those special little moments that persist in the memory… vignettes that come to mind as one reflects on one's connection with the earth and the fruits thereof… in the photo above, the sun rising on a foggy morning in 2011, breaking through the foliage of Fagus sylvatica 'Riversii'.

By the 2012 season, I began to notice that this River's Purple beech was starting to take on the stature that will eventually overtake this area of the gardens…

In 2013 I've come to realize that I need to make some decisions regarding the tree. Beeches are lovely when they retain their lower branches, but they can easily eat up a width of 75 feet or more. I am at a point where I need to decide whether this tree will be limbed up or not. I am tempted to leave it to its own devices for a couple of reasons… first of all the stature of a beech such as this, left to branch low to the ground as it matures, is an unforgettable sight. Secondly, I don't want to risk pruning that might not properly heal… this is a valuable tree that can live between 200 and 250 years in the garden. Other trees may come and go, but a European beech is a keeper!

In the spring of 2013, the same Picea abies 'Pendula' pictured in the first photo of this post, grows amongst Lathyrus vernus and trilliums… it is starting to suffer from the shade of the large Magnolia 'Wada's Memory'. Were this two acres of ornamental gardens to inhabit a space twice as large, perhaps these things wouldn't be a problem… as it is, one has to make choices at times and they are never easy.

Take care, Larry

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