CreakyGardener
Full Access Member
Hi All! I have what I'm pretty sure is a Linden tree, we used to call it the lettuce tree before we knew anything. I found it in the trash at a nursery about 14 yrs ago. Looked dead with only one leaf on it. Me being the sucker I am, took it home. It's been growing since.
It's about 30' tall now and becoming kind of a concern after years of overhauling our place and wanting to be done soon. We're trying to get trees planted and situated for the long haul, since all the tree and yard demolition is mostly finished. I won't have it in me much longer to remove trees, so now's the time to decide. My thinking is getting the landscape in order and healthy so we don't have to deal with any more than we have to in our later years. The house and property we bought was such a money pit. Where possible, I'd like the next owners to enjoy it without all that hassle and hopefully leave the trees we put in place, so they can keep growing.
We're having reservations about keeping this tree. It's a substantial enough size tree to matter. We love the flowers, amazing smell and pretty. Hate the trash it drops all summer long. It's a bit of a fire hazard in the summer but great for the soil once mowing season returns. The droppings get into EVERYTHING and everywhere. As it gets bigger and the branches droop, we have to cut them off and away from the phone lines before the city come's and butchers it like they have others on our road.
I read an articles saying they can tend to break easily? I've always noticed how spongy and soft the wood is. The tree itself is quick to heal and a tough survivor. But at each branch, junction or lead, they look like potential breaks as they get heavier, droop over and pull downward. Every time I look at it I keep thinking, "That's where likely it'll break during some heavy frozen rain or wind storm." If it's going to be an issue, I'd almost rather cut it down now and put something else in it's place. Too many times I've let myself get attached to trees, keeping them when I shouldn't. And then I end up cutting them down anyway. Or they damage other things I really liked becasue I left it.. Plus we lose all those yrs of growth time for something else that we could've had if we 'd just gotten it over with. IDK.
Does anyone have any experience with these trees? I read they were tough trees, real survivors. That's nice but not if it's going to flatten my smaller trees and shrubs around it later. I know all tress have issues. But I'd like to play the odd's in our favor best we can. Am I right to worry? If I prune the extra leads off, there won't be much tree left. And it would likely just make more of them all the same again anyway. If it were a strong hardwood, I might think twice. But every branch on it looks like these with the forks instead of strongly attached branches. Seems most break right there from what I've seen. Am I wrong? Would you remove it or trust it? Any opinions?
Thanks to all of you for any help, and for reading.
It's about 30' tall now and becoming kind of a concern after years of overhauling our place and wanting to be done soon. We're trying to get trees planted and situated for the long haul, since all the tree and yard demolition is mostly finished. I won't have it in me much longer to remove trees, so now's the time to decide. My thinking is getting the landscape in order and healthy so we don't have to deal with any more than we have to in our later years. The house and property we bought was such a money pit. Where possible, I'd like the next owners to enjoy it without all that hassle and hopefully leave the trees we put in place, so they can keep growing.
We're having reservations about keeping this tree. It's a substantial enough size tree to matter. We love the flowers, amazing smell and pretty. Hate the trash it drops all summer long. It's a bit of a fire hazard in the summer but great for the soil once mowing season returns. The droppings get into EVERYTHING and everywhere. As it gets bigger and the branches droop, we have to cut them off and away from the phone lines before the city come's and butchers it like they have others on our road.
I read an articles saying they can tend to break easily? I've always noticed how spongy and soft the wood is. The tree itself is quick to heal and a tough survivor. But at each branch, junction or lead, they look like potential breaks as they get heavier, droop over and pull downward. Every time I look at it I keep thinking, "That's where likely it'll break during some heavy frozen rain or wind storm." If it's going to be an issue, I'd almost rather cut it down now and put something else in it's place. Too many times I've let myself get attached to trees, keeping them when I shouldn't. And then I end up cutting them down anyway. Or they damage other things I really liked becasue I left it.. Plus we lose all those yrs of growth time for something else that we could've had if we 'd just gotten it over with. IDK.
Does anyone have any experience with these trees? I read they were tough trees, real survivors. That's nice but not if it's going to flatten my smaller trees and shrubs around it later. I know all tress have issues. But I'd like to play the odd's in our favor best we can. Am I right to worry? If I prune the extra leads off, there won't be much tree left. And it would likely just make more of them all the same again anyway. If it were a strong hardwood, I might think twice. But every branch on it looks like these with the forks instead of strongly attached branches. Seems most break right there from what I've seen. Am I wrong? Would you remove it or trust it? Any opinions?
Thanks to all of you for any help, and for reading.
