Sunday, June 14, 2015

Lament for a cherry tree

It’s hard to believe that it’s now more than twelve years since DH and I embarked on a house-hunting trip to Normandy one chilly and damp week in February.  We’d done a fair bit of research on the internet and had made appointments with a number of French estate agents to view likely-looking (i.e. cheap) properties.

After my Sunday-morning services we packed the very small campervan and took the overnight ferry from Portsmouth to Ouistreham, which decanted us, after an almost sleepless night, neatly onto the Caen péripherique or ring-road in the middle of the morning rush-hour! DH turned pale, gripped the steering-wheel with white-knuckled hands and begged me to find the first suitable turn-off.

During the next couple of days we criss-crossed southern Manche from one appointment to the next, trying to find polite ways of telling one agent after another that what had looked possible on the web was impossible in reality. Finally, having told yet another agent that the house we’d booked to see wouldn’t do, we asked him if he had anything else in our price-range.

He produced two photos of houses for which he had not yet had time to compile details and took us off to see them. One was a complete non-starter, being both miniscule and in the middle of a remote field without an access road, but the other had distinct possibilities. To cut a long story short, after much discussion over supper in the van, we went back next day to see the agent and agreed to buy it.

We’d noticed of course that there were several trees scattered around the nearly half-acre of land on which the house stood, but in their February leaflessness they were not easy to identify. When we went back in late August to complete the purchase, it was a different matter. The apple trees and espaliered pear were full of ripening fruit,  but we still couldn’t work out what the other, larger trees might be.

Bare bones, but no identity

It was the carpenter, who came to look at the house and discuss the necessary renovation work, who broke the news to us that we had three very large cherry trees in our newly-acquired garden. I still remember the thrill his words gave me at the thought that we would one day be able to pick our own cherries instead of having to buy them in small and very expensive quantities.

Because I was still working at that time, our visits over the next few years were short and infrequent and somehow never managed to coincide with the cherry season. It wasn’t until after I retired in the spring of 2007 that we were able to make our first long summer visit and discover that we had three different varieties of cherry tree, the largest and most impressive of which was a yellow Coeur de Pigeon which stood in the middle of the front garden and in the shade of which we had parked the van in the years when the house was still being made habitable.

In subsequent years we have eaten its large and juicy cherries, revelled in its generous shade in hot weather and admired its statuesque beauty, as it dwarfed not only the house but also every other tree in the garden, except for the leggy poplars in the hedge.

Huge and luscious cherries - far more than we could ever eat.

In a green shade...

Then, two summers ago, disaster struck. One afternoon, while picking cherries, I looked up to where the three very large main boughs, each as big as the trunk of a medium-sized tree, spread out from the enormous main trunk, and spotted a tiny sapling growing out of the hollow between the boughs. On investigation it became apparent that a cherry stone had become lodged in a crack between the boughs and had germinated and grown.

We removed the sapling and saw that the crack wasn’t very big and didn’t seem to be a problem. Nevertheless DH measured it just in case and we agreed we’d keep an eye on it in subsequent years. Last summer we measured the crack again and saw to our horror that it was definitely bigger. Given the height and weight of those three main boughs and the mass of smaller branches each carried, the thought of what might happen if one of them split away from the main trunk in a gale was very worrying.

So small, yet so deadly.

Luckily for us, our nearest French neighbour up the hill from us is a landscape gardener and tree surgeon and we asked him to come and give us his opinion. However, before he could do so, we had to return home early because of the death of my friend, and we agreed that he would come and inspect the tree as soon as he could after our departure.

This he did and in fact was so concerned that he called in a friend who specialises in fruit trees for some expert advice. The consensus was that the cherry tree was by then so top-heavy that it was only a matter of time before one or more of the boughs would split away and come crashing down. Unfortunately full-grown cherry trees don’t respond well to pruning or pollarding and the only sensible solution was to fell it, along with the three leggy poplar trees which were badly interfering with phone and power lines.

Poplar with mistletoe

All this means that when we arrive next week for our usual summer visit, the garden will look very different and I must confess I’m not looking forward to the prospect. I have no strong feelings about the loss of the poplar trees, which had a bad habit of dropping twigs and even branches in the slightest wind and were always full of mistletoe which DH had to try to remove.

However the thought that the magnificent cherry tree, which has for so long dominated the front of the house and given us so much pleasure, will no longer be there to greet us, really saddens me. Trees have character too and our Coeur de Pigeon was strong, friendly and generous. I will miss it very much.

We ate in its shade...

.. and read in it.

It gave welcome shade to the house...

... and to the garden.  It won't be quite the same without it.


46 comments:

  1. Hari OM
    Condolences for the loss of le Couer... did the seedling not get planted in hopes of fresh crops? It was perhaps a message... I missed tree on my land in Sydney, which had to come down due to disease. It took some time to adjust, but one does... YAM xx

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    1. Thanks, Yam,. I'll admit it was a very sad decision to have to make.Unfortunately the seedling couldn't be removed whole, so replanting it was a non-starter. As you say, we'll miss it a lot, but we'll adjust eventually and hopefully manage to plant something in its place.

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  2. How sad. Trees do have personalities and it can be very traumatic when a part of one's personal landscape is removed. I once long ago wrote about a beautiful Acer which, while not mine, was in a space at the back of my house and a well-loved part of the scenery.
    I don't mind admitting that I shed a few tears over that one.
    You could, I suppose plant a replacement but it would never be the same.

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    1. Yes, it is sad, Ray, and I know just how you felt when you lost the beautiful Acer. I felt the same kind of attachment to the big ash-tree which I could see from the bathroom window at the old house. It and the cherry tree were part of what made those two houses special, but thankfully the ash-tree is still standing. I imagine I'll shed a tear or two when I actually see the garden without the cherry tree.
      Planting a new tree is a good idea, but we will never see it full-grown. :(

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  3. So sad when such a beautiful tree has to be cut down. I'm sure you will miss it terribly. Will you maybe plant something in the garden for future generations to shelter under from the sun? Enjoy your trip to France! May the weather be kinder than it has been in the UK...sigh.

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    1. It is indeed, Sian, especially when it was such a fine specimen and a picture of health. I'm not looking forward to seeing the gap it has left. :-( Once we've seen what the garden looks like and cleared up the detritus we'll have a think about what to do.
      Thanks for the good wishes but I'm not holding my breath about the weather. France has been having some very odd and unseasonable weather and the current northerly wind is blowing in Normandy too.

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  4. I'm sorry to hear about your tree. I'm glad you have so many lovely pictures of it. Maybe you could get one of them enlarged and framed as a reminder. Safe travels, and I look forward to your posts from France.

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    1. Thanks, Kristie. That's an excellent idea. I'll have a good look through the many photos we've taken over the years and hopefully do something about it when we get back. The new house has picture hooks which are still empty... :-)

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  5. It is always sad when a much loved tree has to be cut down. But better to do so, before any large boughs break off. The amount of damage and even death that can result from a tree or part of a tree, coming crashing down, does not bear thinking about.

    I still remember when a balsamic poplar in the hedgerow at the front of Finmere Rectory, came down in a localised storm. It amazingly just missed my car & the house, but it brought down the phone line & disconnected us from email & the internet for ove a week :-(

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    1. Except for a couple of small old apple trees which were very much past their best, this is the first time we've ever had to have a tree cut down, Ricky, and I'm surprised how sad I feel about it. But as you say, we had no choice once the risk was confirmed. Those three big branches (subsidiary trunks might be a better way of putting it) could have done so much damage.

      I remember when that poplar came down and you were suddenly incommunicado. The poplars we've had felled in Normandy would certainly have done the same if any of them had come down, taking out both phone and electrical power. We're better off without them.

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  6. I know how you feel. We had an enormous beech tree taken down fall before last. It predated the house which is almost 60 years old and the trunk was about 5 feet across and about 40 feet tall and after losing several really big limbs we had it examined and found that it was hollow from the top to the bottom. It shaded the patio and a large part of at the back yard and framed the house beautifully. Wow! What a change it has made. We had them leave the stump about 3 feet tall, filled it (since it was hollow right down to the ground) with topsoil and compost and now have a wonderful planter right above the patio area. No shade of course, but an opportunity to plant some sun lovers out there now.

    You just have to roll with the punches.

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    1. Thanks for the fellow-feeling, Vic. These great trees become part of our home and personal landscape and it's hard to see them disappear. Your beech sounds magnificent, but a hollow tree is very dangerous and it's good it was taken down before something really serious happened. As far as we could tell our cherry tree was sound except for the growing crack at the top of the main trunk which was only about 8 feet tall before it divided into three. Each of those three would have made a tree in itself! DH asked the tree surgeon to leave us the main trunk and he hopes to do something with the wood. My flower border will now be in full sun all day and it will be interesting to see what difference that makes.

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  7. Dear Perpetua - I do hope that the effect from the missing cherry tree is not too great - H and I also find it very difficult when dealing with aged trees and the necessity to bid them farewell. Hopefully in time the remaining trees will regroup and fill the void left behind.
    Safe travels.

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    1. Thanks, Rosemary. It will certainly make a big difference at first, but I'm sure we will get used to it with time. Unfortunately the other trees are some distance away, and being cider apple trees are unlikely to grow much bigger, so the gap will remain unless we plant something else, which we may well decide to do. The really sad thing is that the cherry tree was strong and healthy, except for the threatening split at the top of the trunk. :-(

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  8. So sad that your cherry tree will be gone, but when you consider that it might have visited the roof of your home, well, better to say goodbye before the damage was done. Your property will definitely look different, but I'm sure you will discover something new to help fill emptiness. It looks like a most beautiful place.

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    1. You're absolutely right, Bonnie, and this is why we took the decision to have it felled. It towered above the house and one of the three big branches would certainly have landed on the roof if it had fallen. I will now have to think and plan how best to use the space where the tree once stood and at least we have photographs to remind us. Yes, it's a lovely quiet spot.

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  9. What a lovely post. I so enjoyed reading this and seeing the photos. I'm sorry for the loss of this majestic tree that gave you both fruit and shade. I also enjoyed seeing your French home.

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    1. Thanks, Sally. I'm glad you enjoyed it. As a great lover of trees I felt the passing of such a fine tree deserved to be marked and i shall really miss it. Our French cottage is quite small and simple and we're still working on it after 12 years!

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  10. I'm so sorry to hear about your gorgeous cherry tree! I'm sure you'll miss it in so many ways, but am so glad you noticed the problem before it crashed on your house. Certain trees really do become part of the family. My Aunt Molly planted a tangerine tree at our family home more than 60 years ago and it's still thriving, still producing more fruit than anyone can eat and totally dwarfing the house. Overtime I see it, it brings back so many memories and would hate to think of losing it. So I can certainly empathize.

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    1. Thanks, Kathy, much appreciated. As you know DH and I were deeply attached to the big ash-tree at our old house and felt very much the same about this magnificent cherry tree. It looked so strong that it was a shock to find that weakness and realise the threat it posed. I will miss everything about it - appearance, shade and those delicious cherries which had to be eaten straight from the tree as they wouldn't keep. The only upside I can see is that there will no longer be lots of rotting cherries in the grass attracting flies and wasps, but that was a price we were always happy to pay to have it. I hope your tangerine tree will continue to thrive and give lots of fruit.

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  11. It's awful to have to cut trees down - we've recently had to get rid of the beautiful ceanothus that was in our frontage. It was a small whip, about 1'6" tall when we brought it here in 1997, and it grew and grew until it was probably 15' tall and 6' wide at the crown, and when it was flowering it was the most amazing vivid blue - and it hummed! The bees adored it. Sadly this winter it started to rock in the wind, and BH decided to cut it down before it fell on the car - the roots are very rocky, and although it's not gone completely - and several small twigs are flowering madly - there's much evidence of disease and it'll have to be cut right down (when BH has the energy, and the remaining flowers have finished) I miss it - and you'll miss your beautiful cherry (the tree and the fruits!) even more as it was so much older and larger. I think I'd miss the fruit most of all - as you probably will. Do your other cherries give fruit as well?
    Nous espérons que vous passerez les bons temps cette été en Normandie - tout nos amitiés! Helva & BH

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    1. Oh, no, that's such a shame, Helva, but sometimes we simply have no choice. Sadly I never saw your ceanothus in bloom, but I can imagine it leaves a big gap. It's amazing how these little saplings can grow so big so quickly. But however quickly any replacement we plant may grow, DH and I will never see it reach anything like maturity.
      Yes, the other trees give fruit too, but their cherries are red and very much smaller and come somewhat earlier than the coeur de pigeon which fruited in mid-July. It was nice to have a succession of fruit.
      Thanks for the impressive good wishes in French. Today we start packing... xxx

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  12. This cherry tree has been so much part of your summer ... fruit and shade and the gloriousness of its umbrella and will surely be missed. I think I would try to keep very forward in my mind the fact that had it not been removed it could easily have fallen onto the house and destroyed the roof, and maybe more.
    We get so used to a tree that 'makes' our place in the world. As a child living in the country we had a tall Lombardy poplar [a safe distance from the house!] and as I lay in bed I could 'see' horses, and people, and that tree spoke to me ... it was so much part of my childhood. Once an escaped hive of bees swarmed on its branches; a magnificent sight when viewed from the distance.
    Maybe you will find the right tree to replace this cherry whilst in France in the summer? A new friend to replace the old:)

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    1. It will be missed very much by both of us, Shirley, just as I imagine our neighbours miss seeing it as they pass, because it was so dominant. But you're right of course that the potential for damage was too great and had to be removed. We will have to give thought to a replacement and to how to protect it from our neighbour's young stock which graze our grass in our absence.

      You describe your childhood Lombardy poplar so clearly that I can see it and imagine your imaginings. :-) The childhood equivalent for me was a magnificent sycamore just down the hill at the back of our cottage which dominated the wide view we had from the kitchen. I can still see it in my mind's eye.

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  13. Oh dear, what a sad thing to lose such a special tree, one which has dominated your garden and given so much pleasure. You will miss it, but safety first. (just had to interrupt this reply to go talk to a man about our overgrown hedges!). We have a very tall gum tree which we love, the home to many birds and small possums. It is too close to the house, but we don't want to lose it. Trees do have a special place in our environment and hearts.

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    1. Yes, it's very sad, Patricia, especially when it would have lived for so many more years if it hadn't been for the threatening crack. The garden will certainly feel very different and I'll have to decide where to site the garden furniture now. I can well imagine you don't want to lose your tall gum tree and its many inhabitants, so I hope you can find a way to keep both it and your house safe.

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  14. I hate the gaps left when familiar trees go - like losing a front tooth! I hope it won't be too grievous a shock. I suspect it'd be worse if it had demolished your roof or something in a gale. I wish I was hiding in your luggage - need to return to France!

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    1. So do I, Christine, even when the tree concerned is nothing to do with me personally. The garden will definitely look gap-toothed when we arrive, as the cherry tree was so dominant from every corner of it, being so much taller than the house, which of course is what made the risk of damage so great. If you manage to get back to France we're only an hour and a half from Caen!

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  15. I'm very sorry. I know just how you feel because our beloved apple tree is well on its way to demise and I will miss it so much when it's gone. I hope it won't be too difficult to adjust to life apres Coeur. It's so beautiful there, you are very fortunate to be able to spend time there and I can tell you appreciate it fully.

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    1. Thanks, Jennifer. I can sympathise with your regret that you will be losing your apple tree possibly sooner rather than later. We do become very attached to such useful and beautiful features in our personal landscape. I think this summer is going to feel very odd without the cherry tree, but we will get used to the gap eventually. Yes, Normandy is very beautiful, and we feel very fortunate to be able to visit each summer.

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  16. Oh, dear Perpetua, it is such a wrenching when a grand old tree that sheltered and cooled and fed us must be felled. I'm so sorry and do empathize how you feel. As you know, we are tree lovers and mourn the ones we love like the old friends they become.

    I hope you can plant another tree in its space; perhaps another yellow Coeur de Pigeon, or another fruit tree.

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    1. It is indeed, Penny, and I appreciate your sympathy as from one tree lover to another. The sad thing is that in all other ways this tree was nowhere near the end of its life, but that widening crack was too dangerous to be ignored.

      We'd like to plant something else, but will need to finish clearing the site and work out how we're going to protect a young tree from the neighbour's stock which graze our orchard in our absence.

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  17. it is always a shame to cut down a loved tree, but I drove past a house in Scotland that I know very well last week and it is missing a gable end after a garden tree fell on it.

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    1. You're absolutely right and we must be glad that we spotted the crack before something similar happened to our French cottage. If it hadn't been for the tiny sapling in an odd place we wouldn't have known a thing.

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  18. It's sad to lose the tree but would be very worrying if it broke and fell while someone was sitting in its shade. We have to remove a couple of trees this year,one apricot and one almond, not because they are dangerous, but because even though they have been there for many years, they produce no fruit at all. They are taking up space that we can use for vegetables. So we need to be practical. Safe journey to France xx

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    1. I know, Ayak You're absolutely right, but I can't help being sorry that we had to cut down a tree which gave so much shade and so much fruit. I can quite see why you prefer to have space for vegetables rather than unproductive trees. I would too. We'll have to think what we want to plant in its place.

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  19. What a shame having to fell such a wonderful tree. I was sad when I recently had my gleditsia felled but like the extra sun I am getting in these colder days. Whether I will feel the same in the summer heat I am not so sure.

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    1. Yes, it's a great shame, Susan, but I don't think we had any choice. The front of the house will certainly be a lot warmer and brighter without it, probably warmer than I would want upstairs. :) I had to google gleditsia to see what you had lost. Such a pity to lose such a pretty tree, but winter sun is always welcome.

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  20. I really enjoyed learning more about how it is you purchased your home in France! What an exciting time that must have been to find a house that suited you. The circumstances leading to the need to take out the tree is quite fascinating. I've never seen a split like that in a fruit tree. I know you'll definitely miss that marvelous cherry! I know you're going to have a wonderful summer. Be sure to take lots of photos and share them with us! Enjoy!

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    1. I'm glad you enjoyed it, Debra. We had a lot of fun finding the house and are still having fun restoring it after 12 years. Whether we will ever finish it to our satisfaction remains to be seen. :( Although we are very sad that the cherry tree has had to be felled, we have to be thankful that we noticed the crack before the worst happened and one of the huge branches tore loose in a gale. But we will definitely miss the cherries and the shade. :(
      I can promise you plenty of photos once we have unpacked and settled in...

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  21. You'll mourn that tree...and rightly.

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    1. I'm doing so already, Helen, and wondering why it is that the most handsome tree was the doomed one...

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  22. Love the pics, Perpetua... especially the house one! It really is cute (and I went back and reread the house-hunting in Normandy post). What kind of tree is that one that looks like its growing flat against the brick? And I'm really sorry about your Cherry tree...

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    1. Thanks, Rian. I'm glad you like the house. We think it's rather sweet ourselves. :-) I'm really looking forward to getting back there tomorrow night, The tree against the house wall is a pear tree which has been trained to grow flat against the wall. It's getting old now and the pears take a long time to ripen. Yes, it's a great pity such a magnificent tree has t be felled, but the risk of leaving it was too great.

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  23. The loss of a tree, even the necessary loss, is always rather sad isn't it. Will you plant another in its place?

    Here's hoping you are having a great French summer :)

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    1. It is indeed sad, Annie, especially as this is the first time we had to make such a hard decision. We've lost a couple of trees before in Wales, but only as the result of storms. This felt very different. We haven't decided yet what to do about a replacement, but will think about it over the summer.

      We only arrived late last Monday, but already the weather is much better than almost anything we had last year. :)

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