British Columbia: Re-planting an arbutus tree

To say native arbutus are 'messy' is a huge understatement. As I wrote last Wednesday (see above), they are "an ongoing maintenance nightmare". Beautiful in wild places, large Arbutus menziesii in suburban gardens are a make-work project for sure. You can't not pick up leaves on walkways . . . wherever 2 or more lie one on top of another, it is literally like stepping on pieces of plastic lying on ice - no comparison to the slipperiness of any other leaves.

 

Lovely trees if you're looking for a wild rather than the manicured 'English Country Garden' look.
… especially if you grew up loving the Gary Oak / Arbutus landscape.
Successfully planted one in my yard on eastern Haida Gwaii (drier microclimate well off the "North-Wet" coast)… and on a rocky slope and know of two others my (former) town.
Now have a nice little pair going in the Cowichan Valley where they thrive. No problem mow-mulching a few leaves every week or three.
A chacun son gout!

 

Arbutus are classic aren’t they ... so many west coast painters and other artists feature them

Msg to Peter R Lake (prev post) - Next spring be sure to find out when the open house (wild flower meadow tour) is at the Cowichan Garry Oak Preserve owned by Nature Conservancy of Canada

This past event was on April 27/19 ... it’s in the NCC website « in bloom wildflower festival »

There is also a volunteer group that collects seeds and grows them for the NCC ... there is a limited number of people who can sign up to harvest seeds — go to NCC website and search for « seedy Sunday at Cowichan Garry oak preserve »

July 21/19 - must pre register

 

Many kinds of broad-leaved evergreen trees drop their old leaves during summer. Including the much planted Magnolia grandiflora. And with that one the leaves are often big and thick.

 

Yeah - it's not even summer but 'fall' arrived in my garden on May 15 when the first yellow arbutus leaves began to drop from 3 or 4 huge, old, somewhat diseased trees. I wouldn't be bothered if they fell somewhere easy to 'mow-mulch' but those on the driveway and walks are dangerous because they are so slippery. I love arbutus as much as anyone but stand by my contention that they are best admired in the wild, not in gardens. Having said that, the fact is that mine were in the wild until about 50 years ago when the area where I live was developed and houses built. Poor things.