Where humanly possible even the smallest garden should have a tree in it, not only for using up the carbon dioxide in the air, but as a home for birds and a shady place to put your chair and sit down. Small trees with bushy heads are ideal for birds to nest in, especially as the dense foliage will protect the eggs and youngsters from predators. You may have seen pictures of Venice or even been lucky enough to visit the city, but you will have been lucky to see a tree. Unlike Georgetown, Venice is a sterile place as far as trees are concerned. We have hundreds of moth species – far more than butterflies and our birds feed on their caterpillars. What is more important, trees put oxygen into the air and if they didn’t, our life on this planet would end. So if you have a tree or trees take care of it or them.
A few weeks ago in preparation for the forthcoming dry spell, lawns should have been spiked before putting the on the main annual soil/sand/fertilizer dressing. Now the whole point of spiking is to help excess water get away from the surface quickly and also to enable the lawn dressing to be worked thoroughly into the ground to encourage deeper root penetration and better drought resistance. Grass with roots near the surface is always likely to be the first to suffer in dry weather. After the grass is spiked have the lawn dressing spread evenly and fairly thickly over the ground. Then rake it level (use the back of the rake for a smooth finish) and finally brush it into the grass to make sure that it has filled all the depressions. The rain falling during the night afterwards helps to settle the dressing in very nicely, and it will not be long before new grass shoots are growing strongly through the covering.
Try and use good soil with all the clay and rubbish removed by sifting it through a ? inch sieve and mixing it with sand (3 parts sifted soil to one part sand). I prefer a mixture rather than sand on its own, which tends to clog up the natural drainage of soils, and in any event has no nutritional value. Adding sand to the soil does lighten it a little and allows the dressing to spread more easily and evenly.
Christmas palms (Veitchia merrilli) are not at all shy about producing fruits and seedlings, and will produce dozens of seedlings for potting on. It is a fine tree and will grow to a height of twenty-five feet eventually. It ought to be good for street tree work but I have never seen it used as such in Georgetown – or anywhere else for that matter, probably because its rate of growth is none too rapid. It is good for the small garden and produces graceful foliage, but a word to the wise. Trees need to have well-prepared ground and space for the roots to grow. The hole into which they are planted should be no less than one foot wider than the root system and should be dug over very well, incorporating plenty of garden compost. Make sure that the soil at the bottom of the hole is firmed well before you plant, and if the tree that you plant is on the large side or planted in an exposed position, drive a stake into the ground before you plant the tree so that you don’t damage the roots, and then secure the tree to it. Never drive the stake in after you’ve planted the tree otherwise you’ll do massive damage to the roots. One you have a tree in the garden and it looks like getting too big then it’s easy enough to get another one. Enjoy your trees and may your God go with you.