A Tree Only a Mother Could Love
April 6, 2012 by Robin Plaskoff Horton
In our small garden we have an unfortunate looking cedar tree which our son brought home as a seedling from a MacDonald’s Happy Meal when he was four years old. We looked forward to planting it together and watching our son and the tree grow up together. Being the progressive parents we were, we cared way more about our chid’s learning experience and in encouraging his strong self-esteem than we did about design aesthetics. So we let him select where to plant the seedling, a spot we would not have selected, a place where we’d end up looking at the hideous thing for the next 21 years.
As a designer who’s uncomfortable when things are not visually pleasing, I have often winced at the sight of this tree occupying a prime location in our garden. We didn’t believe at first it would survive and flourish as long as it has, but as the years went by, we didn’t have the heart to cut it down.
The cedar grew up tall as did our son (though he turned out much better looking than the tree)–and when our young man moved out, we discussed cutting down the sad looking evergreen. I suffered a pang of sadness and nostalgia at the thought of chopping down the tree we watched grow alongside our son. After mulling it over for a while, I decided I might be able to cut it down if I found a way to memorialize, to make the tree live on, by creating something out of the wood.
The poor tree has the slimmest of trunks so it would probably not provide enough wood to make much of anything. I’d love for all of you to weigh in on what I might be able to create from the wood of this sentimental little cedar. Maybe a bird house?
Category: Experiencing
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The obvious choice would be a few beautiful picture frames, thanks to the small diameter someone with a table saw could cut it into a few narrow boards. Cedar weathers beautifully what about some garden signs or small bluebird houses?
— April 6, 2012 @ 19:35
Noooooo! You can’t cut it down. Bad luck!
— April 6, 2012 @ 20:47
My mother always said if you planted a cedar tree, you would move out of that house. If you cut it down, someone will die. Seriously, do you want to take the chance? Maybe just fertillize it a lot and see what happens. At 21 years, it should be larger than that.
— April 6, 2012 @ 21:19
Don’t cut it down, it’s a lovely tree.
— April 7, 2012 @ 07:11
I could never cut it down, but here’s what we did when the pine tree that Kara brought home from school in fifth grade (she’s now 32) died several years ago. We turned it into the directional that now sits at the north end of the east gardens. Colorful signs point the direction to family members’ towns and cities and how far away they are.
We also saved the branches that were about four inches in diameter and my dad cut circles from them that are about 1/4- to 1/2-inch thick. He sanded them, put a natural finish on them and attached circles of cork on the bottoms. COASTERS! Kara has a set of wooden coasters and so do we. A permanent reminder and something we use every day. 🙂
— April 7, 2012 @ 07:19
Why not replant it somewhere else in the garden. Please, don’t chop it down, you’ll regret it!
— April 7, 2012 @ 14:22
I think letting the tree thrive an live is the best; having objects are less important and they soon get passed along or get old, smashed, left behind taken down into firewood, or weathered. The tree is small enough to transplant, but you may want to advice from a Aborist, whom can help remove enough earth an roots. We need trees for Oxygen, to live an survive, they also supply shade and a nice breeze, please keep it~
— April 8, 2012 @ 02:24
Thank you everyone for weighing on on this one. We are giving the tree a reprieve. Can’t replant it as we’d have to remove the stone wall in front of it to access the root ball–just too big a job. But we are thinking of ways to plant below and around it. Sentimentality and my general dislike to cutting down trees won out. Will keep you posted! xx
— April 8, 2012 @ 14:08
I would cut it down if I hated it.
— April 26, 2012 @ 07:34
I would recommend a little shaping, pruning and training. I do like the idea of having other plants grow up through it to add interest.
— May 9, 2012 @ 17:19
So glad your cedar has had a reprieve, I’ve been agonizing over a big old ugly conifer which has been offending my eyes since we moved in a year ago, like you I relented, it provides shelter for the birds and a windbreak for the garden, ugly trees aren’t necessarily pointless!
— July 30, 2012 @ 11:45
Thanks Liz, in the end I didn’t have the heart to even move it. 🙁
— July 31, 2012 @ 06:59