The weather during summer 2023 was truly unimaginable as we all well know. Many of us were actually hoping for a hurricane or at least a respectable tropical storm. But it never came. With day after day high temperatures of 102 and 103F all non-critical outdoor tasks were put on hold. I delayed the brick laying needed to complete the final Ida repairs on the chimney. That work has been outstanding now for at least 3-years. But since the masonry crew consisted of a group of older men, asking them to work on the roof in that brutal heat was not necessary.
Then as the hundred degree days continued, large native trees began to ‘fall apart’ from the lack of moisture. All the trees were Water Oaks. The limbs were huge and while pulling the primary piece on the biggest its weight lifted the front wheels of our 7000 lb. Deere tractor off the ground even after cutting it into smaller pieces. And identical damage was found on the Louisiana Capitol Campus during a recent visit there. Needless to say, the burn pile is now quite large but it can not be burned until the band is lifted.
The camellias faired well but the azaleas were burned on a spotty basis as a result of sunlight exposure. A few of the Christmas trees were damaged and most were small with limited root systems. And one large Sapphire is already showing signs of recovery. Hopefully the azaleas will be back to normal next spring.
It is a fairly well known fact that feet swell with temperature. And the intense heat of 2023 proved to be a real demonstration of that fact. This phenomena coupled with foreign made shoes that don’t actually fit American feet made for a very uncomfortable summer.
I have had enough of all the junk that globalization has produced and shipped into the United States across the Pacific Ocean. I object to wearing shirts designed for emaciated little torsos or shoes made of synthetic materials with no flexibility or give. I long for household appliances that actually work and are durable enough to become family heirlooms.
I hope we can repair the mess we created...................
Yes,it is Christmas time once again, how nice. And we hope to see each of you again this year.
Merry Christmas,
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It was circa 1850 when Leyland Cypress came into existence...by accident. This event happened at the Leighton Hall estate in the South of Wales. John Leyland had purchased the Hall and decided to commission a horticulturalist to update the gardens with new and exotic plants. The gardener’s list included Monterey Cypress and Alaska Cedar. This was a risky choice since neither of these two trees were native to their new home in Wales. Nonetheless, they seemed to get along quite well and ultimately cross bred unexpectedly. When John Leyland found the odd tree(s) growing in the garden, thankfully he did not consider it an invasive species and allowed them to remain. Little did he know that it would ultimately become ‘the goose that laid golden egg’. In an apparent attempt to learn the source of the odd trees Leyland and his nephew Naylor redid the cross repeatedly and on many occasions a completely different cultivar (cultivated variety) was the result. Leyland and Naylor must have been totally bewildered.
Since the odd plants are not naturally occurring, the cross resulted in a number of genetic defects. The most troublesome was the fact that the odd tree is sterile needing to be propagated by rooted cuttings. So this tree is like a mule, the cross between a horse and a donkey. Mules are sterile as well. Although Leyland and Naylor produced many different cultivars, the most popular among we humans is Leighton Green and is named for its place of origin. In the UK Leighton Green is used primarily in privacy hedges. And in the US Leighton Green is used in general landscape settings and as a sought-after Christmas tree. And estimates indicate that it was propagated 30-million times annually in the US alone.
In the century that followed its unusual beginning, Leyland Cypress was almost totally resistant to all known pathogens and diseases. But that good fortune ended with the emergence of a fungal disease called pasalora sequoiae. The disease is lethal to Leylands. If left untreated, young trees are dead in about two growing seasons. In a feeble attempt to keep this lovely tree alive, the LSU AgCenter and Shady Pond joined forces in testing the efficacy of various fungicides. Copper hydroxide was selected as the best suited chemical. But even then, nine applications at one month intervals were needed to control pasalora during a single growing season...not good. Leylands were being placed on ‘NO PLANT’ lists by horticultural organizations and groups regularly. The future for Leyland Cypress did not look good.
But since the fields at Shady Pond still contained a significant inventory of Leylands, it seemed prudent to continue on until they were sold. Actually, it was during preparations for Christmas 2013 that a massive change in the fate of Leyland Cypress became apparent. A Leighton Green about 15 feet tall was found growing in Field E. It was about 7 years old and had no fungal damage anywhere despite the fact that adjacent trees were affected by pasalora. This event was embarrassing beyond description. How had it been missed with all the time spend in those fields. Nonetheless, the ghosts saved the day. It must have been a telepathic ‘slap’ that made the point.
The found tree was cloned and field trials were installed to compare the original Leylands to the found tree with neither receiving fungicide treatments. Things went as expected. Clones of the original Leylands died quickly while the clones of the found tree continued to grow with amazing speed and vigor. As time passed additional field trials were installed in Alabama, and in North and South Carolina. All trials performed just as the trial at Shady Pond.
The Royal Horticultural Society in England was notified regarding recent events here. It is nearly impossible to describe how excited they were. They were about to get their tree back The Royal Horticultural Society issued a Global registration of the found tree naming it Leighton Green Gernon on January 9, 2018.
An exhaustive literature search revealed that disease resistance combined with a color shift from the yellow tint of the original Leyland to a blue tint is indicative of the presence of cuticular wax. The wax is located in the skin of the tree on the cuticle. It is almost impossible to penetrate and protects the tree from pathogens. So one of the genetic defects remaining from the original cross breeding had been corrected. Gee, it only took a century. The tree itself had fixed the problem...amazing. All plants that have the cuticular wax barrier included in the physical structure display many similar characteristics as follows.
> A color shift often toward blue. This enhances beauty and color diversity in natural landscapes.
> More stable plant moisture balance that results from the anti-transpiration effects provided by the wax. This is of particular value when used as Christmas trees.
> Faster and more vigorous growth since the plant’s resources are not diminished in battling disease.
> More uniform and consistent production of foliage due to an excess supply of resources.
But all of these wonderful qualities pale when compared to the single quality of greatest value to we humans, the complete elimination of pesticides. Since we share our planet with many other living things, it is important that we minimize secondary environmental effects whenever possible. And using Leighton Green Gernon is an excellent and very pleasant means of doing so. And this is one of the most important benefits of the cuticular wax barrier-