Photos 22 Apr 2007 08:12 am
More of an Art Project
This week I returned to Madison Square Park to see how the new steel trees have taken root. Were they cleaned up and manicured?
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No, it still looked something like a construction sight. However, there was something new in the air. The vehicles had moved to another point in the park.
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A new tree had landed. There it was, a fatter one on its side with its branches askew just as the first pair of trees had originally appeared. Obviously this is to be a bigger art project than I had expected, and I’d have to return to see the progression.
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But there was more . . .. . . . . . . . .
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A shiny squat object elsewhere in the park.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A rock!
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A day later, the single, squat tree has been righted. I have to say it’s not as impressive as the ones that took a week to construct. We’ll have to see how they all look once the manicuring job of the grounds has been done.
While these steel trees are in construction, real trees are doing their own thing. The
flooding rains of last week left us with magnolia trees blooming around town.
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A small corner plaza outside an apartment building on 22nd Street has a group of trees
that are glowing.
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The Episcopal Church, on Fifth Avenue, has a show on display just outside its front doors.
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Washington Square Park has a tree or two that are in bloom as well.
on 23 Apr 2007 at 12:09 pm 1.R.Dress said …
I like the magnolias much much better!
As a city gardener, a student of trees, and a member of the National Arbor Day Foundation:) I think that these tin trees are very distracting and an eye sore to the design and Harmony of the park. It’s bad enough that the Parks Dept hack the S*$&T out of the trees for an added measure of safety.
Common mistakes with tree planting in NYC,,,
1.No tree needs a stake EVER!!! No matter how old. Unless you live where there are 180mph winds and the diameter of the tree is 5″ or so. (Take a stake out and watch what happens to a tree. Nothing! It’s unless. Last I checked, trees usually grow upward and towards the sun. They eventually choose a path stake or no stake.:)
2.Wrapping paper around the trunk? This breeds fungus. Fungus kills trees. It’s called bark, the tree’s natural protective coating.
3.Synthetic burlap sacks planted in dirt. Wrong!
You can use regular burlap that will eventually rot, but still, I like to take the bag off and trim the secondary roots to stimulate new growth and to help it get established with the least amount of stress. The idea is to help it along.
4. Construction grade soil left in the ground. This tends to get hard like cement and when it rains, the water just rolls off into the side walk. (My oak tree is about 20 ft higher and has the same sun exposure as my neighbors oak tree and are the same age and where planted aat the same time.) I’m ranting!
on 23 Apr 2007 at 12:12 pm 2.Michael said …
Thanks for the comments. I was also tempted to put up some shots of the beautifully blooming dogwood and maple sugar trees. The Village is crowded with them.