Town officials on Tuesday approved a contract with a New Canaan-based nursery to acquire 10 trees that will greet visitors to Kiwanis Park.
Yellow Wood tree. Photo courtesy of Heather Lang at The Tasty Gardener http://www.tastygardener.com/kentucky-yellowwood/
The $6,850 contract with Frogtown Nurseries covers the purchase of the yellow wood trees that will be planted on a parking lot island that used to have Norway maples, Tree Warden Bob Horan told the Board of Selectmen at its regular meeting.
Those invasive maples were “half-dead” and “decayed” because they’d been planted improperly years ago—in the late-1960s or early-‘70s, Horan said.
By Arlington National Cemetery – Virginia State Champion Yellowwood tree, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=63838710
The yellow woods are native to Kentucky with a “nice branching pattern,” their “white flowers” blooming in May and cascading down, Horan said.
“Very insect and disease-free and very adaptable to different sites and soil conditions,” he said. “We found some up in New York, and they are not an easy tree to find. They are very under-utilized.”
First Selectman Kevin Moynihan and Selectmen Kit Deveraux and Nick Williams voted 3-0 in favor of the contract.
The selectmen asked whether Horan was on track with the tree warden’s budget (yes), whether the town was planting the yellow woods (yes, the Department of Public Works’ highway workers have a good system), why the town had to go through Frogtown Nurseries if the trees were found in upstate New York (that’s where they found them) and about the size of the trees (three-inch caliper).
“They are not small but they are not so large that the price and establishment into the soil gets a little tricky,” Horan said.
Devereaux said: “They are gorgeous trees.”
a great choice! The highway crew knows how to plant trees correctly, so they will be there for many years.
Although I am not an expert on trees, I question the selection of Yellow Wood Trees that are native to Kentucky as replacement trees in the island in the Kiwanis Park parking lot at a cost of almost $700 per tree. Yes, by the photo, they are simply gorgeous, but are they the best choice for this location?
Several years ago I spoke with an arborist from Almstead Tree Company who observed the decaying and dying trees along the island in the Kiwanis Park parking lot. He mentioned that trees will not do well given the location in the parking lot.
Since I have lived in the Kiwanis Park area for over 20 years I observed that the “island” portion as well as other areas of the parking lot, do not drain well. Many park visitors and dog walkers know this. Ankle deep water is not unusual after a heavy rainfall. In the winter, areas of the island and parking lot are prone to icing. How will the Yellow Wood Trees fare in standing water?
According to tasty gardener’s website, these trees require well-draining soil.
Finally, the area in the island is surrounded by compacted gravel and, of course, asphalt. How will the Yellow Woods handle the type of soil that is present in the parking lot? What will be done to the compacted gravel, if anything, to prepare the area for planting?
Next, I checked the tasty gardener website and read the following (my comments with an arrow):
Light Exposure: Sun
Soil Type: Well draining <==== soil, in portions of the island, does not drain well
Height: 30-50′
Width: 40-55′ <== 400 feet to 550 feet of space required for the proposed 10 trees.
Finally, The.Spruce website provides maintenance information for Yellow Wood Trees:
"Maintenance and Pruning
This tree tends to bleed sap from wounds, so pruning should be performed after flowering is complete in the spring.
You should start pruning when this is young. The branches tend to grow close to each other and the wood can be brittle. Make sure there is a central leader. Remove crossing branches and create strong branch angles that are not narrow to help keep the tree healthier and make sure new branches are farther apart. Be careful when working on this tree as the bark is thin and can quickly become damaged."
Question: What kind of guarantee will the nursery provide? Is it in writing? One year? Who will maintain these trees annually and at what cost?
Yes, these trees are gorgeous but are they the best choice for this location?
What other trees, if any, were considered and how much were the other bids?
As an aside…in June of 2012 my family purchased 4 Leland Cypress trees for $170.02, less than $45 apiece. We planted them ourselves in our yard. At the time they were in small pots, maybe 3 or 4 feet in height. We had a one-year guarantee so we gave it a shot. If they died past the one year mark we would be out less than $200.
In 5 years they are over 16 feet high, about 12 feet wide and require no maintenance aside from watering a few weeks after planting. They do not drop leaves so they were perfect for us. No pruning, no fertilizing, and they stay green 365 days per year.
Excellent points, Betty. A lot of common sense in your post.
Another example of “executive intelligence” in who knows what committee that do not consult the residents of New Canaan: the town tree warden’s company is taking down all the large mature trees around Canaan Parish (186 Lakeview Ave.). The residents were told that there will be repanting. A tree should only be removed if there is good reason.
UPDATE: May 7, 2019:
The Town of New Canaan purchased 10 Kentucky Yellow Wood Trees a year ago to replace dead trees in Kiwanis Park.
I happened to check on these trees this morning. Well, one tree looks as if it is on “life support” — just 2 leaves on one branch. I hope that Frogtown Nurseries will look at these trees and replace this tree at no cost to the Town, if they feel that it’s dying.
GREAT NEWS!!!!
Yesterday the dead Kentucky Yellow Wood tree was removed and replaced with a very healthy one.
Thank you Tiger Mann and Bob Horan for replacing the dead tree before the beach opens for the season.