tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13940439.post2207199459770625634..comments2022-03-13T22:31:11.066-07:00Comments on A Verdant Life: A Tree Falls At FacebookJohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08851101802601837019noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13940439.post-19565414809232222732010-12-26T09:42:38.205-08:002010-12-26T09:42:38.205-08:00In a word, Chookie, yes. However: around these par...In a word, Chookie, yes. However: around these parts, an unwatered lawn can look… uh… how do I put this delicately?… um… <i>dead</i>. Which, of course, is anathema to corporate sensibilities that seem to equate lush expanses of neatly trimmed turf with lush profits. <br /><br />The heart rot on this oak is so extensive, I have to believe it was in trouble for some time. I haven't found any decent property records, but my guess is the oak was native, a 20-year-old baby when Stanford University <a href="http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/149/hot-spot.html" rel="nofollow">leased</a> the property to Hewlett-Packard <a rel="nofollow">circa 1962</a>, and H-P surrounded it with lawn. This was common practice in the day, even by iconic landscape designers such as <a href="http://www.stanfordalumni.org/news/magazine/2003/janfeb/features/church.html" rel="nofollow">Thomas Church</a>. As those properties are renovated by modern designers, the lawns are pulled back from the oaks' driplines, and more-appropriate native plantings are installed (although, as with the H-P/Facebook oak, the damage already may be done).<br /><br />My favorite reference for working with existing specimens such as the oak is <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0520251105?ie=UTF8&tag=httpwwwverdan-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0520251105" rel="nofollow">Designing California Native Gardens</a>, by Alrie Middlebrook and Glenn Keator. Their method begins with identifying the plant community that typically would grow alongside the specimen in nature, then replicating that in a "man-made" garden. It's not foolproof, and a skilled designer's eye certainly is required to translate this method into a contemporary landscape that includes non-natives (especially a corporate one, that needs to satisfy many more criteria than just appearance). But it's a great start for those of us trying to keep our native specimens around for as long as possible.Johnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08851101802601837019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13940439.post-85623925917971131152010-12-26T03:12:34.967-08:002010-12-26T03:12:34.967-08:00"The lawn requires too much water"? I a..."The lawn requires too much water"? I assume that means that they were watering the lawn. If the lawn had not been watered, would the oak have lasted longer, do you think?Chookiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07230973711859964063noreply@blogger.com