Being good at what you do...

....is easier done than said. No typo. Do what you do well at work or what’s the point of doing it? Income? Ok, good answer for some but not for me. My job is my passion, the subjects of my passion get my love and attention. Income is secondary. Important yet comes second.

This used to be the most beautiful tree I have seen in Connecticut, perfect in every aspect of “treeness” that’s possible in a horticultural and artistic sense.

Ive told the owner of this nursery for decades about my feelings towards this particular tree. It’s RARE. It’s sexy. It’s unique. It’s PERFECT in all ways, or it used to be.

The nursery owner let the lawn guy mow the grass by the roots and the blades scraped the bark off the roots all around the tree. Punchclock employees parked on these roots for decades.

Trees have absolutely zero defense against soil pathogens except their bark. Remove the root bark and say “TA-TA” to the tree! Byeee!

In addition to letting his lazy ass employees park under this magnificent specimen crushing the soil into concrete, he and his son improperly pruned branches as they died little by little over the past year. This pruning job is criminal negligence. “Lock them up!!!”

Copious amounts of non-pathogenic lichen smother the bark indicating this bark has not expanded in ten years or more. Sick tree!!! Needs love and care!!!

Mushroomy growths indicate secondary decomposition of these limbs- ALL PREVENTABLE.

This nursery owner did not one thing that I told him to do to care for this tree to see to it that it passed through his fingers into the next generation’s possession and care.

I told him to feed it with 50lbs Harrell’s. He didn’t.

​I told him to treat it with merit. He didn’t.

I told him to have a tree surgeon trim it, he did it himself- SHITTY JOB he did too.

I told him to put a foot of raw wood chips in a 40’ circle at the base- he didn’t.

I told him to keep cars away but when I was there two days ago five cars were parked under it.

Its his tree, he can do whatever the hell he wants to to that tree. But in a larger sense, that tree belongs to all of us, and we want our lives filled with art, love, magic, history, awe. I always let people know when they own deadly trees as well as artistic specimens. This guy, even though he is in the nursery business, must be in it for the money, not the passion.

As as far as this tree goes, though, his lack of passion is a loss for anyone who has come to love that tree as they drive by. It WAS a unique form of weeping cherry. Here is a sad song to commemorate the soon -to-be-death of this tree: