Or, wow, Mom, you sure are blind.
Some years ago a good friend gave me a number of black walnut seedlings that volunteered on his lawn. I really didn't have any place to plant them, so I gave a few away and stuffed the rest down into the mounds left by woodchucks in the wild field in front of the house.
When I say wild I mean that you really can't walk there because of the chuck holes, logs, brush etc. It was all I could do to crawl down there with a shovel and a bucket of baby trees.
Therefore they were on their own. Either they grew in the woodchuck holes....or didn't.
I never saw them again.
Until yesterday. Alan has been studying woody plants at school and has developed a real eye for juglans species. And those huge, really, really tall sumacs I have been ignoring down below the driveway, all the while saying that the walnut trees must not have taken.....are black walnut trees...complete with nuts!
I feel silly, but delighted to have big, robust walnut trees all my own.
About Me
- threecollie
- Embracing agricultural diversity, one species at a time. All rights reserved
OK I have a question... We have the blessed *sarcastic tone* things growing everywhere.
ReplyDeleteI want to know, is it true that the roots send out toxins into the ground. Our cows would NEVER eat the grass underneath them and since we had tons of them logged out (we were getting over run with them) the grass is better and they will eat there now. Just curious...
So, how long did these seedlings take until they produced nuts?
ReplyDeleteSara, they are as bad as described in that respect
ReplyDeleteJoated, alas none of us can remember when we put them in. Wasn't too awfully long though, maybe ten years or so.
that's great that sumac could actually turn into something worthwhile...lol!
ReplyDeleteAnon, they are nice big trees. They are about thirty feet from the driveway. Every time I look at them I feel like an idiot! lol
ReplyDeleteHere in Colorado sumac's are a wonderful red in the fall. Makes up for the rest of the year.
ReplyDeleteLinda
http://coloradfarmlife.wordpress.com
Black walnut-is my all time favorite tree. I love how they look in the winter after they loose their leaves-and I love their nuts too!
ReplyDeleteLinda, they are just getting pretty here now, but we are having a huge wind, which will probably take a lot of them down. Brrr, it is really cold!
ReplyDeleteTipper, How do you use the nuts? we were amazed to see nuts on ours and if we can use them, it will be great.