My back hurts

[Dav4]

This is a crape myrtle that has been growing at the bottom of my driveway since before we bought the property 6 years ago. It's planted underneath a tall river birch so it only gets a few hours sunlight every day. It's a red flowering variety, but it gets powdery milder every year and several of the trunks were already dead or dying back. I decided a Paperbark maple would do better in that spot. Anyway, the myrtle got cut back a few weeks ago and dug today. I'm getting to old for this, by the way. Thank God for come alongs...that's a size 12 man's sneaker in that picture.

 

[Waldo Street Pottery]

Nice start! You'll do well. I love the melty-ness at the base.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Name it Rupert?

 

[Nwaite]

I love that 3rd pic.. the wood looks Beautiful . Like melted wax.

 

[M. Frary]

Name it Rupert?

Oh no!

 

[Cypress187]

It looks death in the pictures.

 

[sorce]

Hey.

You not supposed to grab at the trunk like that!

Holy Leverage!

Sorce

 

[Dav4]

It looks death in the pictures.

As I mentioned earlier, several of the trunks are dead, but several are alive.

 

[M. Frary]

I love that 3rd pic.. the wood looks Beautiful . Like melted wax.

And there's a woody in there too!
No wonder your back hurts Dave!

 

[JudyB]

DAmn, that's a big boy. How many live trunks are you looking to keep?

 

[Dav4]

DAmn, that's a big boy. How many live trunks are you looking to keep?

Good question! Right now, there are 3 live trunks, though one has some dieback/shari. Later today, I'm going to cut every thing back and take a few more pictures.

 

[Dav4]

Here it is after the last bit of work this morning. The sealed cuts are obviously on the live trunks. There's only one trunk with any movement but that's ok. I think this material has possibilities as a single double or clump style tree. It'll be fun to develop, assuming I didn't kill it yesterday.

 

[johng]

Looks like a fun project Dave! I think I'm going to try and make larger trees from than what you have chosen for yours...not that you made a wrong choice at all!

 

[sorce]

Is it possible to carve those dead stumps in...and get them to heal?
If not. A nice carving would work.
3rd pic. I like that look into it.

I think there is enough movement in the wood to compensate some for the lack of it in the trunks themselves.

Looks a wicked piece!

Sorce

 

[Dav4]

Looks like a fun project Dave! I think I'm going to try and make larger trees from than what you have chosen for yours...not that you made a wrong choice at all!

Thanks John. By the way, I was thinking of you for the entire 3 hours I spent digging this thing yesterday...I kept saying to myself "What the hell is wrong with John? Trying to dig this thing up is insane!".

 

[Dav4]

Is it possible to carve those dead stumps in...and get them to heal?
If not. A nice carving would work.
3rd pic. I like that look into it.

I think there is enough movement in the wood to compensate some for the lack of it in the trunks themselves.

Looks a wicked piece!

Sorce

Honestly, those dead areas will make for great uros and deadwood features I think. I've got no plans to try and heal them over.

 

[johng]

Thanks John. By the way, I was thinking of you for the entire 3 hours I spent digging this thing yesterday...I kept saying to myself "What the hell is wrong with John? Trying to dig this thing up is insane!".

Too funny....but you cheated, i have never had to resort to a comalong!

 

[Dav4]

Too funny....but you cheated, i have never had to resort to a comalong!

Cheating, hah! The damn tree would still be down at the bottom of my driveway without it!

 

[coh]

Looks like a fun project. I've dug up some trees that were that size...I find that as long as I'm not in a rush, and I approach it systematically, it goes pretty smoothly. When I'm feeling time pressure (which is typical in the spring), though, it seems like a much bigger project and I wind up much more sore the next day.

 

[Dav4]

Looks like a fun project. I've dug up some trees that were that size...I find that as long as I'm not in a rush, and I approach it systematically, it goes pretty smoothly. When I'm feeling time pressure (which is typical in the spring), though, it seems like a much bigger project and I wind up much more sore the next day.

I live in an HOA neighborhood and everyone in my cul de sac is retired except my wife and I. I'm pretty sure I was breaking 3 or 4 covenants digging the tree (or that's what the retirees would think, I'm sure)...and it was a Saturday afternoon...speed was of the essence!