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The Best Time To Cut Down A Tree

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Hosta

One would like to think that there never is a good time to cut down a tree. However, for this beautiful Norway Spruce that was given to us in 1985 by my grandfather, Albert Behnke time was up.

We had this for our first Christmas in our new home. Our son was 3 1/2, and our daughter was on her way. It was beautiful. I had always had cut Fraser Firs in the past but wanted to try a B & B tree like my grandparents did each year.

After Christmas was over, we got it planted and enjoyed many years of putting lights on it and watching it grow. Grow it did till now 33 years later it dwarfed our home, and we had to hold our breath every time the wind blew.

It was just too close for comfort. We also had a few other trees in our back yard that were in danger of hitting our home–all of them given to us by my grandfather. He never told me they would someday need to come down.

The top photo shows the tree with two of my grandchildren for scale. When they finally yelled timber, and the tree came down, our whole house shook, and there is a dent in our lawn!

My grandson Aaron had a fantastic idea while watching all the activities. He really felt that we should just leave the trunk up and have a tree-climbing pole like they do with rock climbing. Or better yet, make a totem pole. All great ideas that unfortunately were not to be.

I cannot stress enough how important it is to have experts come in to take down a tree if it must come down. They were so careful in planning each detail out.

Along with the chain saw and the bucket truck this company–Mason Dixon Tree Service owned by Karl Tomanek–also came with a machine that chopped up all the limbs. Then he had the neatest remote control machine that removed the stump. Chop Chop, and it was done. Neatly and safely.

So now what? What is next for my front yard? All my shade is gone, and I fear for my hostas. That said, the amount of light that now comes into our living room is lovely. I am currently deciding just what kind of tree we should get. I might have to get hold of long-time Behnke tree expert John Reed (“the cowboy“) to give me advice.

Of course, my husband is shaking his head and saying no more so close to the house. That’s fine with me. I figure I will plant it a little further out. The saddest thing for me is that it won’t be #bornatbehnkes. But it will be born from another local independent garden center!

Behnke Nurseries, VP

Stephanie Fleming was raised at Behnke’s Nurseries in Beltsville. Her Mom, Sonja, was one of Albert & Rose Behnke’s four children. She was weeding from the moment she could walk and hiding as soon as she was old enough to run, so many weeds, so little time. Although she quickly learned how to pull out a perennial and get taken off of weed pulling duty.

This Post Has 7 Comments

  1. What a sweet story. Your grandson had the BEST ideas for sure. Too bad recent tornados and hurricanes make for some tough grown-up decisions. Good luck with your hostas — will you move them to some shade??? I’ve never had them since the deer like them so much. Love your commentary. Miss Behnke’s.

  2. Hi there! Glad you enjoyed our story. Yes, I do think Aaron had the best idea. He and his sister did have lots of fun walking up and down the tree trunk after it fell down. We will move our hostas next Spring to another location.

    take care,
    Stephanie

  3. This is an option you should consider if you don’t want to remove all the trees from your property. With routine trimming, you can remove the largest tree limbs that are hiding your view.

  4. What a heartfelt story! It’s always tough to say goodbye to a tree that holds so many memories. The cautionary reminder to bring in experts for tree removal is crucial. Safety should always come first. While your front yard may look different now, the newfound light in your living room is a silver lining. Wishing you the best in finding a new tree to grace your home, and I hope your hostas thrive in the changed environment. https://www.grapevinetreeremoval.com/arborist-grapevine-tx/

  5. Thank you for your comment! It was fun going back and re reading this post!. We decided not to replant a tree in that spot. While I miss the shade from that old tree, I am enjoying being able to see what is going on out in front of my house. We planted a few more trees in our back yard to replace the ones we had to remove.

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