Aug-Sep 2009 Wilminton Tree Press, Delaware Center for Horticulture

8/9/2019 Aug-Sep 2009 Wilminton Tree Press, Delaware Center for Horticulture

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INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

Hedgeville Childrens

Community Garden.1

Edible Landscapes...2,3

TreeMinders.....3, 4Two pages of exciting tree events!

Volume 3 | Issue 3

What is the average life span of a tree in th

city?

16 years!

50 years!

172 years!

All these answers shouted with confidence

by the students who participate in Tree Pro-

gram educational events. Unfortunately evethose with conservative guesses of 15-20

years more than double the Tediusome stud-

ies average7 years.

The main reason for this low number is the

difficulty of getting a tree established in anurban environment. Cramped spaces,

drought-like conditions, road salt, and peopl

(car doors scrape the trunks, large trucks

break branches in the canopy, and vandal-

ism) all contribute to why trees do not sur-vive the initial establishment period. One o

the ways DCH tries to ensure that the trees

we plant survive is by holding educational programs to educate the next generation of environmental stew-ards.

On a beautiful warm summer evening in July at the Hedgeville Childrens Community Garden the Tree Pro

gram visited the children on their regular work day to celebrate the trees on their street and to present these

young stewards with a challenge. If the newly planted Elm tree across the street, which already has some

signs of human interference, survives for one year we will hold a party in the garden to celebrate their hard

work. The spirit of the children in this community is inspiring and, we, in the Tree Program wish them luc

on their challenge.

Future Stewards: The Key to Our Success By Joanne Bateup, Tree Program Americorps VISTA

Neighborhood children stop to smile for the camera while completing theirTree-tective Activity.


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Fruit trees can be

grown espalier.

involves tying an

pruning trees to g

flat against a w

Dwarf and Semi

Dwarf rootstock

vents trees from

growing to their

size. (picture on

3)

This fall Peter Li

ter, retired Hagle

Gardner and espa

specialist will ho

workshops at our

12th and Brandy

Urban Farm.

Contact Sarah Lomis, sloomis

@dehort.org

302 658 6262 ex

113

for more info.

What the Philadel-

phia Orchard Project

is plantingwww.phillyorchards.

org

apples

asian pears

cherries

figs

pawpaws

peaches

pears

persimmonsplums

serviceberries

blackberries

blueberries

bush cherries

currants

elderberries

gooseberries

goumis

hazelnuts

raspberries

Grapes

kiwis

The Philadelphia Or-

chard Project also

holds workshops and

events on edible land-

scapes check out their

webpage for details.

www.phillyorchards.

org

As I have been lovingly caring for my rooftop vegetable containers and

watching the nascent fruit with excitement for when I will be able to start toeat them, I have been thinking more and more about edible landscapes.

Particularly, I was curious about the role trees play in these landscapes. I

have been overwhelmed by a world of amazing varieties of trees and shrubsboth native and foreign.

The main thing Ive learned is that planning is everything! Research perennial

zone hardy plants to cut down on maintenance time and cost.Time put in up front will lead to a well thought out, successful edible landscape

in the future. There are many resources out there including: the University ofDelaware Cooperative Extension website (ag.udel.edu/extension/) and the DCH

library. Look through these resources and start transforming your front or backyard into your very own horn of plenty!

Delectable Edible Trees! Joanne Bateup Americorps VISTA

The Pros:

Economics:Over time a well planned edible landscape

can reap grocery savings for its tenders.

Aesthetics:

Flowering fruit trees provide beauty like

their ornamental cousins with the added

benefit of producing edible food!

Environmental:

By growing your own food you eliminate the

pollutant cycle caused by the production,

shipment, and processing of large scale agri-

culture.

Organically grown fruits and vegetables pro-

vide greater environmental benefits than

grass lawns.

Health:

Access to fresh fruits and vegetables makes

healthy lifestyles easier to maintain.

Working outside in the garden will help give

you a healthy glow as you burn calories and

soak in the sun (remember the sunscreen to

avoid dreaded sunburns!)

The Cons:

Time:It takes a commitment of time and en-

ergy to plan, install, and maintain a

flourishing edible landscape.

Reliability:Fruit trees do not always bear fruit

which can be disappointing and frustrat-

ing to gardeners.

Cost:

The cost of installing an edible land-

scape from nothing can be quite high.

Gardeners on a budget will need to take

extra care to plan what they can do each

year.

Space:

Tight spaces may pose a problem but

there are many space efficient solutions

Fruit trees that are cross pollinators (e.g.apples) need more than one variety pre-

sent to ensure pollination.

Mess:

Fruit trees are messy as they drop their

crops and may bring with them other

critters who want to join in on the feast!

Fruits and Berries for the Home Garden by Lewis Hill 1992 Storey Communications, Inc.

The Green Thumb book of Fruit and Vegetable Gardening: How to Save Hundreds of Dollars a Year by Making Your Garden Work

for You by George Abraham 1970 Prentice-Hall International, Inc.

The Harrowsmith Book of Fruit Trees by Jennifer Bennett 1991 Camden House Publishing
http://www.phillyorchards.org/http://www.phillyorchards.org/http://www.phillyorchards.org/http://www.phillyorchards.org/http://ag.udel.edu/extension/http://ag.udel.edu/extension/http://ag.udel.edu/extension/http://www.phillyorchards.org/http://www.phillyorchards.org/http://www.phillyorchards.org/http://www.phillyorchards.org/


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AugustAugust 5th Tree Care Club 6:00pm-8:00pm

Meet at 16th and West St. near Shortlidge School in Brandywine Village!Rain date August 12Join us to help clean up and prune the street trees in Wilmington! Learn proper pruning techniques! If you

would like us to work in your neighborhood or want to participate please contact Joanne Bateup-

[email protected], 302 658 6262 ext. 118. Rain date will be August 13 at 6:00pm.

SeptemberSeptember 1st Bare Root Order Forms Available!

Payment due: September 30Pick up trees at DCH: October 28 & 29Plant trees and reduce your carbon footprint! Bare root trees are inexpensive and grow quickly. They are also

lightweight and easy to plant. DCH is organizing a group purchase of bare root trees this fall. Order forms and

descriptions of the varieties will be posted on our website. Plan now for more shade. Questions? Contact An-nie Acton, (302) 658-6262 ext. 106 [email protected].

September 22nd Tree Care Club 6:00pm-8:00pmRain date September 29th

Place: TBD

Join us to help clean up and prune the street trees in Wilmington! Learn proper pruning techniques! If you

would like us to work in your neighborhood or want to participate please contact. Joanne [email protected], 302 658 6262 ext. 118. Rain date will be September 29th at 6:00pm.

TREEminders

Is there a

topic you

want to see

in Tree

Press?Submit

your ideas

or articles

to

jbateup@

dehort.org!

Dwarf Fulford Gala (left) and Dwarf Suncrisp (right) Apple Trees growing espalier against a garden

shed. These trees are 9 years old. And about 15 ft. tall. Photograph by David Bateup
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]


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October:Mark your calendars now with these

exciting tree events!October 7th: Tree Steward Volunteer Appreciation Movie

Night and Award Ceremony

6:00pm-8:00pm at The Delaware Center for Horticulture

Join us for a night of appreciation of YOU our wonderful tree program volunteers! A light dinner will beserved and we will be screening Taking Root: The Vision of Wangari Maathai . We will present our Tree

Steward of the Year Award to this years outstanding tree steward! Please RSVP to Joanne Bateup

[email protected] 302 658 6262 ext. 118 by Friday October 2nd

October 26th or 27th: Tentative Bare Root Dipping Day!

Interested in getting hands on experience with the bare root process? Come get messy with the Tree Pro-gram as we prepare the bare root trees to go to their new owners. Dipping usually happens in the early

morning, but depends on when the trees arrive from the nursery. For more information or to RSVP con-

tact Annie Acton 302 658 6262 ext. 106 [email protected]

October 28th: Bare Root Planting Workshop5:00pm-7:00pm at The Delaware Center for Horticulture

Come learn about the bare root process and how to plant your new bare root trees! DCH staff will be onhand to answer questions you may have about your new trees. Please RSVP to Annie Acton aac-

[email protected] 302 658 6262 ext. 106

October 31st: Fall Volunteer Bare Root Tree PlantingJoin us for a spooky fall tree planting at various sites throughout Wilming-

ton. Thanks to the Home Depot Foundation and ACT we will be planting at

least 28 trees! More details to come! Please contact Joanne Bateup,[email protected] 302 658 6262 ext. 118

TREEminderscontinued from page 3

Phone: 302-658-6262

Fax: 302-658-6267

Delaware Center for Horticulture

1810 North DuPont Street

Wilmington, DE 19806

The Delaware Center for Horticulture cultivates a greener community; inspiring appre-ciation and improvement of our environment through horticulture, education and conser-vation.

For more Tree Program information contact: Patrice Sheehan 658-6262 ext. 112 [email protected] or

Joanne Bateup 658-6262 ext. 118 [email protected]

Documents

Aug-Sep 2009 Wilminton Tree Press, Delaware Center for Horticulture