The navel orange

Sadly one of our citrus trees is succumbing to greening disease and had to be taken down. Last winter, I noticed a few small oranges fell to the ground before ripening and one branch showed signs of chlorosis. I fed the tree and hoped for the best.

This winter, the condition is markedly worse. Many branches have chlorosis, and more than half of the oranges are small and green. The oranges that did mature and ripen have brown stains on them. After consulting my neighbor who is knowledgeable about citrus, I realized she is right and that I need to take down the tree. Insects will spread the disease to other trees and it will eventually die. There is no cure, only stop gap measures.

I cut off the branches down to the main trunk. Then I set about excavating and cutting the roots. The tree was about ten years old and the roots were well established. Bob helped me with the axe. We were almost finished, with just a couple of roots underneath the trunk to cut, when the thunder and rain started from a big storm that is moving through the southeast. I was concerned about the thunder and tools getting slippery, so I called it off. There stands the branchless trunk, a sad sight, more than half dug up. It will have to wait until the storm is past. 

This navel orange was the third citrus tree I planted, and it is closest to the street and therefore more vulnerable. The other citrus are near the house. Two ponkan tangerines, a red navel orange, and two grapefruit trees haven't shown any sign of infection, another reason to deal with the diseased tree sooner rather than later. 

I might plant something else there, but not right away. I feel too sad that I couldn't save the tree.

Camellia bush says thank you

Two years ago this 20+ year old camellia bush was completely covered with Carolina jessamine, Virginia creeper, wild grapevine, and smilax. The vines were growing up through the camellia, covering it, and then growing up into the laurel cherry tree next to it. Light and nutrient competition were severe. Even after the vines were removed, the camellia didn't bloom at all last year. Now it is covered with hundreds of buds. These have opened up on the lower branches. 

The nights of freezing cold we are due to get tonight and tomorrow night may knock the blooms a bit, but I feel rewarded for the time and effort of cutting all those vines down and digging up the roots. In 15 years of watching it, I have seen it bloom before, but the blooms were smaller, not enormous double blooms like these. 

There is still one piece of smilax root that is under the camellia's roots, and I haven't been able to get all of it excavated out from under there. So one small smilax vine is still there. My work is not completely done.

Holly #2

For two years we have been looking for an East Palatka Holly tree to go with the one we planted two years ago, and a few days before Christmas I found one. It had a single trunk and had not been shaped at all. It reminds me of Charlie Brown's Christmas tree when he first finds it-- looking like it can barely hold itself up at all. We planted the holly this morning, on the other side of the front of the yard from the first holly. Immediately a lady bug lighted on it and crawled up to the top-- a good sign!