I realize the print on this is ridiculously small: if you email me at panayoti.kelaidis@gmail.com (put TREE BROCHURE in your subject line) I'll send you a .pdf of this file you can blow up much bigger! But you get the drift--we keep planting crappy trees and they keep dying (in most of our cities anyway). We need to plant a much bigger variety for many reasons--warding off major pests is certainly one of them!
Everyone SAYS they love trees, but in the final analysis, most people would rather watch NFL football or go shopping than spend a day with people like this. Not me...
I've been part of this symposium from its first year: every year we've had fantastic talents (we've had Guy Sternberg TWICE--and will have him again)--the subject of trees in Urban landscapes impacts the quality of our lives so very much.
Of the many initiatives I've helped nudge along: rock gardening in public gardens, appreciation of Western Landscape ethic, Xeriscape, South African cold hardy plants, the birth of dozens of public gardens in the Plains and Rocky Mountain states, the appreciation of species irises, hardy succulents, crevice gardening (although I don't have one myself...)...have I mentioned Steppe awareness and Plant Select? Of all these endeavors I've joined in on--the Tree Diversity initiative may be the most lasting and valuable.. but you'd have to come to this conference to "get it"!
Hope to see you March 10!
ReplyDeleteHi there,
- [ ] I've followed your blog for quite awhile, yet never commented. I greatly respect and value your love and knowledge of plants, but I implore you to please support the planting of trees/plants that are native/indigenous to their regions. Human superiority has become a topic of conversation, and my heart tells me we need to put the requirements of native insect, bird and mammal life before our own when it comes to widespread landscaping practice. Too often in history we have given into novelty and beauty, only to witness the displacement and harm caused to species that were rightfully present before our involvement. Thanks for your time, I will be sending a followup email regarding the full resolution .pdfs.
Thank you for the compliment, and echo your concern and defense of native ecosystems: I have certainly been an advocate of using natives in landscapes all my life (a large part of my garden is "natives only". I am especially anxious to preserve as much of "native" flora as we can..and certainly replace what we can in large industrial parks, as much as we can in public spaces, even home gardens. But there is a place for the cultural history of exotics--tied to the very origins of higher civilization in the upper Mid East: growing exotics is the basis of virtually all the food we eat, and many exotics in our gardens serve profound cultural needs central to being a human. Natives by all means, but not exclusively--especially in cities--Denver will not work as a monoculture of Plains Cottonwood and box elder, sorry! We really don't disagree fundamentally--and I appreciate your comment and your commitment. I believe you can have your cake and eat it horticulturally (and in real life).
DeleteWish I had known earlier about this conference so I could have attended
DeleteWe plan to have the conference in late February or early March of 2018: probably on a Friday: put a note to email me (kelaidip@botanicgardens.org) early next year and I'll make sure you're informed. It's been an amazing conference and well attended.
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