Without invitation, Storm Dudley passed through the Genus garden last week. ‘Only a broken pot’ or so we thought, until from the kitchen window we spotted the top of our 12-year-old Amelanchier lamarckii somewhat nearer to the ground than it should have been. On closer inspection the whole tree which was about 8 feet tall and the same across had broken off at ground level.
For some years we’d had slight doubts about the vigour of the tree and had even excavated a nearby derelict water pipe, half suspecting that it was flooding the area. That didn’t appear to be the case. What Dudley did reveal was a root system that was wholly absent from the west side of the tree. Whether this had been an issue from the very day we purchased and planted it we don’t know but its stability and health would have been seriously compromised by the concealed disorder.
With loppers and a sharp bush saw we quickly removed all signs of it from the border and as grief for the passing tree waned, thoughts of a replacement started passing through our minds. Sorbus, Prunus, Malus, and Cercis all presented new exciting options for us but the thought of our faithful old tree was still fresh in our minds; maybe we’ll honour it with an identical though healthy replacement.
We’ve yet to decide, and while storms Eunice and Franklin proceed across the country we have a brief hiatus to give further thought to this new and unexpected opportunity.