IN THE GARDEN A LEGACY IN CURLY WILLOW.Byline: JOSHUA SISKIN Q: About seven years ago, I planted a rooted sprig I found in a bouquet of flowers my son sent me when I moved into the retirement home in Courtyard Plaza. I went to the garden outside my patio, stuck my finger in the moist soil and planted what turned out to be a curly willow tree. It is now about 30 feet tall, very full and beautiful. It adds beauty and shade for everyone. However, I have noticed recently that some of the leaves are falling, and there are spots on them. I contacted you last spring concerning its lateness in leafing out, but you reassured me that this was not unusual. It finally did leaf out and has grown beautifully all summer. But now the leaf spots have me concerned. I am 96 years old and want to leave this tree as a heritage to Courtyard residents when I die, so it is imperative that I get a prompt suggestion to protect it. - Nora Hecker, Van Nuys A: Curly willow, as you call your tree, tends to be short-lived, growing rapidly to 30 feet but lucky to survive beyond 10 years. In general, leaf spots on plants are associated with fungus and this is the disease agent afflicting af·flict tr.v. af·flict·ed, af·flict·ing, af·flicts To inflict grievous physical or mental suffering on. [Middle English afflighten, from afflight, your tree. Your fungus infestation infestation /in·fes·ta·tion/ (-fes-ta´shun) parasitic attack or subsistence on the skin and/or its appendages, as by insects, mites, or ticks; sometimes used to denote parasitic invasion of the organs and tissues, as by helminths. , in and of itself, is not lethal, but it is a sign that your tree is weakening and is therefore more susceptible to disease and insect pest problems. With this species, such disorders have a cumulative effect, resulting in the demise of the curly willow at a young age. Curly willow (Salix matsudana 'Tortuosa') has many names, owing to owing to prep. Because of; on account of: I couldn't attend, owing to illness. owing to prep → debido a, por causa de the spiraling and coiling growth habit of its trunk, stems and leaves. It is variously referred to as corkscrew corkscrew a deformity in which the affected part is spiraled like a corkscrew. corkscrew claw a probably heritable defect of the lateral claw, usually of the front feet, of cattle causing serious lameness. , dragon's claw or twisted-twig willow. Sprigs or stems of curly willow are commonly used to give cut flower cut flower n. Any of various showy flowers used in fresh arrangements. bouquets an extra flair. Often, these stems will come with roots attached, which only means that they have been soaking in water long enough at the florist's for self-propagation to have begun. Only a few woody plants can grow roots from freshly cut stems submerged in water, including willows and poplars. Roses, in fact, can also do so, if the procedure is carried out during the fall. You may well outlive out·live tr.v. out·lived, out·liv·ing, out·lives 1. To live longer than: She outlived her son. 2. your willow tree, but that should not stop you from perpetuating its ``heritage,'' as you call it, at Courtyard Plaza. Simply start another tree from a twig TWIG - Tree-Walking Instruction Generator. A code generator language. ML-Twig is an SML/NJ variant. ["Twig Language Manual", S.W.K. Tijang, CS TR 120, Bell Labs, 1986]. of your own prized specimen. Only this time, make sure you have lots of people watching People watching or crowd watching is a hobby of some people to watch those around them and their interactions. This differs from voyeurism in that it does not relate to sex or sexual gratification. so they, too, can pass on the secret and keep your curly willow propagated over and over again. People are mortal, but plants, from their ability to be vegetatively propagated or cloned, can - in a sense - live on forever. |
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