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| Maddie and Ruby lounging near the lollipop tree, which is just beginning to flower. |
My husband hates my lollipop tree. Until a few years ago, this tree was a sweet gum (Liquidambar styraciflua). Sweet gums are beautiful trees with colorful fall foliage, but the seed pods are hellacious, big and round, hard and prickly, and extremely abundant. The tree also spreads like wildfire via root suckers, and if you aren't careful your entire yard will be engulfed. I decided that the tree had to go, but I had planted a trumpet vine (Campsis radicans) at its base which was using the tree trunk as support. I did not want to lose my vine, so I opted to leave the bottom eight feet of trunk in place for the trumpet vine, even though it means that I must be vigilant about cutting back any sprouts and suckers that try to gain a foothold every year.
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| Beautiful trumpet vine flowers. |
The trumpet vine has thrived and taken over the top of the tree. The vines cascade down and somehow end up in a circular shape, thus creating my lollipop tree. I was delighted by this result, and as you can see in the picture at the top both dogs seem to enjoy relaxing near the tree. My husband, however, has a different opinion. He thinks it looks ridiculous and should be removed. Needless to say, this will not happen -- my lollipop tree is here to stay!
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| These photogenic dogs vote to keep the tree! |
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