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If you could choose a street tree....

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  • Arthur1Arthur1 Posts: 542
    our our horse chestnuts here (Shropshire) suffer terribly from leaf miner. Also some of them have a canker, causing the bark to crack and ooze.
  • Nanny BeachNanny Beach Posts: 8,719
    edited October 2022
    2 roads away the verge is lined with cherry, they look gorgeous. For me it would be silver birch, because they are pretty and the best at capturing polution. The trees dont make any difference to bird poo, car is always covered in it, there are no trees, its a very narrow village road, and the folk from the houses, quite a long way down the road, each have: a works van or large shredder, a couple of cars, and SUV, they cannot be a***d to move in and out of their drives, so they park opposite ours, (we are the first property without double yellows) making it difficult to reverse in. We had a huge oak in our last garden, was really difficult and dangerous trying to look past it coming out of the drive, there was a bend 3 houses down, with a primary school, but that didnt slow the boy racers! When we applied for permisssion to extend dropped curb, not very naice lady on the phone, refused without even seeing it.  Then VERY nice man came out, looked at it, said "Oooh, I think I can see a virus, its coming out, at our expense",it did, THEN a very unpleasant little man, sent us a map, showing this tree (which of course wasnt there!!!), and several other trees which also weren't there, saying they were not to be touched. Couple opposite, the oak tree was so close it was actually damaging their property with its huge branches, they were refused permission even to trim back, boy were we lucky!!! Allotmentboy, that was also a 1930s house.
  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    @Nanny Beach We all understand why we need to preseve our trees. The worry is even when there is a threat to people and their homes the local councils will sit back and agree to nothing.
    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
  • Nanny BeachNanny Beach Posts: 8,719
    GardenerSuze, you are correct, I would never consider removal of a tree to be taken lightly, this ruddy great big oak opposite was a few feet from their house, next time I am near I will post a picture. They have lived there over 50 years.
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    It's certainly a tricky and emotive area.
  • I still collect fresh conkers  but not to play with. They act to deter spiders from taking up residence in the downstairs loo and utility room.  It seems to work for about 4 months.  We just place a few in the corners of the rooms on the floor. 
    AB Still learning

  • bédébédé Posts: 3,095
    BTW, more recent studies show that the constant repeated infestations of Horse Chestnuts does weaken them.
    Would they adapt by just growing smaller?
     location: Surrey Hills, England, ex-woodland acidic sand.
    "Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
  • Arthur1Arthur1 Posts: 542
    bédé said:
    BTW, more recent studies show that the constant repeated infestations of Horse Chestnuts does weaken them.
    Would they adapt by just growing smaller?
    I remember a television report stating that blue tits were learning how to extract and eat the miner in its larval stage. A potential natural control. That was a while ago, I’ve seen no follow up reports. The horse chestnuts here (Severn Gorge, Shropshire) seem to be more poorly every year and the associated bark infection (bacterial?) is probably terminal.

  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    edited October 2022
    I still collect fresh conkers  but not to play with. They act to deter spiders from taking up residence in the downstairs loo and utility room.  It seems to work for about 4 months.  We just place a few in the corners of the rooms on the floor. 

    It actually, really works?
  • Seems to, apparently the fresh ones give off something that deters them from making webs and setting up home.  It's  a running joke between us that my wife only keeps me to get rid of the spiders and their webs in particular. 
    AB Still learning

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