Free the Magnolia One!

Or I did some pruning I should have done ages ago.

When I first saw my current home, when I very first saw it, the magnolia in the front garden was flowering.

I cannot say I definitely decided to buy the house at that specific moment, but it was already a huge positive tick in thinking that I might.  It is a fabulous tree but it has been suffering recently; mainly through my neglect.

It has been semi-swamped by the ivy-clad laburnum tree that had toppled over into it.  The laburnum had been sickly for some time and the ivy just keeled it over.  I know you cannot see that there is a laburnum in there, but there really is.  The magnolia braced itself and took the weight, but I knew that this needed dealing with.  

I removed a fair amount of it with my chainsaw so that it was relatively safe; but I had to free the rest of the magnolia and also try and help the Rhamnus that was leaning forward and forward to fry and find some light. This Rhamnus is very precious, it is a plant that reminds me of the day that I bought it which is a memory that is dear to me.

In order to progress with the laburnum removal I knew I needed the right tool for the job.  I literarally could not see the wood for the trees (ivy).  So I bought a chainsaw on a stick.

This is the Bosch Universal ChainPole 18 and I might be in love with it.  The newest tool is always the favourite isn't it?  It is battery powered with the 18v battery that fits the Bosch battery powered range so you can buy it with or without the battery as you might already have one.  I did already have one as I have a Bosch battery powered drill, so this reduced the outlay.

I was a little nervous of trying it at first.  I needed to get used to the weight of it so that I could manouvre it.  It is a bit heavy I have to say, but also well balanced.  It does have a strap so that you can balance the weight but you can use it without which is good; as I have to whisper I did not find the strap helped me very much.  

I wandered around the garden pruning off a few branches here and there.  I was getting used to how it felt and also seeing how big the branches where that it would cut through.  It extends to 260 cm so you can reach quite high without needing a ladder.  Obviously with a ladder you can get even higher.  Once I had the feel for it I put it away and several weeks passed.  Rain, frost, gales and lethargy all played their part.  

Then the day came and I got the pruning whim upon me.  After a few practice attempts on the horse chestnut in the back garden I headed out to the magnolia again.  It was time to free the Magnolia One.

A couple of hours later and there she was, reaching up skywards freed from her laburnum clasp.  The Rhamnus is postivily embracing the light (ok it was grey and cloudy but it was light).

There is still more to remove, but now I can get closer I think I can finish it off with my chainsaw.  They both have their different uses and make a good partnership.

It was also a good day for moving me out of my lethargy.  Whilst the weather has had a lot to answer for I have seem to have lost my confidence for a lot of the larger gardening jobs.  Jobs I know I can do and yet cannot get myself moving to actually do them.  So this was a good day for me and I need more days like this.

Take care and be kind.

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