All Trees Great & Small….

Birch trees London South Bank 9/6/14

I have always loved trees. My family accuses me of taking more vacation photos of trees than of them (they may have a point).  I also tend to collect leaves, pinecones and nuts when on a walk.

Williamsburg August 4, 2015

From the time I was small, the idea of living in a tree has held great appeal and I was always delighted to find treehouses in my reading - starting with Owl’s house in the Hundred Acre Wood and the tree house built by the Swiss Family Robinson, then on to Tolkien’s flets.

Treehouse: Tyler Arboretum Aug 27, 2017

Treehouses are still enchanting, however, living in a tree has never proved possible so I console myself by living with trees, both great and small.

Chair & Tree, Home September 2017

My personal great tree is a Dawn Redwood or Metasequoia in my back yard – it is big (101 inches around) and getting bigger. This species is considered a living fossil and was thought to be extinct until a few were discovered in China in the 1940s. A wonderful way to ‘meet’ a Dawn Redwood is to visit the Morris Arboretum, both the West Windsor and Hopewell Branche have Museum Passes, and take their Great Trees Tour. (BTW: Morris Arboretum’s tree is 180 inches around.)

And then there are my small trees – the Bonsai. The art of Bonsai can be defined simply as the cultivation of miniature trees, but once you start exploring you will discover that there is much more to it than just a tree in a pot!

There is a tremendous range of approaches to miniature trees and landscapes – from the timeless elegance of the classic forms thru the joyful exuberance of a fairy garden. Here are a few books:

Bonsai Landscapes by Peter Adamas

Indoor Bonsai for Beginners: Selection, Care, Training by Werner Busch

Miniatue Bonsai: The Complete Guide to Super-Mini Bonsai by Terutosh Iwai

Miniature Gardens: Design and Create Miniature Fairy Gardens, Dish Gardens, Terrariums and More - Indoor and Out by Katie Elzer-Peters



It is always good to know the trees around you – here are a few books to help identify trees or choose a tree for your yard.

Trees by Todd Telander

The Tree Indentification Book: A New Method for the Practical Identification and Recognition of Trees by George Willington Dillingham Symonds

A Beginner's Guide to Recognixzing the Trees of the Northeast by Mark Mikolas





Of course, I am not the only one who is devoted to trees:

The Man Who Planted Trees: Lost Groves, the Future of our Forests, and a Radical Plan to Save Our Planet by Jim Robbins

Witness Tree: Seasons of Change with a Centruy-Old Oak by Lynda Mapes

Johnny Appleseed: The Man, The Myth, The American Story by Howard B. Means





Trees play a huge role in the history and ecology of the planet:

The Song of Trees: Stories from Nature's Great Connectors by David George Haskell

American Canopy: Trees, Forests, and the Making of a Nation by Eric Rutkow

America's Famous and Historic Trees: From George Washingston's Tulip Poplar to Elvis Presley's Pin Oak by Jeffrey G. Meyer




And here is a recent novel – I have not read it yet – there are still quite a few people ahead of me on the hold list and it made the 2018 Man Booker short list.

The Overstory by Richard Powers











And a poem? Check out ‘Bonsai’ on page 32.


Picnic, Lightning by Billy Collins

- Meg B., West Windsor Branch