 The
Poplar tree pictured here was planted last year. Already, it is, as you
can see from the shed in the background, well over the roof. These trees
are fast growing and for a new home owner they are almost an instant fix
for a lot with no shade trees. They grow in a straight upward column. If
they are planted close together, they can become a lofty hedge row. The
negative side to this is that they are not long lived. Sometimes, if
they are close together in a hedge they will begin to die out and then
become uneven and unsightly. If the tree is growing singularly and dies,
again it is unsightly. Maybe, for this reason the green houses in this
area do not carry these trees. In order to purchase them one has to
travel to another larger city from this rural town.
The wood of the poplar tree is light in
weight and said to be a strong wood. If anyone has an occasion to burn
it in a fireplace, you will discover why it is called
"Poplar." A grill will necessarily need to be placed over the
front of the fireplace to catch the embers as they loudly pop out of the
fire. They can reach a height of forty feet and with their roots in a
good water supply we have had them as large as thirty-six inches around.
For this reason alone, they can be a good source of wood for whatever
use one might choose for them.
For those who are interested in a balance
of landscape these trees make a beautiful addition because, they give
the upward spiral which can lend this particular element of design to a
large or relatively small area. The upward motion is used by the artist
to pull the eye toward the sky and has been used as far back as Greece.
There you see the tall slender trees growing on the hill sides where
there is a strong magnetism toward the spiritual with their belief in
the Gods of the Parthenon.
A Poplar and the Moon
by Siegfried Sassoon (1886 1967).
THERE stood a Poplar, tall and straight;
The fair, round Moon, uprisen late,
Made the long shadow on the grass
A ghostly bridge štwixt heaven and me.
But May, with slumbrous nights, must pass;
And blustering winds will strip the tree.
And Išve no magic to express
The moment of that loveliness;
So from these words youšll never guess
The stars and lilies I could see. |
