Re: [gardeners] pollardizing?
Ron Hay (gardeners@globalgarden.com)
Mon, 09 Jul 2001 21:11:53 -0700
Hello, Jane,
I was first introduced to the concept of pollarding by a landscape
architect friend of ours, about 30 years ago. It is frequently used here
in L.A. with erythrina coralloides, the coral tree which is the official
city tree of the City of L.A.
If allowed to grow tall, the branches are brittle and tend to break,
ruining the shape of the tree; hence, by topping the tree and keeping
it to the same height every year, the tree grows to a thick and uniform
size without any huge, brittle branches.
In time, the tops of the main branches develop a hemispherical sort of
head out of which branches radiate out from the crown. Every year, just
before the Santa Anas, the branches which have grown out of the tip are
cut back, thus thickening the head of the main branch from which the
ancillary branches were cut.
I hope this illustrates one possible use for pollarding.
Ron
Van Nuys, CA