239- Good-bye Sweet Willow

At just before 10 pm this day I walked into my workroom and heard one of the worst possible sounds... my beautiful willow tree creaking, cracking, splitting, splintering, falling... it just made me sick!

I fell in love with the Globe Willow years ago when we lived in Palmdale. We planted one at our house on Apollo and then again on Columbia. So when we moved here to Springville that first spring I planted 2 willows (one in front and one in back) and a Purple Robe Locust.

Here she is... just a baby-sapling on June 1, 2005. Her trunk couldn't have been more than 2.5" in diameter (about 6-7" in circumference). Today she'd grown considerably with a main trunk circumference of 51" and the 3 secondary trunks ranging from 25-29" in circumference. You see that skinny little sapling closest to the door? Yup, that's her.



What I love about the willow is that it is so fast growing. Compare the height in the above photo to this one. It is only 14 months later on August 11, 2006. (the middle tree)



This is the only photo I could find from 2007, again 14 months later. You can't see the height but you can see the increase in girth.



Still shooting up... this isn't a good angle but by 2008 I was getting good shade on my west windows. September 12, 2008



There! Do you see it? Yup, glorious, shady green-ness right on my workroom window! Ahh... I love to see it. May 18, 2009



I blogged about this photo last year on October 21st. She just emanated rich, golden light into my house. What a thing of beauty!



But last night after another severe thunder storm with cannon-fire thunder, heavy rain and severe wind gusts that whistle around my corner lot, sweet golden willow girl met her end! Each of the 3 secondary trunks went up about 8-10 feet and then split in a *Y*.



On August 4th this year the first of the three trunks split in that severe thunder storm. But this-day's storm just ratcheted the branches until they split right down each *Y*.



I just love my trees, particularly this one. I will miss her badly and, sadly, I won't be replacing her with another willow. I need to find a sturdier tree that can withstand the wind gust we have here.

Good-bye sweet friend! It looks so bare outside my workroom window.