I love Harry Lauder. BUT...in the summer when he has leaves people are always asking me/telling me he's sick, or dry, or dying...y'know Harry's kind of crumpled looking, even when he's at his best:

Just something to consider. That said, "I'm just wild about Harry!"
melanie

pink kousa dogwood
shasta viburnum

Both have the graceful layered branches associated with the Japanese style.

Our town is always looking for a nice big cut tree to put on the square for xmas. Think back to who has a tree they put up each year in your community and call them up and ask if they will take it for you.

Love your discription of place for cat fights and pop cans.

I am sure you meant Scot's pine (Pinus sylvestris) "scotch" is a beverage enjoyed by some.

Tony is correct on the nomenclature of Scot's vs. Scotch pine. Although these two words seem to be used interchangeably when used as a common name to describe this particular tree.

Setting that discussion aside; Pinus sylvestris is a poor choice for a landscape tree in the Midwest. Yours is getting to about the size where it's existence is doomed. Virtually every one of these trees dies when they become mature enough to really look good. As young trees, they make fine Christmas trees but are generally too short lived to be planted in the landscape.

Quoting from the Home & Horticulture Pest News:
"In the last 10 to 15 years, pine wilt has become a serious disease of Scotch pine (Pinus sylvestris) in Iowa and other Midwestern states. Pine wilt is a fatal disease that quickly kills infected Scotch pines. Other pine species that are occasional victims of pine wilt include jack (Pinus banksiana), mugo (Pinus mugo), Austrian (Pinus nigra), and red (Pinus resinosa) pine. Unfortunately, there are no effective treatments for the prevention or control of pine wilt. The best strategy is to contain the disease by promptly removing and destroying dead or dying Scotch pines. Because of pine wilt, Scotch pines are no longer recommended for windbreaks and home landscapes. White pine, spruces, firs, and arborvitae would be better choices..."

One way or the other, you WILL be getting rid of this tree.

IronBelly

At this end of the week with wilt being a big concern perhaps scotch was right after all.

Scot's pines suffer trribly here in the PNW from wet, heavy snow in the winter. They routinely lose many branches almost every winter. From the pictures I've see of the Lake District in Great Britain, where they're native, they seem to summer the same damage. Some call them 'picturesque'.

I have one that I dutifully pruned for a few years and then ignored it. It now has grown rather rank and if I don't prune it severely to lighten the potential snow load, it will suffer the same fate. Our snows usually last only a few days, but that's enough to do some damage.

It is really a very nice tree with woderfully colored bark and I would hate to see it damaged, or worse yet, die from Pine wilt. I hope it never reaches here in the Seattle area.

still looking to get rid of the pine, i hope it doesn't end up as mulch with a last hurrah........

the pine hit the much pile in november. the last straw was when the plumbing backed up 2 weeks before thanksgiving. roto rooter came that sunday night and rooted out mucho tree roots. now we have a nicely mulched and edged spot in the front yard which according to my boys, would make a perfect spot for a hot tub (!!!!!) i have ordered a Harry Lauder and will plant elephant ears there until harry hits his full size and can stand alone. jeeze louise..........

> spot in the front yard which according to my boys, would make a perfect spot for a hot tub (!!!!!)

And here I thought Indiana was a conservative state.

Momcat--you are gonna LOVE Harry. He's a little homely in the summer--but the winter interest is AWESOME.

melanie