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Annie in Austin
Welcome! As "Annie in Austin" I blog about gardening in Austin, TX with occasional looks back at our former gardens in Illinois. My husband Philo & I also make videos - some use garden images as background for my original songs, some capture Austin events & sometimes we share videos of birds in our garden. Come talk about gardens, movies, music, genealogy and Austin at the Transplantable Rose and listen to my original songs on YouTube. For an overview read Three Gardens, Twenty Years. Unless noted, these words and photos are my copyrighted work.
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Sunday, March 04, 2007

Arizona Ash

From the first minute we saw them in the front yard, we knew the aging Arizona Ash trees would be trouble, but we liked this house, bought it anyway, and moved here in summer 2004. By the following February I'd written a comical song called "Arizona Ash" for my Roots in Austin collection.

When the trees budded out this spring, barely a third of the biggest Ash was alive. The day of reckoning had come so last week we called Austex and got out the camera.

Arizona Ash


[Two other songs from Roots in Austin are also on YouTube, "We Are the Divas of the Dirt" and "Transplantable Rose".

21 comments:

  1. Annie - BRAVO! I watched and listened with a smile on my face the entire time. Sad to see a tree go, but you made it a nice, special memory. What other talents to you have?

    Thanks for the smile before bedtime.

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  2. Annie, a wonderful song for your trees, I enjoyed listening to it. You did a great job.

    Here in Indiana, our Ash trees are being threatened by the Emerald Ash Borer, and I fear we won't have them to enjoy for too many more years.

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  3. Loved the song, Annie. We've had to remove an old Arizona ash too.

    Well, now you have a spot for a sun garden! And you can shape that front yard however you want. You've got a blank slate. Isn't it exciting?

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  4. Great song and you all dressed in your cabaret black, lots of finger snaps.

    You gotta do what you gotta do and my first thought was what will she replant. I hope you kept all your wood chips to mulch your beds with.

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  5. Thanks for letting me pretend to be a singer, guys! I had fun with those lyrics and am glad you got a smile out of my song.
    In another week the stump-grinding should be done, and we'll start playing with this new space. Philo and I were amazed by the skills and agility of the men who did the tree work.

    Annie

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  6. That is sooooo clever (and catchy too)!

    The Arizona Ash must be something like the Bradford Pears that everybody planted here 20 years ago.

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  7. We took a 100 year old tree down in December or should I say we had someone else professional take it down.....in ten years i've never had sun in my back yard and NOW....watch me grow...I was only sad for about a minute.

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  8. What a great song and video! I am so sad that you had to say good bye to the tree. Once we move in to the new place I will be going around and taking pictures of all the plants and trees for your advice.

    Morgan at the Austin Girl's Phlog

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  9. I love it! If you have to go, you might as well go out with a song.

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  10. Annie, that was wonderful and witty. Serenading trees, now why didn't I think of that?

    It's always sad to see a tree go, but there's now lots of new things you can do with the space. Be sure to make lots of pics!

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  11. I love it! We cut out a Hackberry last year- by ourselves- and a branch fell on the fence between our house and the neighbors'. Oops. (But now we've got a Maple in its place, which is much nicer.)

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  12. Hello, entangled - Bradford Pears grow all over Austin, and do tend to lose limbs in storms as they age, but they're much smaller trees. These AZ ashes get huge.

    Welcome, cityfarmer - I hope that spring and sunshine come to Illinois pretty soon, so you can get back in the garden. Your site is fun!

    Austin girl, I love to make suggestions. And I have fun encouraging the other Divas of the Dirt to spend money in the garden. But please remember I haven't been here long enough to be an expert!

    chigiy, I have a bunch of other songs for trees, too. Either I'm nuts or I've found a niche market.

    Hi Yolanda Elizabet - we just got back from getting new batteries. It felt quite odd not to take a photo for 2 days!

    Hello R Sorrell, good thing it didn't land on the neighbors house! Philo and I have lots of ideas.

    One interesting thing so far - as I stood talking with my neighbor across the street, we decided that my house looks somehow more balanced and friendlier. I loved the shade, but the tree was enormous for the size of our house and lot.

    Annie

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  13. You could have a career as a garden singer...the first perhaps? What a great honor for the tree - to have its very own song!

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  14. You are so unique, Annie. You must be the only garden blogger/singer! Your video was excellent as were the others. El Jefe and I both were very impressed.

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  15. That was great! It would apply perfectly for us, too, but somehow I don't think "Chinese Tallow" would fit as well in your song. We haven't taken ours down yet but I hope it won't be long before we can afford it. I have no idea what it costs to have a tree taken out and have the stump ground, but I long for the day. Beyond that I daydream of planting something like a beautiful Magnolia grandiflora in its place.

    I happened upon your blog today and I bookmarked it right away! Our planting conditions may be slightly different (Houston area) but we have a lot in common I'm sure! I love reading what other gardeners are doing, and hearing your original song was icing on the cake (I just got a piano so I've been feeling extra musical lately). :)

    Have a great weekend!

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  16. Hi Pam and La Gringa [and El Jefe!]Thank you for liking it. I don't knows if there are other garden blogger/singers. I doubt that I'm the only one who sings to the trees and plants!

    Welcome Lindsey...now Chinese Tallow is one tree that I don't have, thank heavens, since they're on the invasive lists.

    Some of my friends go back to Houston to visit family, so I hear about gardening there. I know the weather doesn't get as cold, there's a lot more water and the soil is more acidic. I grow a few things that would be much happier in Houston! And congratulations on the piano. If you put up any YouTubes, let me know!

    Annie

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  17. That was so cool! Sorry to see the tree go, but loved the song!

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  18. Applause, applause, applause! Loved it, Annie. If I had one of those things the teenagers carry around and listen to songs on, and if I knew how to download songs, it would be filled with all three of yours!

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  19. Thank you for listening, Salix and LostRoses!

    Did your mother ever say, "Don't laugh at your brother/sister - you'll just encourage him/her to keep fooling around"? These comments are having that effect on me, and I'm working on the next garden song video.

    Annie

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  20. Annie, your song has healed my heart! I posted your youtube vid on my blog...hope that's okay. I'm having 2 AZ ashes removed...I didn't plant them, my kids grew up on 'em, but they are JUST TOO BIG for the yard and I'm crossing my fingers that the storms coming through don't touch 'em till the tree guys get here on Friday.
    Thank you for this song. We have lots in common...transplanted northern gals (I'm from Iowa) into Texas. Keep doing your thing!

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A comment from you is like chocolate - maybe I could live without it, but life is more fun with it. I'll try to answer. If someone else's comment piques your interest, please feel free to talk among yourselves.