What should you do with a dead tree?
You could uproot it, chop it into firewood or shred it for garden mulch.
This would be a wise, practical decision. That is, if leaving the dead tree standing in the garden presented a danger of it someday crashing down onto a nearby building, fence or garden wall.
Also, it could be infested with termites as dead wood attracts these which could be harmful to your property.
If this is not the situation, rather put on your creative hat to consider using the tree’s wood as functional or garden art. And so extending and honouring its life in your garden.
Using natural materials such as wood for functional art or just to serve a function in the outdoors creates harmony in the garden setting as it melds naturally with its surroundings.
We had a tree which had died, probably of thirst, in the garden bed beside the front door.
It had served as the perfect backdrop for interesting plants growing around it, providing just enough privacy from passers-by while its lower branches offered ideal support from which to hang staghorn ferns.
Its canopy had been trimmed regularly into a rounded shape.
For these reasons, we were reluctant to remove it. It just needed some element of life added to it.
At Christmas, my daughter and I decided to spray paint the tree gold in keeping with the festive season.
Despite using two aerosol cans on it, the paint refused to adhere to the branches — probably because we did not wait for a completely windless day, so the paint drifted off into the greater garden area.
Therefore, we were left with a dead tree with branches that formed an interesting framework, but were unadorned and uninteresting.
Then the other day a kindly villager, Stephanie, dropped a huge bagful of Old Man’s Beard or Spanish moss (tillandsia usneoides) over the fence.
(The air plant is a rootless, silvery grey wispy plant that hangs in long, delicate strands from trees, like an old man’s beard, absorbing moisture and nutrients it needs directly from the air.)
This plant was just what we needed to dress the tree. We draped it over the branches, with the finer twig-like bits on the branches securing the tufts in place.
Then, to add more texture, we “pinned” the more robust Carnation of the Sky, (tilldansia aeranthos) plants in between the finer branches.
An alternative would be to dress the tree to sparkle at night by winding fairy lights around its branches, creating a magical effect.
Another option would be to attach coloured bottles to the branches which catch the light in the daytime and sparkle with the glass’s jewel-like colours as they catch the sunlight.
Or paint the whole tree.
If not keeping the tree whole, use parts of it as functional pieces.
Use the dead branches as supports or trellises. There is an idea to plant branches in a strategic spot where they can support sweet pea climbers or climbing beans.
I remember a fence around a garden section at the Queen’s Park Zoo. A frame had been made to outline the fence’s shape, which was filled in with branches with stems veering off at different angles, creating an attractive kind of puzzle–piece fence.
A fallen tree often develops crevices which allow you to plant in them. Bromeliads planted in these spaces thrive and present a lovely story.
Or use the untreated branches to make a garden gate. It does not need to be burglar-proof; rather, it should just serve as a controlled entrance, which allows the construction of the gate made with unturned branches to maintain a rustic look.
What to do with these tree stumps?
Instead of removing the tree trunk from the ground entirely — this is in itself a task that requires much effort and manpower — cut it to a workable size and leave it in the ground.
*Use the stump to support a birdbath.
*If you are wanting to create a sense of enchantment in the garden, cover the top of the stump with a tiny roof and add a small door and windows to create whimsical fairy homes so when playing a make-believe game with your children or grandchildren, the setting will be just right for the fairy folk to visit, sparking your and their imagination.
*Turn a stump into a table or stool, and if you know how, embed the top of it with mosaics.
*Place a potted plant on top of the stump. This serves as a pedestal, gives it height and allows it to serve a function as part of a garden bed.
*You can saw the trunk into pieces. I discovered that there is an interesting pattern on the “cross section” of a monkey puzzle tree (Araucaria araucana) trunk, in the shape of a wagon wheel. Interesting is that the tree is regarded as a living fossil as it can live up to 1,000 years, growing to 40 metres high. My first encounter with this tree was in the botanical gardens in Makhanda as a student.
*Use the “cross sections” of the tree trunk along a pathway to mark the “footsteps” or use them as stairs up an embankment.
Using logs:
The logs from trees may be used as a border to planting beds, for creating the outline supports of raised beds or to make planters.
The whole tree can be used to support bird feeders and bird baths on its branches, making a resting place for birds as they are safe there from predators.
A tall trunk could be used to hold bird houses which are safely out of the way of predators.
In some cultures, dead trees symbolise wisdom and patience because even as they are dying, they contribute to the ecosystem, reminding us how nature can create beauty out of decay.
As it decomposes, the tree provides a home for thousands of organisms — bacteria, fungi, insects, small mammals and birds — which find food and shelter within it.
So if you are not an OCD-type gardener, allow the dead trees to find a special place in your garden as they decay.
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