Wild Winds & Outdoor Bonsais

Meet my 'Bonsai' Pear tree, standing a proud 4-feet tall.

To one-up my incessant high winds, I trim young trees to look like stubby dwarfs.

The downside to this approach:
You'll need a snappy comeback for annoying neighbors who comment: Hey! There's something wrong with your trees!

The upside is that it helps grow stout, strong trunks that hold up to high winds.



It's been a blustery few days in the mountains, prompting the local weatherman to issue a 20 pound warning.

Dogs and cats under 20 lbs would be well-advised to stay indoors or we might see them blowing down the old ranch road.

Pete qualifies, Buddy does not.

This puts a crimp in the plans of my rabble rousing cats.

High winds took down my rickety picket fence and this morning I'm wondering what to do about that. Prop it up or throw in the proverbial towel?

I recall the morning I proudly stood on my deck after this impenetrable barrier was installed and watched Mrs. Moose stare at the fence, dumbfounded.

Then she nimbly stepped over that 4-foot fence and proceeded to devour the new cherry tree. Between wildlife and wild winds, planting trees in the mountains is a bit of a challenge. Most of mine are happily growing in a horizontal direction.

Staking trees is not really necessary in normal environments. The natural movement of the trunk, by the wind, stimulates root growth, creating a stronger tree.