Garden Centre

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Tamarisk: exotic shrub or tatty tree?

I have a real issue with tamarisk. It’s said that Abraham planted a tamarisk to invoke the name of God, which presumably means that it’s a tree that has biblical value, and you see lots of tamarisk in the Maghreb region, providing windbreaks for more tender crops on the lee side of the trees’ growth. The tree is known in America as the salt cedar and bees certainly love the tiny, pendant pink flowers but not only do tamarisk have such deep roots that they suck water from all nearby plants, they are a horrible fire risk – their dry, fragile growth is a real invitation to wind-blown sparks or lightning strikes and when people drop cigarette ends in summer, tamarisk is likely to go up like a petrol soaked bonfire.

When we moved into this house there was a tamarisk in the back garden. I waited until my other half was safely away for the weekend and dug it up. It did actually take all weekend because when I say deep-rooted, I am not exaggerating – the neighbours probably thought I was digging a grave!

Anyway, the tamarisk was replaced by a viburnam, which is a better bet for winter colour and for allowing the rest of the garden to get some ground water too, but as I walked past a neighbour’s house this morning, I saw this … and wondered if I’d really done the right thing.

Labels: garden shrubs, tamarisk, viburnam

The All Seasons Gardener at 4:29 AM

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