Friday's Favorite French Things
Ok, it's not Friday, but when you're late, you're late.
Pollarded Trees.
A big kiss for whoever can tell me what kind of trees these are. You see them in avenues, town squares, in front of the hôtel de ville. In summer they are full of leaves, but in winter and spring they get pollarded and at this time of year you can see their fantastic gnarled shapes.
We call them "Titeuf trees" after the catroon character Titeuf
posted by Stew @ 1:12 pm
9 people could be arsed to comment
9 Comments:
Hi Stew,
I think they are the black mulberry (Morus nigra) although I wouldn't describe the fruit on mine as sweet and juicy. The difference is a bit like wild blackberries and the cultivated version.
I gave mine a good pruning this year with the chainsaw, I must be getting frenchefied.
Seriously though if you have one that has been pollarded, you need to cut it back at least every 2 years if not every year as the new growth isn't as strongly attached as the original branch would have been. If you leave it to long there is a risk of the branches snapping off as they get too heavy.
Deborah
I love these trees, we took the back roads to Domme last Sunday and drove through a town that had them on both sides of the road. They looked like beautiful sculptures. Haven't a clue what they are though.
Those are the weirdest looking trees I've ever seen...I'm looking forward to finding out what they are called!
Given the prize on offer, I wish I could answer! Alas not.
Maybe next time you could make it easier for me to win...?
I love them too it just shouts France at me.
The one outside our house is a lime. A friend of ours was kind enough to stand on the roof of his van and do the chain saw pruning the year before last. We were then really worried until we got some new growth as the neighbours were telling us that the tree was really old and how much they loved it. Wait till you get some leaves you'd then have a better chance at identification.
TBNIL - no tongues!
Breezy - I reckon they're Limes too. But I suppose that a whole variety of trees used in avenues can be pollarded.
Breezy's right, you'll need to wait for leaves to be certain, If they are roundish with a point on the end they are probably limes, if they are lobed, a bit like a maple leaf, then they are probably the mulberry. Round here it is mainly mulberries with very lobed leaves.
Just looked on Wikipedia and the leaves they show for mulberry look quite like the leaves they show for lime trees!! You might need to look for the fruit as well.
I can't belive I've been trawling the internet looking up France Pollard Tree, Most likely seems the Mulberry, Morus Alba or Morus Nigra. Although they also pollard maple, plane, beech and poplar. http://www.woodland-trust.org.uk/ancient-tree-forum/atfnews/news03/helendiary.htm
http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=J_0CAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA446&lpg=PA446&dq=france+pollard+tree&source=web&ots=PSNt7MegJ7&sig=PTNf9L-KcIf57xTOByDct2iHnRw&hl=en
Hope the links work. I promise I'll put as much research in for your friend too. Debs
it's a deal.
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