Stumps..

[Tetters]

Quite a long time ago, I decided to install some big tree stumps to the front of the house. These were for two main purposes, the first one being a barrier to keep my dogs in safely, and the second was for the wildlife to use.
Fortunately I have a mate who just happens to be a tree surgeon, and that made sourcing this timber a fair bit easier. This then was the start of my ''stumpery''
Recently, as the stumps became very overgrown as I lagged behind with the gardens, due to all kinds of problems, I decided to try and re discover these stumps to see how much they had rotted down (as they were intended to)
These pictures show how far I've got up until now, and I thought I'd share them on here.

Just to the right of the gnome - who survived, having only lost one eye, is a hole in the wood where the little wrens can snuggle in together when we have icy weather. They are very tiny, and they can't survive unless they congregate together for the warmth. The fur that I put in there after my dog's haircuts is still there doing its job. The subsequent ivy growth has given the tiniest birds a good shelter.

 

[Sheal]

With nature having taken it's course it all looks so natural now - a lovely idea of yours. I like the shape of the piece of wood in the second pic from bottom. The whitish colouring suggests driftwood?

 

[Tetters]

With nature having taken it's course it all looks so natural now - a lovely idea of yours. I like the shape of the piece of wood in the second pic from bottom. The whitish colouring suggests driftwood?

From a failing memory I think it is just a root that had been knocking about for a long time. I don't think it wants to rot down

 

[Anniekay]

Thank you so much for posting your stumpery, Tetters. I had those two trees come down during the hurricane and want to do something cool with the stumps, but I can think what.

 

[Jersey Devil]

Thank you so much for posting your stumpery, Tetters. I had those two trees come down during the hurricane and want to do something cool with the stumps, but I can think what.

Hmmmm.... you seem to be stumped

 

[Anniekay]

Hmmmm.... you seem to be stumped

Double-stumped. I have two of them .

 

[Tetters]

Thank you so much for posting your stumpery, Tetters. I had those two trees come down during the hurricane and want to do something cool with the stumps, but I can think what.

Can you stick a photo of your fallen stumps Annie, then we might be able to come up with a few ideas how they could be used for your garden

 

[Tetters]

Flossie is having a think too..... she is in need of a new 'hat.

 

[Anniekay]

Can you stick a photo of your fallen stumps Annie, then we might be able to come up with a few ideas how they could be used for your garden

They're not actually "fallen" they're what's left sticking up out of the ground after they cut the broken trees down. The big one is a Water Oak, the smaller is a Pecan.

 

[Tetters]

Is that all that's left now? Did they take all the tops away? I would have kept the logs. Anyway, they are really good photos.
The thing is, if those are just the bottom bits in the ground, they could start growing again from the root.
The Pecan tree, I believe may send up some new growth, but if that comes from below the graft, I don't think it will come to much. The Oak, however might grow again OK, but probably without its previous glory.
None of my stumps are growing. They have all been imported, and will only rot away as time goes by. I think that if you decide to do something with those, you may need to treat the stumps first with something to kill off the growth. We use SBK... or another way is to drill holes down into the wood in several places and fill them with lots and lots of Epsom salt. An overdose of that will eventually sort them out, and anything else growing nearby will not suffer at all, as, if the E salt seeps through it will just be beneficial to surrounding plant life. It is the overdose that does the job on the stump.
You would need to cover the whole thing though with something water proof to keep the rain out - so it wouldn't look all gorgeous there straight away.

If you decide to give it a go anyway, I can visualise the double stump as a base for a fairy castle (you'll be friends with all the kids in the neighbourhood), and the single one as a base for a low growing flower arrangement.
Something like this.....

 

[Anniekay]

I have plenty of epsom salts so I will do that !! thanks Tetters, I’m planning on digging the dirt away to expose more stump. After that they will both be higher and more usable. The ground slopes away from the stumps by about a foot so, if I’m lucky I’ll have something much bigger to work with.

 

[Tetters]

You need to watch out for fallen branches with interesting shapes like this .....

 

[Anniekay]

You need to watch out for fallen branches with interesting shapes like this .....View attachment 1784View attachment 1785View attachment 1786

Is that really a branch ??

 

[Tetters]

Is that really a branch ??

It really is! We know a chap who makes art from fallen timber. He started carving out the scales on this snake, but got fed up with it and went on to a new project instead...that's how I got it. It is how I like it - a bit like a phoenix rising from the ashes!
We look out for fallen timber, and keep stacks of it here and there for the insects. Nature as we still have it is exceptionally wonderful, until the human race decides to annihilate it altogether.