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A Gardener's Notebook: The latest incarnation of my column detailing the trails and tribulations of my garden. Join the list and ask your own questions about gardening Subscribe

The one thing you can say about a garden is it is always in a constant state of change. Nothing stays the same for long. Plants come and go with their season; blooming, then fading. Trees go through their cycle of dormancy, growing foliage and then dropping their leaves. A gardener is like a painter with a constantly changing palette. The painting is never done. It is always in progress.

Removal

The past weekend brought another "chain saw day" in the garden. A small pine in the front garden had died (as I mentioned last week) and every time I turned into the driveway it seemed to be mocking me with its dead brown branches. It also wouldn't do to have a dead "Christmas tree" in the front yard during the holiday season. The rented chainsaw made quick work of the tree and it will give its final measure in our fireplace sometime in the future.

I attempted to remove another 2, smaller pines along our back property line, but ran into a typical urban scenario. The trees are terribly gnarled from poor maintenance and overcrowding. This has forced them to reach for the sunlight by bending over the rear fence and around the low-hanging telephone wires. As I started to clear branches out with my hand saw I quickly realized that the cut branches would fall in the parking area of the car dealer that backs our whole property. Unfortunately, the dealer had parked cars waiting for service 3 levels deep against the fence. A call to the dealer showed that they couldn't move any of the cars as the service department was closed.

Taking the safe way out, we decided to bypass those 2 trees until we can have the area cleared of cars. There is no sense risking damage to yourself or someone else's property. If the trees had been more entangled with the phone lines I would have sought outside help from professional tree trimmers. Whenever you are doing major work in your garden make sure you evaluate the situation carefully.

Holidays

This holiday season seems to be rushing upon us and the garden has taken a back seat once again. I have decided to forget the real Christmas tree this year. Last year we had our first real tree in 13 years. It was tinder dry in a few days, even with constant watering, and I worried about it constantly. I enjoy the smell of pine in the house, but the worry was too high a price to pay.

As a replacement for a real tree I will cut boughs from the pines and cedars in my garden and make swags to hang above doorways and a wreath for the front door. I can easily replenish any parts that get too dry and the only costs involved are a few paddles of floral wire, a wreath form and time. I have even invited some friends over to take cuttings for their own arrangements. Building our own decorations has become a new family tradition since we moved into our garden home 3 1/2 years ago. Do you have holiday traditions involving your garden? Drop us a line on the AGN mailing list and let us know what part your garden plays in your holiday festivities.