I went there once and saw the whole tree had just collapsed in pieces. When searching for it, one article said it was 175 years old, but I did see at the Audubon site it was 300+, so...it was old and big...and hoary in its final days!
Posted on 12/26/2017 12:02:57 PM PST by mairdie
The south facade of the White House will undergo a dramatic change this week: the historic Jackson Magnolia, a tree that has been in place since the 1800s, is scheduled to be cut down and removed. The enormous magnolia, one of three on the west side of the White House and the oldest on the White House grounds, extends from the ground floor, up past the front of the windows of the State Dining Room on the first floor and beyond the second-level executive residence. The tree has had a long and storied life, yet has now been deemed too damaged and decayed to remain in place.
Specialists at the United States National Arboretum were brought in by the White House to assess the Magnolia grandiflora, as it is specifically termed. According to documents obtained exclusively by CNN, the tree must be removed, and quickly, despite efforts to preserve it over several decades.
...
For several months, at an undisclosed greenhouse-like location nearby, healthy offshoots of the tree have been growing, tended to with care and now somewhere around eight to 10 feet tall. CNN has learned the plan is that another Jackson Magnolia, born directly from the original, will soon be planted in its place, for history to live on.
(Excerpt) Read more at edition.cnn.com ...
But they’re keeping the wood and the many saplings, so the history will endure.
The maple must have been magnificent.
Maybe that’s why I see so few in MA. Two doors down has a wonderful one and it’s an absolute joy in the spring.
I would pay a boatload of money for one of the cloned trees that they don’t use.
I LOVE IT!!
We had an apartment in a complex in CT where Revolutionary War soldiers were buried in the front yard. When they cut down some old trees, I got the gardeners to give me slices of the trunk and I sanded them into tables and still have one about forty years later. Wood has such a beautiful smell and feel.
Never thought of that but the image is now imprinted in my brain. What a lovely image of Lincoln, II.
Magnolias are a pain...dropping leaves and those little hand grenades all year long. Yes...their blooms are big & fragrant. But, if I wanted fragrance, I’d buy one of those little car air fresheners that hang on the mirror.
I hate crepe myrtles too. They’re nothing but weeds.
Good move President Trump.
They can make White House furniture, or souvenirs to give diplomats from other countries, or gifts for ceremonies. It’s limitless because the tree is huge.
Get her to stand near the Chipper along with a half a dozen of her comrades in thought!
Clear-cutting the front lawn of the White House!
DJT is horrible!!!
Wouldn’t that make a GREAT White House auction? And contribute the money to one of the military charities.
Just the headline alone implies malice, as it lacks any hint of due cause for removal.
PING
Bubba: there are several magnolia varieties that handle the cold fairly well, and do look pretty spectacular in the spring. I couldn’t say which one specifically works better than another, unfortunately. My memory of magnolias being fragile hails all the way back to elementary school where there was a magnolia on the grounds, which we were told we couldn’t climb in because the branches were too likely to break off. I had one of the southern varieties in my yard when I lived in TX, and while the flowers look incredible, they have no scent, which to me lessened their value. You might find better value putting in some dwarf fruit trees, which will not only give you the flowers (and they smell very nice), but will also (eventually) produce edible fruit if maintained.
Mairdie: I think the lack of magnolias in the Northeast is due more to them being just another early-blooming floral tree, so they don’t really get much attention. There are (as noted above) several cold-hardy versions, but a lot of folks only know of the southern variety and probably don’t think they’ll even grow in the north. When the competition includes forsythia, tulip trees, rhododendrons, dogwoods, and all the flowering fruit trees, magnolias are just one more decorative choice.
Search for the headlines blaming Melania for this. They make it sound like she’s George Washington and personally chopping it down.
I saw several posts this morning blaming Melania and saying she asked for it to be removed. The pictures I saw showed the trunk on at least one of the two main branches has rotted away but somehow she is to blame.
CNN will say anything just so they can COMPLAIN ,LOL
I went there once and saw the whole tree had just collapsed in pieces. When searching for it, one article said it was 175 years old, but I did see at the Audubon site it was 300+, so...it was old and big...and hoary in its final days!
My Agriculture Engineering major required several forestry courses. we had several chapters on root systems and this phenomena you describe was covered. Scientists are just beginning to understand it, they do know the tree roots use mycorrhizae fungi to communicate, thru an electrochemical process.
This one is being blamed on Melania...
Probably hired Russian hookers to piss on it!!
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