Woodlea

On our third visit to the site we brought along some mulch mats. We do this occasionally because sometimes the grass will have gotten super long and will actually be competing with the tree for the nutrients in the soil. The mulch mats smother the grass and weeds and actually keep in the moisture too, greatly increasing the tree’s survival chances during the hot, dry summers we seem to be getting more and more frequently.

Our second visit was by Phil, who, along with his machete and loppers, cleared out some of the rhododendrons that were encroaching on the ground. These plants, while superficially pretty, are actually quite the pain in our rears. They’re just too good at being plants, and thus will outcompete pretty much every other plant in the area for resources. We don’t want a monoculture, which is what the rhododendrons want! So, out went Phil with his tools!