When the locust loses its leaves

Visitors to our garden always want to know the identity of this tree. It's a Honey Locust that is about 62 years old. It provides beautiful dappled light but in the fall sheds an amazing amount of tiny leaves and stems that clutter the ground and clog the gutters. I think many homeowners get annoyed with this part of its personality and cut it down long before it achieves this magnificent status. We're willing to put up with the leafy debris in exchange for the drama of its presence in the garden.

If you blow up this last photo you can see the size of the Locust's trunk at the right front edge of the deck. And you can see the ladder Mark uses to get up onto the roof to clean out the gutters and blow the leaves off the roof!

Comments

[Loree / danger garden]

My brother refuses to plant a Palo Verde (he lives in Arizona) because of its mess, once a year when it blooms! I don't understand. Your tree is magnificent. How do you get the leaves out of the pond?

[Linda from Each Little World]

Loree - best practice would be to drain the pond each Fall and scoop out the goop once most of the leaves are down. Mark scoops inside the pond but he needs a strong helper to hand the buckets of slimey goop to who is outside the pond. I am not that person. And then we need an area where we can compost the pond debris. So . . . We are now doing it when we get around to it at whatever season works for us. Did it in 2014 or 15, so maybe next Spring.

[Lisa at Greenbow]

Love that layer of gold. I miss our Locust tree.

[Casa Mariposa]

Such a beautiful mess! It's like confetti. :) I hope to see you at the Garden Bloggers Fling!

[Peter/Outlaw]

I love how it transforms the entire area to a golden paradise.

[Beth @ PlantPostings]

Oh, I agree: We love our Honey Locusts (well, at least I do). They're beautiful and provide dappled shade, as you mention. And they welcome many songbirds and wildlife. Plus, we simply mow the leaves into the lawn--they're so small, they don't have to be raked, except the ones that fall on the sidewalks and the driveway. Their color is so vibrant, too!