We moved to Florida from Iowa on June 23, 2012. On August 17, 2013 we hired landscapers to re-plant around the house, and - being a big fan of palms - chose a Bismarck palm for our front yard.
April 17, 2023 saw the demise of that now-25'-tall palm. This post is a tribute to the Bismarck - its beauty, and the happiness it gave us, our neighbors, and friends.
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| August 17, 2013 |
Five feet tall, and newly-planted in the center of our front yard. The bay window is my sewing room.
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| August 17, 2013 |
A European Fan palm was planted nearer the house, on the right side of this photo.
Early-on, the Bismarck became a place for a couple of quilt photos. This is the Florida quilt block I designed for American Made Brand (fabric) that was included in a 50-state quilt AMB display whenever they had a booth in a quilt show.
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| June 5, 2014 |
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| June 27, 2015 |
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| December 26, 2016 |
In February/March 2017, my Australian friend Di visited for a month. She posed in front of the Bismarck wearing her lovely, self-made selvages skirt.
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| March 2017 |
Di and I spent a month sight-seeing together, One of many places we visited was the Henry P. Leu Gardens, a botanical park in Winter Garden, Florida. I vividly remember the two of us being astonished to see the size of this Bismarck palm in the garden. I couldn't imagine our Bismarck ever getting that tall!
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| Di with a Bismarck at Leu Gardens, March 2017 |
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June 23, 2017
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| September 11, 2017 |
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| June 23, 2018 |
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| June 23, 2018 |
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| June 23, 2019 |
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| October 19, 2019 |
Early into the pandemic, the shade of the palm was a nice place to hang out.
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March 30, 2020
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Late one afternoon, the west sun brilliantly shown through the palm fronds. The following two photos are my favorites.
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| Memorial Day Weekend, May 2020 |
Simply gorgeous! It wasn't unusual to see passers-by posing for a picture by our Bismarck. It was that striking.
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| Memorial Day weekend, May 28, 2020 |
From 2020 to 2021, the Bismarck was the perfect spot from which to hang a finished quilt for picture-taking. These are only a few of the many quilt photos taken with the Bismarck.
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March 23, 2020
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| June 20, 2020 |
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| July 11, 2020 |
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| July 21, 2020 |
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| November 24, 2020 |
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| January 2, 2021 |
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| March 12, 2021 |
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| April 17, 2021 |
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| March 16, 2021 |
When it reached this size, it became difficult for Dan to trim the tree himself. Even with our ladder and a saw, it was hard to reach branches that needed cutting off.
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October 21, 2021
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| July 14, 2022 |
Just last year we hired, for the first time, a professional tree-trimmer to do the trimming for us.
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| July 30, 2022 |
It was looking great by the time he'd finished.
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| July 30, 2022 |
This was the view from my sewing room rocker.
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| August 2022 |
Then... everything changed. It was either Hurricane Ian in September 2022 or Hurricane Nicole in November 2022 that caused the wind twist that prompted the Bismarck's demise.
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Hurricane Ian, September 2022
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| Hurricane Nicole, November 2022 |
By February/March this year, it became more apparent that the center growth spike wasn't visible. No new growth occurred because hurricane winds twisted the growth spike one way - and then as the winds passed, twisted the growth spike the other way... and broke it. Rot travelled through the trunk.
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| No growth spike in the center, March 2023 |
Tree removal day... April 17, 2023. The Bismarck is 25' tall.
Fronds were removed first.
Then the top section was sawed off, with the workmen tugging a rope around it to topple it to the ground.
Rot was visible through the core of the top section.
In sections, the trunk was cut and knocked down.
Rot appears as a dark ring, on the right side of the stump.
Debris filled the trailer, and smelled bad. Rotting palm stinks!
The following day, the team returned to grind out the stump using this Kubota to drive the grinder.
The stump needed to be cleaned out and reground, several times, to get it all.
This is all that remains, and it will be covered with sod.
We took quite a journey with that palm, realizing too-late that it would grow too big for our small front yard. And, since palms grow in Florida - this is a tropical climate, after all - we don't plan to plant another.
Though I'll still keep the picture of Bismarck fronds on this blog header, I won't again use the Instagram hashtag
#quiltinabismarckpalm.
It was a good run - nine years and eight months. 😢 Linda
It's sad to see it go as it's been such a big part of showcasing your quilts through the years.
ReplyDeleteAlways a sad day seeing a majestic tree come down. I know you will miss your view, and how fun to have all the photos of the gorgeous quilts in that magnificent setting.
ReplyDeleteNever thought of a palm and shade...... I had a house on Galveston Island with three palms. They were not handsome like you palm...... just there and one needed cutting down before we left the Island..... I am a Yankee at hart.
ReplyDeleteOh Linda, I remember so many of those photos that you shared before! I had forgotten, however, how little it was when it was first planted. I'm sure you were sad seeing it come down. End of an era to be sure! Hugs!
ReplyDeleteOh, Linda, I’m so sorry for your beautiful palm tree 🌴. My favorite pictures were the Memorial Day 2020, so round and full. I’m sure it was costly to remove. If I could find some spice gumdrops at dollar tree I would send them 🥲
ReplyDeleteYep, you picked my favorite pictures too - when Mr. B was round, full, and dense. Really, the period during the pandemic and quarantine were its most beautiful days. And I'm grateful because I spent a lot of time in my sewing room aqua chair, admiring its beauty.. Not quite $2K to have it removed, but as we've learned, upkeep for a palm can be pricey, especially once it's no longer possible to trim from the ground. You made me smile, Pam, about the spice drops... another friend who was visiting Wisconsin, said she went to Dollar Tree to buy some for me - consolation for losing the palm - and they were out. Spice drops availability is definitely hit or miss. But really, it's the thought that counts. Thank you! Hugs.
DeleteIn Kauai , these are by far one of our favorite Palms. So beautiful to watch your annual growth and then so devastating to watch its death. Heart Broken for you and your family. Sweet that she was there for you when you needed and enjoyed heR most… during Covid. 🩷
DeleteHi Anonymous! Interesting that Bismarcks are prevalant in Kauai. I didn't know that. Being able to admire our palm from planting until demise will always make me grateful to have had it. It was front and center in our yard. I'm sorry that we've become accustomed to it not being there, and that hubs appreciates not having to mow the lawn around it. Still, we both have good memories. Thank you for your sympathy and understanding.
DeleteLinda, that was one glorious tree!!!! And your quilts are fantastic!!!!! I was sad to read of its demise.
ReplyDeleteYes it was, Cindy! And thank you for thinking my quilts are fantastic. Those are just a few of the many quilts I hung in the palm and photographed. I'm so glad I have all these pictures to keep my memories. Thank you for your kind words.
DeleteSO sad. I'm glad you did this tribute post to remember it in all its glory.
ReplyDeleteHow very sad. I remember him as a little guy and as he grew and rounded out and up. I never thought of a tree as something to be emotional about but reading and witnessing its life story in pictures definitely hits the emotional cord.
ReplyDeleteThis tree was a cutie in August 2013 and magnificent at the end of its life. Thanks for sharing this touching tribute.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing the history of your beautiful Bismarck Palm. I hope looking back over those photos and remembering the pleasure the Palm brought you and your neighbours day by day has been helpful to you.
ReplyDeleteNow to accustom yourself to a fresh view and find a new place to photograph your quilts :-)
I am so sorry for your loss of Mr. “B”! He was the most beautiful palm on our block! Becky
ReplyDelete*sigh* Good bye to the beauty that was Mr. B. They certainly did a thorough job of removal. I learned two things: a twist in the growth spike can kill a palm, and rotting palm stinks.
ReplyDeleteI understand being sad to see your beautiful tree go, but as always there's a sliver lining--it didn't hurt anything else. We've had multiple trees come down in our neighborhood and do considerable damage to homes, fences, and yards. Hopefully you can find smaller plants you will enjoy, though you probably won't be able to hang quilts from them.
ReplyDelete