Rescuing Harry's Tree

One casualty of the heavy rain, that came after the cyclone in March, was a tree that had sentimental value to our Bushcare group. The tree, a Tulipwood, planted by Harry 20 years ago was flattened by the force of the water and in need of assistance.

We weren’t sure if it would survive rescuing but because of its history we decided that it was worth giving it a go. It’s quite a mature tree and it would be a shame to lose it.

First we had to uncover it as the water had carried sand and shingle over it while it was flattened. It seemed pleased to see the light of day again :)

To make it a bit easier to handle and also reduce the stress, we trimmed off the upper branches so it was about a third shorter. Gary, Phyliss and I were then able to stand it and attach ropes to the stakes. The soil (sand & shingle) that was previously covering it was distributed around it’s base to give it stability. It has since survived a couple of heavy rain events.

As you can see it is now flourishing with abundant healthy green leaves. It WAS worth saving😊

Australian Tulipwood (Harpullia pendula) is a native Australian rainforest tree known for its hardiness and fast growth. In summer, it produces small, inconspicuous greenish-yellow flowers followed by showy orange seed-cases that open to reveal glossy black seeds.