%$@#*&^ utility workmen

Reason for anyone to be PO'd: electric company crews came through everyone's yards today trimming branches from tall, old trees. I had a rare, 3-year-old Schisandra Chinensis growing on a trellis in the corner of the yard. Not only are these plants hard to locate in nurseries, but they're relatively expensive and take several years before they begin producing anything. They also have medicinal and ornamental value.

So what do these workmen do? The trellis was a little bit "in the way", so they removed it, breaking the vine and partially uprooting it. They didn't bother to consult me about this. In other words, the past three years' progress has been totally destroyed, and I don't know if the rest of the plant will survive after being partially uprooted.

I'm steamed about this. It wasn't necessary to remove the trellis in order to do their job. It's also not a comforting thought to know there's no guarantee of keeping things protected and maintained on your own property. In the meantime, is there anything I can do to salvage what's left of the plant? How resilient is this type of plant? Should I keep it well-watered?

I'd also like to know if there's anywhere I can order an older schisandra vine (3 years or older) -- I don't know if the electric company would compensate me for the property damage, but I'd be willing to pay the extra cost for it anyways.

Reply to
OhSojourner
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according to my book, propigation is by greenwood cuttings in early or mid-summer or semi-ripe cuttings in summer. Now is the perfect time to do this. Rooting powder, good, non-rich soil, warm, dappled shady area to get them growing. Now for the good news........Heronswood Nursery has FIVE kinds of Schisandra. S. arisanensis, S. interior, S. lancifolia, S. nigra. and Schisandra sp. all from $12, $10, $15 and $20. 206-567-5458. As much as these guys go to the Orient, I'm sure they'll have a specimen of yours. Good luck. Let us know how it goes. And remember, utility workmen aren't paid to be considerant. They're paid to risk their lives doing all this stuff, and sometimes they even provide us with the pleasures of electricity after storms render us back to pre-electrical times.

Yes, they should have thought, but often testosterone gets in the way or a foreman who has more to do than the hours they're working. Call Heronswood Nursery in Kingston, Washington and see if they have a replacement vine and make the utility company compensate you. If you're lucky, you might even get something more choice and unique. These guys have really unusual plants.

Reply to
madgardener

You might call the electric co. and ask if you can be informed ahead of time when they plan to do trimming in your area. If you're very polite (and pitiful) about your ruined Schisandra, they *might* help you out with a new plant.

Thing is, utility companies' business isn't horticulture. "A little bit in the way" to you is simply "in the way" to a trimming crew. If you don't want things slashed down and hacked out, check with the company to see what kind of clearance is supposed to be maintained, and do your own trimming.

Reply to
Frogleg

I'm sorry about your plant. If it wasn't within the utility's easement, you might have a legitimate case. But if your trellis was within the easement, they have the right to move/remove it. Never build permanent structures or plant anything you cherish in an easement area.

One of my neighbors was mightily PO'd to discover that her front flower garden was built within the front easement (stone boarders and all) when they paved our road. She had to move stuff or risk loosing it.

Reply to
Pat Kiewicz

Problem is, if they help you - it's a precedent.   Then everyone who feels they've been damaged could seek replacements.

It's always best to find out what the utility easements are around your property.   These are legally defined and easily determined. If you have valuable trees that begin to encroach that area, have them trimmed by a professional before the utility hacking season.    

Reply to
Blues Ma

While my bi&%# about utility crews may not be in regards to screwing up my trees etc, earlier this week there was a right of way crew doing some clearing of the right of way along side my property line. I have a big field there with fence designating the boundry. They used two bucket trucks during their work. I have been cutting this field for over 20 years and on Monday I was cutting the grass and hit an object in the grass..........turned out to be a 16 foot logging chain that had to be left behind by the crew. It tore up two of my mowers blades. Its not my chain as I have mine painted red on the ends for about a foot, and it could only have come from one of those bucket trucks. A call to them revealed that they did not loose any chains, and it was not theirs...............so evidently those canadian geese or other birds must have dropped it. Visit my website:

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expressed are those of my wifes, I had no input whatsoever. Remove "nospam" from email addy.

Reply to
Roy

Excellent advice. I used to work for the power company, you would be surprised how many people plant in the right-of-way without giving a thought. People would get upset when their shrubs/trees would be destroyed, and only had themselves to blame. CIE would always excavate and plant grass seed when we had to go through the right-of-way, never would we replace shrubs/trees/concrete/sheds and just about anything you could think of.

Reply to
Ned

Update: I sent them an email yesterday, and they responded shortly afterwards with an apologetic email, promising to follow up to get more details. Now I'm hoping that I can locate a plant of similar age so I know how much they can reimburse me for.

None of my own plants were in the way of power lines. They were working on a very tall, old tree that was on the other side of a fence on the border of my property. They were trimming some of the higher branches, and they decided to toss the branches onto my property (in the direction of the trellis, where other workmen ), when they could have accessed the tree and tossed the branches onto the other lot (which was behind a garage where nobody was growing anything). The fact that they could have used this vacant area instead is what's especially annoying.

Of course, maybe they were just following their scheduled paperwork and the tree "belonged" to my street (not the street of the adjacent lot that would have sustained less damage). Actually, I'm not even sure whose tree it is. It's behind a fence that somebody put up years before I bought the property, so I assumed it was the property of the neighbors. Maybe not, if what I'm deducing is correct.

Incidentally, this was the same power company who was at fault for the major blackout last year. Maybe they just hire klutzy people (and/or were trying to overcompensate for the mishap that happened last year.) Well, at least, hopefully I might be able to get the plant replaced.

Reply to
OhSojourner

Reply to
madgardener

Those unsightly utility poles can be easily pruned with a chainsaw. . .

Reply to
Beecrofter

Reply to
madgardener

I've noticed that people who work on the outside of a house seem to have no visual acuity below their knees. So with each new worker I warn him: "...and please don't step on the plants." Usually works. zemedelec

Reply to
Zemedelec

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