FINDING SUPPLIES . . . in your Garden!

[Tom Hull]

The following brown (already colored correctly) stick to be used for tree trunks on the "Tree on a Stick" that papa Ted once referred to, was found in my Rose garden. These particular roses have very few thorns if any and were what is left of my mothers hybrid tea roses. The tea rose graft died years ago and this is the hardy root stock and it is at least 30 years old. It looks like an old fashioned Crimson Glory cultivar which is one of the older roses. I was out pruning back some of the dead wood and found these small branches - ideal for the tree trunk on a luffah sponge tree. I have used this rose bush for such trunks for years. Ideal color and you can select the ideal diameter of the trunk. The longer of the two is a little over a foot long. I suspect some such similar thing was originally used by the Japanese on their houses.

[paulrace]

Good suggestion. I use dead flower heads for lots of things, but I've never used rose stems for tree trunks. Thank for the tip, Tom.

[Tom Hull]

Well I have done it for years - so handy right outside the door. And these are a variety that have few thorns.