My wife and I were traveling a few weeks back, and the hotel we stayed at had a lobby decoration that caught my eye.

It was a cross-cut section of an old tree trunk, and as you can see, it wasn’t just any old tree trunk...this one had a lot of character!

It’s just cool looking...the contrasting color of the sapwood and the heartwood, the rotted-out center and the unusual, curled growth...this cross section looks like a great big, grown by nature, “C”.

Besides just looking cool, this is a great example of how trees try to “heal” wounds.

Hang on, arboriculture class is underway!

First of all, trees don’t “heal” in the same way you and I do. If you scrape your knee, your injury scabs over, new tissues form, and eventually your wound is healed. You may have a scare, but things are pretty much back to normal. In a tree, damaged tissues don’t regenerate; they “compartmentalize”, or wall off the damage.

Compartmentalization is kind of like what happens on a big naval ship. There are hatches everywhere that allow compartments to be closed off and sealed to prevent water from overtaking the ship if, and when, a damaging event happens.

Trees do something similar. If damage occurs, surrounding tissues are sacrificed, and internal “walls” are established to hopefully stop the spread of wood-rot decay organisms and other unwanted things from the damaged area into the rest of the tree. One of those “walls” is the growth of new tissues over the outer portion of the damaged area.

This growth can be easily seen where branches have been cut. New growth forms from the edges of the wound and then, given enough time, the wound completely seals back over itself with new growth.

Problem solved!

However, this can take years, and in the case of large wounds, many years...or sometimes never at all.

That’s what’s going on here. This trunk cross-section is from an old tree that had a massive injury to its trunk, and the interesting growth is from the tree’s attempt to grow over the damaged area.

Without getting too deep into the tree anatomy weeds here, this cross-section shows evidence of the original injury, the following growth from the tree as it attempted to grow over the wound...that’s known as a callus roll...and a lot of trunk decay that occurred during the many years of growth following the original damage.

Basically, it was a cool hotel lobby sculpture, but if you’re a plant nerd like me...it was also a great example of how trees try to “heal” wounds.

I can’t help noticing things like that...it drives my wife crazy!

There’s beauty from nature all around us if you just keep your eyes open.

October is in full swing, and a new season of fall beauty is underway with it. Pumpkins, mums, ornamental grasses, and fall-blooming perennials are dominating the current scene, and leaves taking on fall colors will be coming soon.

It’s my favorite time of the year. I hope you enjoy it, as well.

Fall is my favorite!

—Cameron

It’s redemption time! cash in your Skinner buck$

It’s time! Our 2nd redemption period of the year is here. Redeem your Skinner Buck$ between now and November 2. We know you’ve been collecting, and there isn’t a better time to use those Buck$ for some great fall plants, holiday decor, or garden maintenance and wintering materials.

If you haven’t heard of our Skinner Buck$ loyalty program, check out the information below. You can start collecting anytime!

We have a little something special for you!

We'd love to say thank you! Come out and see us Oct. 18-19 for our Customer Appreciation Weekend! We'll have food, drinks, and a whole lot of fall plants, fall decor... and of course, pumpkins and gourds! There's even FREE BEER on Saturday from 11-3! You heard that right! The rest of the snacks and drinks are free, too. So bring the whole family, bring the neighbors, and come on by. Details in the pic. Beer provided by 785 Brewing Company. Snacks and non-alcoholic drinks provided by Skinner Garden Store.

SATURDAY 10/18:
FREE BEER! (11am-3pm, provided by 785 Brewing Company) + hot dogs, snacks & non-alcoholic beverages

SUNDAY 10/19:
Hot dogs, snacks & non-alcoholic beverages