We've just bought a new (to us) house in Oxford, which has an
almost empty garden, except for a 6' Monkey Puzzle tree, which we
want to get rid of - it's not to our taste anyway, but we've got
two kids under 3, and we'd rather not have to fence off a bit of
the garden to keep them away from those spikey leaves. So, two
questions: where should we think about advertising to get the best
price for this, and is there anything we need to do to in
particular to make moving this successful?

Thanks!
--
Selah

The message
from Stephen Gower contains these words:

We've just bought a new (to us) house in Oxford, which has an
almost empty garden, except for a 6' Monkey Puzzle tree, which we
want to get rid of - it's not to our taste anyway, but we've got
two kids under 3, and we'd rather not have to fence off a bit of
the garden to keep them away from those spikey leaves. So, two
questions: where should we think about advertising to get the best
price for this, and is there anything we need to do to in
particular to make moving this successful?

Dunno about moving it, but IME, kids learn rather quickly...

Still, it's really not a suburban tree, it'll grow to well over 100 ft -
probably more.

Find a new home for it before you dig it up - you may find it's a foot
taller before you place it...

--
Rusty
Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional.
Direct reply to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co period uk

On Thu, 26 Mar 2009 15:46:47 +0000, Rusty_Hinge wrote:



Still, it's really not a suburban tree, it'll grow to well over 100 ft -
probably more.

Eventually, see below, but not in the OP's lifetime!

Find a new home for it before you dig it up - you may find it's a foot
taller before you place it...

I was given to understand that they were very slow-growing and therefore
quite expensive.

"Stephen Gower" wrote ...
We've just bought a new (to us) house in Oxford, which has an
almost empty garden, except for a 6' Monkey Puzzle tree, which we
want to get rid of - it's not to our taste anyway, but we've got
two kids under 3, and we'd rather not have to fence off a bit of
the garden to keep them away from those spikey leaves. So, two
questions: where should we think about advertising to get the best
price for this, and is there anything we need to do to in
particular to make moving this successful?

My experience with a slightly larger Monkey Puzzle tree in a friends garden
is that they are virtually impossible to move. The roots seem to be very
long and without any fibrous roots along the length, so despite digging a
huge hole around the plant we ended up cutting off most of the roots. It did
not survive in it's new home.

--
Regards
Bob Hobden

Stephen Gower wrote:
We've just bought a new (to us) house in Oxford, which has an
almost empty garden, except for a 6' Monkey Puzzle tree, which we
want to get rid of - it's not to our taste anyway, but we've got
two kids under 3, and we'd rather not have to fence off a bit of
the garden to keep them away from those spikey leaves. So, two
questions: where should we think about advertising to get the best
price for this, and is there anything we need to do to in
particular to make moving this successful?

Thanks!

Could be difficult to move. It might depend on the soil it is in, as roots
do not tend to penetrate as much in heavy clay as in sandy soil. Pity - a 6
foot Monkey Puzzle would cost £200, perhaps more. They are very slow
growing to begin with, but get faster as they get older.

Not much of use on the internet, but I may not have been using the correct
search terms. See:
http://gardenimprovements.com/wordpr...y-puzzle-tree/
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandsty...dec/02/gardens


--
Jeff

"Stephen Gower" wrote in message
...
We've just bought a new (to us) house in Oxford, which has an
almost empty garden, except for a 6' Monkey Puzzle tree, which we
want to get rid of - it's not to our taste anyway, but we've got
two kids under 3, and we'd rather not have to fence off a bit of
the garden to keep them away from those spikey leaves. So, two
questions: where should we think about advertising to get the best
price for this, and is there anything we need to do to in
particular to make moving this successful?


Advertise it on Freecycle and just get rid of it. The recipient will be
doing you a favour.
I've been hoovering loads of plants from my local Freecycle including a 6
foot cordyline and several other shrubs.

mark

In article ,
Stephen Gower wrote:
We've just bought a new (to us) house in Oxford, which has an
almost empty garden, except for a 6' Monkey Puzzle tree, which we
want to get rid of - it's not to our taste anyway, but we've got
two kids under 3, and we'd rather not have to fence off a bit of
the garden to keep them away from those spikey leaves.

Why on earth bother? Any normal child will learn from experience,
and such experiences are good for them. I have MUCH spikier plants,
and my children learnt about them as soon as they could crawl.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

The message
from Derek Turner contains these words:
On Thu, 26 Mar 2009 15:46:47 +0000, Rusty_Hinge wrote:

Still, it's really not a suburban tree, it'll grow to well over 100 ft -
probably more.

Eventually, see below, but not in the OP's lifetime!

Find a new home for it before you dig it up - you may find it's a foot
taller before you place it...

I was given to understand that they were very slow-growing and therefore
quite expensive.

They take their time to get to full height, but one four doors down from
me must have added fifteen or twenty feet since I moved here, seven
years ago.

--
Rusty
Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional.
Direct reply to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co period uk

The message
from contains these words:
In article ,
Stephen Gower wrote:

We've just bought a new (to us) house in Oxford, which has an
almost empty garden, except for a 6' Monkey Puzzle tree, which we
want to get rid of - it's not to our taste anyway, but we've got
two kids under 3, and we'd rather not have to fence off a bit of
the garden to keep them away from those spikey leaves.

Why on earth bother? Any normal child will learn from experience,
and such experiences are good for them. I have MUCH spikier plants,
and my children learnt about them as soon as they could crawl.

Aye - we had yuccas with leaves like swords, and while I was ten when we
moved there, one sister was four, my bro' was a minute escapologist, and
my other sister was a gleam in her father's eye.

We also had a monkey puzzle tree now I come to think of it, though it
had had thirty years to get a lot bigger than the OP's.

--
Rusty
Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional.
Direct reply to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co period uk

In article ,
says...
We've just bought a new (to us) house in Oxford, which has an
almost empty garden, except for a 6' Monkey Puzzle tree, which we
want to get rid of - it's not to our taste anyway, but we've got
two kids under 3, and we'd rather not have to fence off a bit of
the garden to keep them away from those spikey leaves. So, two
questions: where should we think about advertising to get the best
price for this, and is there anything we need to do to in
particular to make moving this successful?

Thanks!

I think the chances of a succesful move are approaching zero, they are
famous for not transplanting as large plants and are normally sold quite
small or in containers
--
Charlie Pridham, Gardening in Cornwall
www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of national collections of Clematis viticella cultivars and
Lapageria rosea

Charlie Pridham wrote:
says...
a 6' Monkey Puzzle tree [...]
is there anything we need to do to in
particular to make moving this successful?

I think the chances of a succesful move are approaching zero, they are
famous for not transplanting as large plants and are normally sold quite
small or in containers

Oh well - thanks everyone. We'll probably stick it the local small
ads leaving the buyer responsible for removing and transporting it.
Someone might risk it to get a bargain, but if we get no interest,
I'll see if there's any bits big enough for dad to turn (I suspect
not) before just getting rid of the rest.

It's a shame. We know it's a valuable tree, but it's in just the
wrong place - it's the boys' garden too, and we don't want them to
have to avoid it as they grow up, either by fencing it or through
them learning through painful experience. Actually, being honest,
anywhere in our garden it'd be in the wrong place, but had in not
been in the middle we might have lived with it staying.
--
Selah

Contact the Botanic Gardens and ask if they are interested in it for the arboretum.

Alternatively, cut off the lower branches altogether.

Rusty_Hinge wrote:

They take their time to get to full height, but one four doors down from
me must have added fifteen or twenty feet since I moved here, seven
years ago.

There are a couple in this shot that are a bit too big for their
location, especially the one in the distance, whose branches are
resting on the roof:

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en-...04313280363223

Chris
--
Chris J Dixon Nottingham UK


Have dancing shoes, will ceilidh.

On 27/3/09 13:33, in article ,
"Chris J Dixon" wrote:

Rusty_Hinge wrote:

They take their time to get to full height, but one four doors down from
me must have added fifteen or twenty feet since I moved here, seven
years ago.

There are a couple in this shot that are a bit too big for their
location, especially the one in the distance, whose branches are
resting on the roof:

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en-...34982&spn=0,35
9.990548&t=h&z=17&layer=c&cbll=52.899723,-1.434899&panoid=2NX9OqM_1PEhuQHUjhW5
_w&cbp=12,359.87795235793874,,0,5.204313280363223

Chris

This photo of the ones at Bicton College was taken in 2002.
http://tinyurl.com/242s2j
--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon
Exotic plants, shrubs & perennials online

Stephen Gower wrote:
We've just bought a new (to us) house in Oxford, which has an
almost empty garden, except for a 6' Monkey Puzzle tree, which we
want to get rid of [...]

Add in the local paper got two responses - a very nice couple came, did all
the digging, and took it away this weekend, leaving us with 70 quid cash.
We're pleased to have the space (and the cash), and if they manage to keep
it alive, they've got themselves a bargin.
--
Selah