If you like bentwood or twig furniture, you’ll be as intrigued as I was by the idea of training up young trees in the shape of chairs and table tops — a corner of a garden is alll it would take. Oh, and a few young saplings of a fast-growing tree species, a plywood “jig” to help shape the trees, and about five years for them to grow and be grafted together into the proper form.
Grafting trees isn’t as hard as one might think, either. (Think of how, in the wild, two trees that are growing very close together will often join to make one double trunk. That’s the basic concept.) I’ve done some experimental grafting on my apple trees, to add branches of rare heritage varieties to hardy commmon trees, and haven’t killed any of my trees yet!
I’m really tempted to try this for myself — it’s a good time of year for transplanting very young trees, the furniture-growing instructions are well illustrated, and there’s nothing much to lose!
nice idea man
Hey there Dawn, they say the best time to plant a tree is 20 years aggo! I’d do this with really fast-growing species, for sure…
Sharon, thanks but, er, I think I swiped the title from the website that gives the instructions. You know I’ve never been good at titles…
Anklebuster, Mitch my friend, that’s because you spent too long working with criminals and land pimps in the big city! Now that you’ve moved to wear the potential furniture is there for the growing, time to (ha ha) turn over a new leaf and branch out a bit!!!
Well, I’ll be. Wotta headline! I was sure this was going to be about milk crates and plywood.
I don’t understand grafting and double trunks. Graft and double-dipping, I get. But I better go read these instructions for more information.
Cheerio!
Mitch
Just thought you’d like to know that I loved the title of this post – I’m giving it a mention in my next newsletter. :)
5 years?!
I don’t know if I have the patience for that kind of stool… but cool anywhoo