Thank you, Ben Franklin!

Thank you, Mr. Benjamin Franklin. You did a lot of amazing things during your lifetime. You were quite the Statesman, Inventor, Author and Politician. In each realm, you accomplished a lot..you did a lot of good for mankind and the Country...but..could you have just left it at that? Did you really have to start playing around in landscaping?

I was out weeding the rose garden today and was getting quite frustrated at Ole Ben. The more I would pull..the more I wondered if he knew the legacy that he left behind..for all of us gardeners. It seems that Dear Mr. Franklin was the one that introduced the Chinese Tallow Tree to the United States. Chinese Tallow Tree, Chicken Tree, Florida Aspen or Popcorn Tree..all one and the same..all a nuisance. Yes, I agree that they are a rather pretty little tree..even more so in Fall and Winter. These trees can rival Maples for foliage coloration. Still..they are not a favorite. Their habit of producing masses upon masses of seeds..the habit of these seeds always being fertile and sprouting..the habit of said seeds always seeming to find a way into my rose garden..makes the tree undesirable!

I made a big mistake back several years ago when I saw the first tree pop up. "What harm can one small tree do...Besides, the birds love the seeds!...And it is way down by the marsh. No problem!" Big mistake! The Popcorn Tree as it is usually called here on the Mississippi Coast produces both male and female flowers on the same tree. So one tree turned into many! Many, many small Popcorn Trees are now popping up all over the hill. Not only are they in the rose garden, but they are also in the lawn, in the squash garden, in the flower pots and are even sprouting in the Puddlepond! Now that is invasive! I have pulled approximately five zillion of these things out of the gardens! Thanks, Mr. Franklin..thanks a bunch! Son and I have decided that we are going to start planting all of the saplings that I trash. We will make a grove of Popcorn Trees..a Tallow Tree Grove! This grove can be a renewable resource! A never-ending source of firewood! I sure hope that the wood is a good burning fuel!

By the way, the tree gets its name, Tallow Tree, from a waxy coating on its seeds. This coating is removed from the seeds by the use of hot water. The wax is then skimmed off and used in make candles and soap. At least the tree is good for something! Perhaps if I keep finding small trees, a grove would not be a bad idea! I could start making Tallow Tree Candles! I wonder just how many of those seeds I would need to collect???? The next zillion that I remove from the rose garden should be plenty..don't you think?