Takes and Lickin' and Keeps on Tickin'

In a previous post I made mention of tulips that had been the victims of siding installer trampling. It was an non-standard siding job; the majority of the siding was put up, but we had to finish the woodwork on the porch before the rest of the siding could be completed. Last fall the siding guys came back to complete the last of the siding.

And destroyed the White Diamond hydrangea on either side of the steps. Broke every branch to the ground, leaving a pathetic pitiable stump.

I found pictures with the broken hydrangea in the background. I didn't take deliberate pictures of the carnage; it was too upsetting.

The remains of the hydrangea is to the right of the tulips.
If you follow the stem back to the base you will see tiny buds of new growth.

You can make out the rest of this hydrangea just above the pink tulip on the left.

I mean, really, can they not see them? Did they not feel any of the branches poking their legs as they ran into them? Did they not realize that that odd crunching sound under their boots was a bad thing? Are all construction workers really that oblivious to their surroundings?  Or is it just this company? Because this is not the first time they have done this. (see above referenced post).

Slight aside of further proof of this obliviousness epidemic: I had a large order of spruce tops delivered to a client's house. The pseudo-emo kid who brought them not only just tossed them willy-nilly out the end of the truck, but tossed them so they landed squarely on the Astilbe I was leaving up for fall/winter interest. When I asked him to please not throw the spruce tops on the plants, he looked at me and said vacantly, "Oh, those are plants?" Uh, yeah! What did you think they were, a loading dock?

(In order not to vilify all construction workers, one of my clients had their home re-shingled by an amazing group of workers. They put tarps over the gardens below the part of the roof where they were working. They made a point of avoiding shrubs and trees when they tossed down the old shingles. They picked up nearly every nail and scrap of shingle; I think I found only a single handful of debris they missed. I was so grateful for their hard work and dedication to excellence on their job site. I just wish my clients could remember the company's name so I can send them business!)

As a runner of a business, and as someone who actually works out in the field, this lack of awareness and responsibility is unacceptable. If I were to lose control of a loaded wheelbarrow and it ran into the side of the client's car, I would pay to have it fixed. If while digging a hole I cut the buried cable that was two feet away from where the cable company marked it should be, I would pay to have it fixed (even though it was clearly the fault of the cable installers who can't measure or read a plan).

In short, if I damage something on my client's property, it is my responsibility to notify my client and pay for the repairs. The siding guys didn't even notice they damaged anything until we called them on it and asked them to be a little more careful. In regards to the tulips, they simply shrugged and said "Oh, they'll grow back." Yes, they did grow back....two or three years later. We actually didn't tell them they crushed the hydrangea because we were tired of dealing with them and knew by the reputation they were earning that they wouldn't do anything about it. We would just eat the $50 to replace them.

(Ok, rant over. And yes, I do feel better.)

Now add insult and injury to injury - snow. This winter was non-stop snow storms. And the snow in the sidewalk and the snow building up on the porch roof had to go somewhere. Namely, in the spot where the broken hydrangeas were. There really wasn't much choice; we were quickly running out of places to put all the snow. In the spring these hard-packed piles were among the last to melt. I figured the weight of the snow and the lack of sun and warmth would be the final death knell of those poor, abused hydrangea. In an effort to rescue them, I hit and broke one of the remaining branches with the shovel. Great.

But when things started growing again, I was astonished to see the crippled White Diamond hydrangea with new shoots. They looked a little ragged and sparse at first, but they kept growing. And they are now in full bloom! They actually look really good! They are a little leggy right now, but I plan on pruning them to encourage lateral branching.

This is the hydrangea from the first photo above, and received the severest damage.

This is the hydrangea from the second photo above,
and is clearly in much better shape.

In all honesty, I truly thought these hydrangea were goners. I guess it's a testament to the tenacity of plants and how important a good root system is!

But I would have preferred them not to be put to the test in the first place.