Garden: Alder Tree, How do I Loathe Thee

The alder tree.  The hated, loathed, cursed, vilified, (and ultimately tolerated because it is not my tree), alder tree.  It is planted near the south-west corner of our property.  And, although its roots may be lodged in our neighbor's soil, its canopy leans more and more over our yard each year.  Our neighbor has spoken of his plans to remove this tree, but other life events have interfered with his plans and, truth be told, gardening tasks fall low (very, very low) on his priority list.  So, why do I hate this tree so much?  Well, it drops stuff on my yard ALL YEAR LONG.

Alder trash (mostly Alder) collects in the deep, cupped leaves of the Darmera peltata.

In Spring, it covers EVERYTHING with a haze of yellow pollen, and then fallen catkins.  *And the seedlings!!!!  Kris reminded me about the seedlings this tree produces--every seed seems to germinate. *

Spring's catkins caught in my little Enkianthus tree.

In Summer, it begins to drop green leaves--these can be seen as a benefit because they add nitrogen back to the soil, but I still see the leaf litter as a net negative.

A recent picture of dropped green leaves and catkins--these must have been produced for next Spring?

In Late Summer and Fall, it drops leaves, cones, and branchlets.

Cones--stuck in the Enkianthus.

Leaf litter--none of it from trees growing on my property--and alder cones and a fallen alder branchlet.

Tree litter smothering the Acorus.

The worst thing about the Alder leaves is that they fall continuously throughout the late Summer, Fall, and into Winter.  I can go out one week and rake up four yard-waste-bags worth of leaves and then go out and do the same thing in another week or two, and again after that--it's Sisyphean.  Oh for a Ginkgo tree and its habit of dropping ALL of its leaves in a single day.

All these photos were taken on an overcast and rainy day a couple of weeks ago.  It's been super-dark, cold, and rainy for the longest time and I haven't been outside to do any gardening or photography--not that there's anything I wish to document, anyway.  Lots of squishiness and rot out there...not too much beauty--even for someone who is trying valiantly to see "beauty in the Winter silhouettes of dying perennials".

I'm definitely looking forward to the Solstice and the slow return to longer days!