This Old Tree

By: Doug Still
  • Summary

  • Old trees are awe inspiring links to the past that fire our imagination. What are their stories? Seasoned arborist and amateur historian Doug Still interviews local experts, historians, and regular folks to celebrate the myths and uncover the real tales. If you're a tree lover, join in to look "beyond the plaque" at heritage trees and the human stories behind them. Monthly.

    © 2024 This Old Tree
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Episodes
  • London's Charlton House Mulberry
    Nov 18 2024

    Did you know the British are mad about mulberries? A 415 yr-old black mulberry tree stands at Charlton House & Gardens, the oldest specimen in London and highly beloved. Its story involves King James I and a courtier named Sir Adam Newton, the tutor to the King's eldest son Henry. It also involves a government decree gone awry.

    Guests
    Peter Coles
    Author, Mulberry
    Morus Londinium

    Dr. Stella Butler
    Trustee, Royal Greenwich Heritage Trust
    Chair, Charlton & Blackheath Amateur Horticultural Society

    Jason Sylvan
    Head Gardener, Charlton House & Gardens

    Kathy Aitken
    Volunteer, Charlton & Blackheath Amateur Horticultural Society

    Music performed by the Renaissonics
    "Coockow As I Me Walked," John Baldwin
    "The Satyrs' Masque," Robert Johnson (from Oberon)
    "Full Fathom Five," Robert Johnson
    "Strike It Up Tabor," Thomas Weelkes

    Theme Music
    Diccon Lee, www.deeleetree.com

    Artwork
    Dahn Hiuni, www.dahnhiuni.com/home

    Website
    thisoldtree.show
    Transcripts available.

    Follow on
    Facebook or Instagram

    We want to hear about the favorite tree in your life! To submit a ~3 or 4 minute audio story for consideration for an upcoming episode of "Tree Story Shorts" on This Old Tree, record the story on your phone’s voice memo app and email to:
    doug@thisoldtree.net

    This episode was written in part at LitArts RI, a community organization and co-working space that supports Rhode Island's creators.
    litartsri.org

    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 1 min
  • Saving Seeds: Bartram's Franklin Tree
    Oct 7 2024

    John Bartram was a Quaker farmer near Philadelphia in the mid 18th century. So how did he become North America's first great botanist? And how did he and his son William find themselves in the wilds of southeastern Georgia, fighting off rain, hunger and mosquitos, in order to find the rare and beautiful Franklin Tree (Franklinia alatamaha)? Come hear the story about why this tree at Bartram's Garden symbolizes the spirit of science and discovery.

    Guest
    Tom Reber
    Director of Landscape and Facilities
    Bartram's Garden
    Philadelphia, PA

    Readers
    Nigel Holmes
    Mike Savard
    Mike Sweney
    Josh Abrams

    Harpsichord Music performed by Miyuke Tsurutani
    "The Saint Catherine," John Barrett
    "Saraband," John Barrett
    "Hornpipe," Henry Purcell
    "Ground," John Blow

    References
    "The Life and Travels of John Bartram: From Lake Ontario to the River St. John," by Edmund Berkeley and Dorothy Smith Berkeley. University Press of Florida, 1982.

    "The Correspondence of John Bartram, 1734 - 1777," edited by Edmund Berkeley and Dorothy Smith Berkeley. University Press of Florida, 1992.

    "Franklinia alatamaha, A History of That 'Very Curious' Shrub," by Joel Fry. Bartram's Broadside, Winter 2000.

    Theme Music
    Diccon Lee, www.deeleetree.com

    Artwork
    Dahn Hiuni, www.dahnhiuni.com/home

    Website
    thisoldtree.show
    Transcripts available.

    Follow on
    Facebook or Instagram

    We want to hear about the favorite tree in your life! To submit a ~3 or 4 minute audio story for consideration for an upcoming episode of "Tree Story Shorts" on This Old Tree, record the story on your phone’s voice memo app and email to:
    doug@thisoldtree.net

    This episode was written in part at LitArts RI, a community organization and co-working space that supports Rhode Island's creators.
    litartsri.org

    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 3 mins
  • The Tree That Owns Itself
    Apr 28 2024

    Legend has it that Col. William H. Jackson of Athens, Georgia loved his old white oak tree very much. So much, that he created a deed for the tree and the land immediately surrounding it, giving ownership unto itself. Could it be possible? Who owns a tree?

    The answers aren't always as simple as they may appear.

    Guests
    Mateo Fennell
    Community Forestry Coordinator
    Athens-Clarke County Unified Government
    Athens, GA
    https://www.accgov.com/274/Community-Forestry

    James Komen
    Consulting Arborist and Attorney
    Los Angeles, CA
    https://www.jameskomen.com/

    Pat McAlexander
    Author, Retired Professor, and Neighbor of The Tree That Owns Itself
    University of Georgia
    Athens, GA

    Music
    "It's Fun Being a Cat," Ziv Grinberg

    Theme Music
    Diccon Lee, www.deeleetree.com

    Artwork
    Dahn Hiuni, www.dahnhiuni.com/home

    Website
    thisoldtree.show
    Transcripts available.

    Follow on
    Facebook or Instagram

    We want to hear about the favorite tree in your life! To submit a ~3 or 4 minute audio story for consideration for an upcoming episode of "Tree Story Shorts" on This Old Tree, record the story on your phone’s voice memo app and email to:
    doug@thisoldtree.net

    This episode was written in part at LitArts RI, a community organization and co-working space that supports Rhode Island's creators.
    litartsri.org

    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 2 mins

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