Sad, sad news today. Tonight I found out through social media that Cass Turnbull has passed away suddenly. While vacationing in Hawaii with her husband, she left the water after a swim and suffered a heart attack. That’s how quickly things can change.
Cass Turnbull was the founder and director of PlantAmnesty, working to end the senseless torture and mutilation of shrubs and trees. The title says it all. People do all sorts of crazy stuff to their plants and Plant Amnesty worked hard to educate the public.
Seminar in Vancouver
Years ago I had the pleasure of attending one of her presentations. It was called “Pruning difficult plants.” It was extremely informative. I especially recall the discussion of pruning mature rhododendrons. It’s always a nasty job.
I remember I disagreed with Cass on shearing Abelias. Not because she was wrong. Shearing Abelias into balls gets old because it has to be done over and over. My problem was the setting. I work on strata properties (multi-family complexes) and letting Abelias go with only minor hand-pruning is not an option. Space is limited. Someone is bound to complain. Confession: I secretly enjoy shearing Abelias because they are soft and fly off my blades nicely.
My one regret was not having cash in my wallet. Cass had her books for sale at the seminar. My debit card was useless.
If you visit the Plant Amnesty website you will see what a great resource it is. Cass’s work inspired me in 2015.
Crazy tree pruning job
Called by the owner to her Coquitlam home, I expected a normal tree pruning job. For a decent fee. I was wrong. The lady wanted her tree cut back by 50%. She showed me one in the back. It was turned into a stumpy hanger for bird feeders. Ugly and unnatural. Best to remove the trees.
Then the lady asked for a senior’s discount. Unbelievable. Extra money is always good with two kids at home, but the ISA makes arborists sign a code of conduct. This project was dumb. So I passed on it. She got it done anyway. See picture below.
The Pacific Northwest has lost a great green professional. Rest in peace Cass.
