Singing to the Magnolia Tree

Outside My Home

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My beautiful magnolia tree was covered in glorious pink blossoms this spring but as summer progressed I saw its leaves start to blacken and curl. Looking closer I saw the tree was covered with scale, a fuzzy white sucking insect that drains the tree of its vitality. I didn’t want to use the recommended treatment; malathion is a lethal but effective chemical. There had to be another way. I went out to the tree and began to tune in, trying to set aside my heart-ache about the ravaged tree and to listen for guidance about what it needed.

Intuitively, I heard ‘rubbing alcohol’ but almost as soon as I heard that, I dismissed it. The tree was almost 30 feet tall and applying rubbing alcohol over the whole tree seemed impossible. However, when I did some research on the internet, I did find one or two people who suggested applying rubbing alcohol on the limbs, so I went to the drug store, bought three large bottles, and began sponging it onto the branches.

As I did this, I found myself drawn to softly sing to the tree. Each branch was covered with the white scale right out to the tips of the new buds, in the notches of the branches, and back to the trunk. As I hummed and sang, I realized my frustration with the bugs and my overwhelming concern for the tree abated. It’s nearly impossible to stay angry when you are singing!

Starting with the lower branches, I slowly worked my way up the tree using a step-ladder to reach the higher branches. It took many visits over several weeks to get to all the branches. Sometimes I would spend at over an hour perched in the tree, squishing the stinky, staining scale with my gloves while monitoring my attitude towards the bugs. My allegiance was with the tree, my humming songs directed to its wellbeing while keeping my heart wide open to our growing intimacy. Over time, I felt the tree welcoming me as I approached, its resilience stronger with each visit. Some might have said that I should have left well enough alone, that the bugs had a right to live too, but I chose to support and protect the tree.

The gift of this experience was a profound intimacy with the beautiful magnolia, one I could never have achieved if I’d simply sprayed it with the malathion! I watched as the furry buds began to swell, promising blossoms next spring. While I felt the tree’s gratitude, my appreciation for its presence in the garden deepened. I will never take its beauty for granted again.