The downed tree broke a Japanese maple to the ground, badly broke down the Gardenia jasminoides 'Radicans' along the driveway, Ilex crenata 'Helleri' by the lamp post, and Ilex verticillata (winterberry hollies) by the mailbox.  The real heartbreaker was the tree landed on one of our crepe myrtles (Lagerstroemia indica 'Near East') along the driveway.  It was SEVERELY broken and split.  I so badly wanted to save it. Even after cutting it way back, there were still deep splits down the trunk.  Ivey, my nephew who lives in San Diego, said it looked like one of the cacti they have there.  (Not a compliment!)
After living with it for almost three months, I have resigned myself that it will never be the beautiful tree it had been, and was now a screaming example of "Crepe Murder."  Tom has tuned up our chainsaw, and will cut what remains of 'Near East,' and we've called a stump grinder who will come next week.  




The skirt (for lack of a better word) which this tree has created is quite beautiful and interesting (another reason I am heartsick about losing it).  It has been photographed by some local arborists who found it fascinating as well.

In case you are wondering ... did our neighbor offer to pay for our damage?  NO!!!  Grrr...
I told Tom we just needed to let it go ... our neighbor is older, and isn't a gardener so he has no idea of what we have lost.  We just had to eat this expense ... chomp, chomp, CHOMP!