I decided to run over to the local community park to check on one of my windmills that I donated back in August. I should have come sooner. I knew a week after we planted this fella that there was going to be problems as the first incident occurred when the sprinkler head next to the palms shot away most of the dirt leaving the rootball totally exposed.

This is what it looked like when I got there.

Problem 1: They kept cutting off fronds. When it was freezing and the fronds "curled up" they thought those that curled were dead and they cut them off. Now this guy has lost most of its ability to make energy.

Problem 2: While the picture below shows that I pushed the mulch back and down-when I got there, it was mulched about a foot and a half above the dirt line. I think, this is what lead to all the problems.

So I'm not recording this situation as a victory to Mother Nature. This is due to human error-ultimately I must take the blame for not checking in on them earlier.

The Windmill will live but it will take awhile for it to look nice again.