Those of you who have kept up with the gardening threads may remember that I built a natural stick arbor and trellis back at the beginning of the summer. About two months ago a huge 60ft sycamore fell in my parent’s yard, and at Nashiitashii 's request, we reconstructed it with fresh long limbs, dug directly into the ground. Well after a few weeks of welcome rain, two of the supports have begun sprouting leaves. According to what I’ve read this should be impossible with this species, requiring air-layering to achieve hardwood cuttings. So do I have actual rooting going on here or what?
First of all you don’t know it rooted. it may be spouting from stored resources. I’ve had trees sprout and root that you normally don’t have it happen to. The conditions were always moist and humid when it happened. They died when the conditions changed the the roots were not big enough to support the tree in dry conditions. I make sure varieties that root easily are dead before I use them around the garden. All that said it is neat when the uncommon happens, because of ideal circumstances just occurring. Last year all my apple branch row markers rooted. I pulled them up in the summer, and some had stayed alive in the heat and drought of the summer.
From what I can find, the general rule is that this does not happen with this species. However, one account from a botany professor seems to indicate the exact opposite. He calls the American Sycamore an “idiot’s tree” and mentions that limbs of this type and size can be rooted easily over the winter. Perhaps it was the same day cut and use procedure? I don’t want to dig around the base in case they are rooting. It’d be neat to have a few little trees near the house. I just rent anyway. 
Well, this little story seems appropriate:
My ex-sister-in-law is terrible with plants. Basically, she kills any houseplant she owns. So she decided to give up on the plants, and purchased a bunch of decorative willow branches–i.e. dead sticks. They were supposed to be kept in a vase with water for some reason. Well, sure enough, one of them eventually sprouted back to life.
Poor girl. She couldn’t keep the live ones alive, and she couldn’t keep the dead ones dead.
Heh. When my parents lived in Africa they had a log fence built along one side of their property. They had the same phenomenon - the logs which had been sharpened and hammered into the ground started growing. They also had the same reaction :eek: 
Are you by any chance Joseph of Arimathea? 
Willow is on of the trees you have to make sure is dried out completely through or it will sprout. I can have a large supply of rooted tree cutting for you in two weeks. The large trees will drop limbs multiple feet in diameter and the limb will root and grow.
You sure that’s sprouting from the trellis, and not something else? I’m no expert, but from the picture you have I’d guess that you just have a grape vine climbing that piece of wood.
I have a 40 ft tall corkscrew willow in my front yard that started out as part of a flower arrangement from a florist.
I see a vine growing on it. Near the top you can see a water sprout on the stick.
I just wanted to say that I really enjoyed all your garden photos!! You have a lovely garden.
Michael Dirr claims easy dormant rooting of sycamore. May trees associated with water, such as willow and sucamore, can root quite easily. It is an advantageous skill for asexual reproduction when storms or floods can carry a ‘new you’ downstream to the next ideal site.
Nah. He’s the Pope and Tannhäuser has been forgiven. 
A Germanic opera reference. I love this site.
Update: Buds are sprouting out all over, I think I’ve probably got rooting. This might be handy if the morning glories crap out.
I do not think morning glories are capable of crapping out. However, since their seeds is viable for a decade or more, you will never be without them again.