Along about this
time, a young
person's fancy
turns to love,
while mine turns to
love of planting trees.
My yard has reached
tree saturation.
Come spring, I'm
going to try to sneak in 3 small trees I've started from seed. Time these tiny
little buggers faced the outside world.
Many times I've been asked if I prefer "container balled and burlapped
or bare-root trees." Hands down, I prefer the bare-root but I have
planted many a tree from a pot. After three years of growth, compare
the two. Usually the bare-root will be more stable ..... IF the tree has
had proper early structural pruning. A deep strong taproot with one
central leader is what we are aiming for.
So many people plant a tree and if green leaves appear, they forget
about it. Don't do that. Plant it, prune it, water it, feed it, love it.
You'll be amazed at the true love-affair one can have with a tree.
Adios dear bloggy friends.
Another thing about planting trees is preparing a proper hole for it; making it deep and wide enough, giving it good soil and watering it regularly until it's established.
ReplyDeleteBish
ReplyDeleteSo right you are! I've found that trying to tell a handi-man how to plant a tree is more work than digging the hole myself. Last year, I was weary of digging and had the handi person do it and i stood over him all the way. I told him to leave a shallow indentation to the top fill for the water and walked away. When I returned, the soil was sloped up toward the trunk. I've learned, have someone dig the hole but do the actual planting yourself. Haha
I have little doubt the love affair one can have with trees. Ours are my most favorite things about where we live now. I fall in love with them every single summer and Fall, all over again, every single season.
ReplyDeleteGood luck to you and the new trees when Spring rolls around. :)
Rosey
DeleteI'm so happy you enjoy your trees. I wish every person could have at least one love affair with a tree. Just one single tree. What a beautiful world this would be.
I can't wait to see what they look like in the spring. I bet they will be a beautiful sea of green :)
ReplyDeleteKeith
DeleteAhhh, spring is the time we all live for but the winter is time to read seed catalogues and order and plan for the spring season. The husand of a friend of mine who loves gardening as much as I do, asked us what we do in the winter. We both answered at once..... "Plan for spring."
The trees in the yard sure are a sight
ReplyDeleteHoly Ghost
DeleteTrees are so beautiful and add cooling in the heat of summer, a place for the birds to seek shelter and purifies our air.
I have never planted a tree. I know I know I know. However, I am thinking of doing it soon. I really want an avocado tree. That will mean buying one already in a pot. Don't be surprised if I email you for tips on getting the job done right...
ReplyDeleteRobin
DeleteAsk away. I would be honored to hep you plant a tree.
I'm rubbish at pruning and dead-heading anything but I know they totally help the plant thrive!! Yay for planting lovely trees! Take care
ReplyDeletex
Old Kitty
DeleteWe can't like everything about gardening. I love pruning and cleaning up old bushes but I'm not so fond of hoeing. Ho ho ho
Hi Manzi! Nice to see you here today. Who knew that you had a love affair with trees?! Your secret is now out. We must have around 50 assorted trees in our garden, which is quite large. My favourite time of the year for them is early spring when the leaves look so fresh and such a lovely green. Hope you're keeping warm over there.
ReplyDeletethisisme
DeleteNice to hear from you. You have one of the beautiful gardens I've ever seen. It is so large too. You must have to have professional help come in with all those threes to care for. Sometime I have someone mow but I guess I'm too picky with the edging so I do the rest myself. Yours is so vast but lovely, lovely lovely.
We planted some way back when we lived on 100+ acres, always climbed them and had fun, never fell either, score one for me. Living in concrete land now though blah
ReplyDeletePat
DeleteI bet you loved living on 100 A. Like Poo Bear. Haha The asphalt jungle can't compare, can it?
When we bought our house (50+ years ago) a friend gave us a flowering pear tree as a housewarming gift. The nursery gave me 50/50 odds that it would survive where we planted it. It was--& STILL is--gorgeous!!
ReplyDeleteFishducky
DeleteIt knew you loved it. LOL
our trees are growing very well, they didn't seem to for the first 5 years but ever since then they are just shooting up! It is great.
ReplyDeletePoke the rock
DeleteYou have to live long to see your trees mature. One downer. Ha
Container balled or bare root?
ReplyDeleteSounds like tree porn.
Al
DeleteI never quite thought of it that way, but I knew you'd point that out to me. LOL
I aim for the lowest common denominator. I'm immature that way.
DeleteAl
DeleteActually, don't we always aim for the lowest common denominator????
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteSadly, I am of the "Ok I planted you, now it is up to you." type of tree planter though I am a conscientious hole digger. So far my trees have done well in spite of my neglect though I am sure they wish I would move and someone like you would buy the place.
ReplyDeletePatti
DeleteTrees certainly do OK on their own in the wild and always have and always will so don't beat yourself up over the fact of letting them fend for themselves. I've had my share of trees bite the dust.
I need to start planting some trees too... The last place I lived in, I planted all these fruit trees... then Dennis decided to move and there when all my fruit trees. Can't wait to see your yard
ReplyDeleteI am getting Dennis all healed up so we can make it out there.
Terry
DeleteI always plant a lot of trees too, but have moved many times during my life and It's always the trees I cry about when I have to leave. When I die, I hope anyone who loves me, plants a tree in my honor.
Sorry I couldn't talk. I've been wanting to see how Dennis is but I was opening the door for Bob as the phone rang. Please call again when you have a break.
I have been praying over my two 3yr. old lilac bushes. One produced blooms in 2011, but nothing since. We are having a horribly warm winter (even for San Diego) and no rain.
ReplyDeleteBare roots are the best, absolutely.
Susan
DeleteSo sorry about your lilac bushes. There are so many undetermined factors NOW that we never had years ago. So many chemicals floating around in the air and the poor living plants hate that. Maybe this is it's bloom year again.
I've never had a love affair with a tree. Probably since I've never planted one since I normally don't have a yard. However, I have had affairs with plants that I started from a seed. They are special creatures and they do notice if you neglect them and also when you nurture them. I always talk to my plants. ha. They are the only ones who listen anymore.
ReplyDeleteRubye
DeleteI know what you mean. I talk to everything growing in my yard. Crazy as I seem. One year I had a festation of many strange bugs so I donated a small portion of garden to them and let the weeds go crazy and told them to move there. I swear, they did and left my garden alone. A co-ink-e-dink, I'm sure BUT.........
I have a love affair with my plants too and I'm so happy you understand. When one starts a plant or tree from seed it always seems like a miracle.
Art LOVED planting trees on our property in Illinois. It's so frustrating for him here in Hawaii because we don't have enough room for big trees. Would you believe he's now going to get into bonsai? One way or another, he's gotta have his trees.
ReplyDeleteKay
DeleteOh, raising bonsai is a marvelous hobby. I've always read about it but never tried it. The perfect hobby for people with a small yard. Keep us informed in your posts.
The mid-west has marvelous rich black soil for crops and gardens. I grew up in MN and I never knew one family who did not have a garden.
I will definitely report on his progress after he finishes his bonsai classes in May.
DeleteI currently have two tiny, tiny, apricot trees, no more than six inches tall which have sprouted from seeds I dropped into holes in the ground. I'd like to grow them big enough to move into half wine barrel size pots, both in the one pot to restrict the growth a bit so the trees will remain small enough for me to manage. I realise it will be years before I get fruit, but I have nothing but time and am prepared to wait. Can you give me any advice on how to keep these tiny trees going?
ReplyDeleteRiver
DeleteIf the trees grew from seeds, they have strong genes and a good will to survive. I always worry about potted trees being root-bound but even then they have a strong will to live. Last spring my neighbor (who is totally as nutty about gardening as I am) gave me a volunteer "Siberian Yellow- something" (can't remember the full name) She has a large bush of that species and I fell in love with it. I planted it with protection from the deer but then a rabbit devoured it almost to the nibs. I dug it up and planted it in a pot and put it in the little green house but moved it indoors come fall. Now it's all leafed out again but still small. and frail. I can see it will require some special care to get it hardened enough to be outdoors and on it's own. I got 2 different trees from seeds that I took in for the winter. I think they need larger pots already. I'm not too much informed about potted trees as i've just about always had plenty of land where ever I lived. I do have a book on my shelf..... title something about growing container gardens. I was going to toss it because I never grow much in pots but I'll take a look and see if it says anything about trees.
Ah, being tender with trees! That's good!
ReplyDeleteBlessings and Bear hugs!
Bear
DeleteYes, Love me tnder, little trees. Dreaming of spring, Bear.
Hi Manzanita .. if we're going to garden - do do it properly, and understand the ways of plants, trees, shrubs et al ..
ReplyDeleteLove the way you nurture things .. cheers Hilary
Hilary
DeleteThank you. I've been gardening since I could walk. I can't cook, but I can raise the veggies.
Love it, Manzi! Our avocado tree had a lot of fruit this season, so the Mama has been planting avocado seeds throughout the backyard. Between them and apricots all growing, wowza!
ReplyDeleteSu-sieee
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness, you'll have to have a booth at a farmers market, you'll have so many apricots and avocados. But, I can't think of 2 healtheir fruits to have an abundance of. Good for the Mama, planting all those trees.
I don't know which type of tree is best, but I do tend to love them all. Even if I do have allergies to so many of them!
ReplyDeleteMy neighbors think I'm nuts for all the time and energy I spend on my willow tree, but then they tell me how beautiful it is and how much they enjoy seeing it every day. ;)
Jasmine
ReplyDeleteSo glad you enjoy your willow tree. I had a small one in Bozeman but of course, had to leave it when I moved to Helena. That was a new subdivision and no trees. I planted so many tres and they were growing well as Bozeman was farming country and the soil is rich. No one planted trees or flowers and didn't water the boulevard trees. I would sneak my hose to the neighbors trees and let it trickle all night. Everyone's trees were dying and I bet hers will be dead by now too. That was the big reason I moved back to Helena. The street was so barren and ugly when I turned the corner onto my street. I was the first person in the subdivision and if I had known what kind of people would move in, I would have chosen an established neighborhood. I find it very difficult to live without trees and flowers.
I hope 2014 proves to be a good year for you and yours!
ReplyDeleteJerry
DeleteThank you for visiting and I hope the same good wishes for you in the New Year.
I understand attachment to a tree. When I was a teenager, I planted a tiny mimosa tree in the front yard, and when a huge rainstorm popped up, I stood out in the rain holding onto that tree. I was so afraid the wind and rain would be too much for it. It wasn't. That tree grew to be huge... and gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteSusan
DeleteThat is a tender story. Did you ever see the movie (kind of a B picture, I guess) The Christmas Tree with now aging Julie Harris? She took care of a certain tree all her life (as a nun) and all the care and devotion they had for each other.
Mimosa must be a southern tree and I love their lacy leaves.
No, I never saw that movie, but it sounds like something I'd enjoy.
DeleteMimosas aren't strictly a southern tree. We lived in Maryland when I was a teenager, and there were a lot of mimosas in the area... more than I see in Georgia.
Beautiful post, my dear Manzi! Yes, every single garden inhabitant needs its amount of proper care and love! To my shame, I have to confess that my indoor flowers are at their best not because but in spite of my care. :)) But they know I love them, so they keep giving new leaves and blooming, anyway. 0:) Yet, I'm getting better and better..!
ReplyDeleteAnd anything about proper pruning, disbudding and pinching seems to be such a difficult science for me! It really is?
Have a wonderful weekend ahead! Is it too cold in your place? I'm back to Moscow for some time, and it's -20C here!!!
Dear Zara
DeleteAre you going to be visiting the olympics? I can picture you in the warm classic Russian garb with your beautiful dark hair getting a little frosty. Ha
I'm sure your plants feel your love or they wouldn't thrive so well for you. The reason I learned horticulture was not really of my own choosing. My mother was neurotic about her kitchen and wouldn't let anyone near it. I never learned to cook, except what my grandmother taught me and I spent my world outdoors with my father who was a natural gardner.
It was from him that I learned to love growing plants and trees but I never learned how to cook. Oh, a little but I always hated it. Then when I went to college, my field was horticulture and I can honestly say, I never learned anything.... only chemicals. My father was my real teacher and all my life I've thanked him for that. I always cherish your posts and comments.
Dear Manzanita, I so agree with you about having a love affair with trees. While living for 32 years in a lovely, old, lumberjack home--built in 1870--in Stillwater, Minnesota, I planted several trees and watched them grow as I would a child of my delight. Watering is essential but simply talking to trees and shrubs and flowers gives them the encouragement they need to flourish. Peace.
ReplyDeleteDee
DeleteHow wonderful for you to grow up in that beautiful part of the world. Stillwater seems so special with it older buildings and history. The old house that I refer to and now live in, is around the same age as the one you refer to. It was originally built around the same time they discovered gold in Helena. There is the original log cabin under the present structure..... they just built over it.. It actually acts as a good insulation. Ha
Did you ever see the movie the Christmas tree with Julie Harris? She was a nun, older now, and tells of her life long relationship with a certain tree. Maybe you could relate to that.
Dear Manzanita, no I haven't seen that tree, but I so like Julie Harris, who, I think, is an outstanding actor, that's I'll see if I can find the movie on Netflex or at the library. Thank you for telling me about it. Peace.
DeleteUnfortunately I have no luck with plants. I think at one point I even managed to kill a bamboo plant which I got because it was supposed to be easy to care for. Good luck with your trees. I am sure they will look stunning when it starts to warm up.
ReplyDeleteLady Lilith
DeleteWouldn't it be boring if we were all interested in the exact same things? I have always hated cooking and I only eat the most simple (but healthy) food.
You have such a rich imagination and you are ready for most anything in the world.
Peace and love
What a lovely post, Manzanita.
ReplyDeleteYour post reminded me of a poem I wrote called The Salt of Wisdom.
I will let you know when it gets published.
Julia
DeleteThank you. The Salt of Wisdom....what an interesting title. Yes, let me know when it is published and you will most likely note it on your blog too.
Love and peace
That is what I miss the most about New Hampshire - trees. There is always a trade off.
ReplyDeleteJJ
DeleteMe too when I lived in Florida. I recall driving around and around trying to find a little shade from a spindly palm tree. LOL
Hi Manzanita,
ReplyDeleteYes, finally I have arrived with one of my highly anticipated comments. This was a treemendous posting. I love trees. I look after my trees and I have noticed the fruits of my labour. Some of my little trees that are still potted will be given to my friends when I sadly leave my garden for somebody else. If they wreck the garden I created, I shall be most upset.
Enjoy your Sunday. Yes, it's Sunday.
Gary :)
Gary
DeleteYou are definitely one one of the true protectors of nature and you promote the love of all that is natural. I am sad that you have to leave your garden but perhaps there will be some little piece of land for you to continue your communication with nature. All it takes is one little tree.
Thank you for your anticipated comment.
An interesting post that I enjoyed reading.
ReplyDeleteThank you. Love love, Andrew. Bye.
Andrew
ReplyDeleteThank you for the kind comment. A day of reading is a day well-spant.