How I Celebrated Arbor Day

Originally I planned to post this on Arbor Day which is celebrated the last Friday in April. I celebrated Arbor Day by, appropriately, planting trees! Little did I know then that the "cold" I was suffering on Arbor Day was actually bronchitis and is the reason why this post is a little later than planned.

The first tree I planted came in a box - yes, a box!

And the label said ...

Immediately! (Which is why I was not going to let that "cold" get in my way.) The tree arrived Thursday afternoon so I unwrapped and soaked my new tree overnight in a bucket in my shed.

Nice buds!

I prepared the site with some compost and peat moss. Eventually this will be part of a new, large bed.

Say hello to my new Serviceberry tree, Amelanchier Laevis. I cannot wait to see her leaves open and hopefully, flowers next spring. I chose this tree because it is native and provides a natural food source in the form of berries for a variety of birds in this area. I am watering it with a 5 gallon bucket with holes punched in the bottom. I read somewhere that new trees and shrubs should receive 5 gallons of water every few days to establish. This way, I know I am watering sufficiently.

I also planted another Arborvitae along the drive. You can see last year's growth on the one to the right which I planted last spring. I plan to extend this bed further down the drive and plant a third Arborvitae. I think of the Arborvitaes as "posts" on my living fence and in between them, I will have some substantial perennials. They are strategically placed in front of my neighbor's windows. I chose these trees because they are a classic in this area, hardy, evergreen, provide good cover for birds, and will not outgrow this narrow space.

Along the potager (kitchen garden) I am incorporating the same concept only with Alberta Spruce - also extremely hardy. It will be nice to have some winter interest and structure. These grow very slowly. The tree circled was my Christmas tree and I tried to overwinter it. Don't do that. I now know that it is true you should not try to overwinter a tree (even though the label offered instructions). If I get another this year, the hole will be dug out and the tree planted right after Christmas. You can see how it suffered compared to the one on the right. I hope it recovers. I hope I recover ... there is so much to do in the garden and it's very difficult to "rest," but I think I am going to make it!