Trees

Pine Trees, planted 1989

We planted three pine trees in 1989 as a screen in our side yard.  When Julia was in first grade, she brought home a pine seedling that she got at school for Earth Day. We planted it near the other three, just a tiny plant, and now all four trees are the same size, over 30 feet tall!

Zelkova, planted 1991

Smoketree, planted 1993

We first admired smoketrees at Lake Chautauqua, where Tom and Evie had a green one in their yard. This is a purple one, variety "Royal Purple." In late summer it gets masses of tiny blossoms that from a distance look like smoke.

Kousa Dogwood, planted 1991

The Kousa dogwood is stronger than the native dogwood. It is covered in white flowers in spring, which then turn into the berries pictured above. In the fall, the berries turn red.

Styrax, planted 1991

Japanese Maple, planted 1993

The father of our neighbor behind us gave me this tree in 1993. It was about a foot tall, and was a seedling from a Japanese Maple that he had in his yard and he said it was very valuable. He was a Korean man, and a serious gardener, so I was sure it was a special variety and worth taking care of. I first planted it in a garden for a year or so until it was a little taller, then we transplanted it to the corner of our deck in the backyard. It has proved to be a beautiful tree, a lovely shape, and has grown to be a perfect tree to shade our deck. It is one of my favorites, because of its history.

Redbud, planted 1989

This is a seedling of the first tree we planted after we moved into our house in 1989. I bought it from Meadows Farms for $12.49! The original is still alive and well and well worth $12.49!