Shortly after we got married, I made it a point to get rid of some trees that were planted too close to the house and around the property. There were a hodgepodge of plants and trees everywhere. It was nice, but our home was devoid of any color besides green. All the plants in the area are pretty much the same, so it’s a bit boring.
Wanting to introduce some color into the neighborhood, I hired a tree maintenance company to come by and remove a bunch of trees and shrubs. The removal of a young pepper tree in front of my property even prompted one of my neighbors to cry. I’m not sure what people see in that tree, but it is ugly! If it weren’t for the size of the ficus tree, I’d have that behemoth removed too. Those roots are everywhere due to the poor setup of the sprinkler system. Still, it serves it’s purpose as a shade tree for now. Note that both trees are extremely invasive and not really suitable for residential planting. Oh, how I could curse the previous owners for the dumb things they did.
I ordered some bare root cherry blossom trees from a guy on eBay, since the Arbor Day Foundation won’t sell them to particular “hardiness zones.” When I got them, I soaked them in a bucket full of water and then planted them in a large pot to nurse them. They were only about 4 feet tall to start, but after three years, they are starting to grow pretty well. Here are a couple of pictures from this Spring’s bloom.
Yoshino Cherry Blossom tree branch with buds that were starting to open up. They start off as a very faint pink color and bloom into a brilliant white. When the flowers start to fade, they become pink again.
Here is a shot of a beautiful Yoshino Cherry Blossom bloom. I’ll probably cultivate it for a couple more years in the pot before I transfer it into the ground. I’ll need the time to clear out the rest of the nasty foliage around the house anyway.
Talk to me, Goose.