Having flashbacks to the last time we went through this...
http://dbgardenjournal.blogspot.com/2011/05/what-did-you-do-today.html
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTNaY4JY6fI8C9sUvOezdcN_M5cIhD1MV8qZqbF0LG8GQ5NpVK5tseFyM1UGjMRWC-79fa__WXsxAak6RbIDYwCAAmriTkLDf1-jHhrzRfbIzWU9NahDs46C2u9otcRSUPgfv-XJ7h5AiA/s1600/035.JPG
Ugh, cleaning up massive tree parts is so much physical work. Chipping them isn't much fun either. The only way out of the backyard is up a hill to make it even more frustrating. This is the last of the mess from the great tree demise. We've lost almost every mature tree on our property. When we bought the house almost three years ago, there were multiple dead ash trees on the property that had to come down. A willow went with them since it would have been crushed when the ash trees dropped. Plus, we cleaned up one of the neighbors dead trees for him. All trees were taller than houses.
Then, after that, came the first of the rotted mulberries that shaded the screen porch. My Grandpa cut that down for us and got cleaned up with the first batch. Then, the adjoining one had a major rotted juncture that busted off during heavy snow, rendering the tree unsalvageable. Down it too came and sat for over a year because it was all to recent of a memory of the amount of work it was to clean up mature trees.
Somewhere in there there was a smaller stature tree out front that was nice to look at out the window. It was probably more than 6" around. It had been staked all it's life and had black plastic over the root zone. It promptly blew over within a week of being unstaked.
That leaves us with a naked yard, and not the lovely one we bought with the house, that is for sure. The only mature trees that remain are a maple by the drive that keeps catching a leaf disease and a hawthorne tree behind the the house.
We are finally ready to deal with the last of the tree disaster and have started hauling the tree parts to the front (up the hill of course) for chipping. In the process we are also cleaning off the "high ground" near the spring to plant our fruit orchard. It is the only plantable area for trees in the backyard that don't like to be wet all the time. So this include cutting down scrubby trees and brush to be added to the mountainous chipping pile.
When all this ugly is gone, we hope to replant grass where it was lost, plant lovely erosion preventing (and deer resistant) plants near the spring on the downward slopes, and replace some of the lost trees.
Out front, where the tree blew over near the front windows is where a new Stellar Pink Dogwood will go.
Where we lost the double mulberries will be a Paperbark Maple. I would have liked a Red Maple, but they get SO tall and it's just too close to the house. Since this tree goes right near the spring, I chose something that can tolerate wet. This tree should get to 30" max so it won't overwhelm the ranch house or smash it if it were ever to blow over.
Down the hill a bit where the spring starts a mini stream across the back yard is where a multi-stemmed River Birch is going. We got a bag & burlap one so it's already taller than me.
On the other side of the spring where the ground isn't constantly wet is where the "fruit orchard" is going.
There we will relocate our raspberries and plant the following fruit tees:
- Stanley Plum
- Honeycrisp Apple
- 4-in-1 Apple (includes honeycrisp and fuji).
- Hosui Asian Pear
Other than the trees, two new blueberry varieties are arriving soon for up front. These will be high-bush, unlike the others:
Those two varieties are self-pollinating but will produce more fruit if you plant them together for cross-pollination. We also ordered two more Northcountry blueberries to replace lost plants. Northcountry has a wild blueberry flavor! Blueberries have shallow roots and easily pop out from a digging doggie. They will be fully fenced in this year!
Well, that's the tree update. I did as much research as I could to ensure the trees will thrive where they are planted, now it's time to cross my fingers and see what happens!
No comments:
Post a Comment