New Trees.

4-22-16 SHORT HILLS: Yesterday was a new tree day. I went to the Farm in Green Village early and picked five trees to go in the space opened up by the removal of the huge, dying ash tree. I posted the dis-assembly of that tree last fall. In season the canopy cover of this yard was extensive, making it hard to add a new tree that wasn’t happy with an understory existence. But now there is a lot of sun in this corner.

They are all good sized trees with big root balls, so I had them delivered. When Judy saw the trees, she said, correctly, that planting them was too big a job for me. We had the delivery guys do the work, which was especially hard because of the huge roots the ash tree left behind had to be cut out of each hole.

That corner of the yard was where we lost two big spruce trees a few years ago. I had started an allée of cherry trees at that time with six trees, three Kwanzan and three Yoshino trees.

I extended the allée pathway, and added the five new trees.

I know you’re on the edge of your seat—the five are—two flowering pear, Pyrus calleryana 'Chanticleer', one each of Japanese snowbell, Styrax japonicus, Stewartia pseudocamellia, royal burgundy cherry, Prunus serrulata 'Royal Burgundy'.

Today I cleaned up the work site and began to worry about their survival as a new parent.

New blooms: azalea, redbud, boxwood.


Redbud tree. There are thousands of these tiny orchid-like flowers all growing next to the bark on tiny stems.