Sunflower Blog

Earth Day

Finally I have done good for earth day. I may have been off a few days, but I planted almost a dozen trees.

The trees came from the National Arbor Foundation, gratis with a yearly membership payment. Luckily, the postman caught me outside on the day they were delivered. They arrived in a lare white rectangular plastic shipping envelope. The package wouldn't have fit in the mailbox, and even April sun is scorching enough to bake if you're inside a metal mailbox. So the trees arrived on a timely basis, and in fine form.

Of course, trees don't come full size. They are very small--the largest at 8-10 inches, with a diameter about half the size of a pencil--about the size of the lead in the pencil. About 4 inches of root grows out one end, and the other looks like dead limb. With a little bit of damp clay soil, and a few twist ties, it is difficult to imagine how these will grow into trees. Takes time. Lots of water. TLC.

Crepe Myrtle, pink and white dogwoods, and pear trees all look the same when they're young. I'm not sure what I planted where, as the twiglets weren't marked by name. I laid the plants on the new emerging grass and leaf matter while I dug many little holes in the flower bed. My dogs are presently suspect as baby tree thieves, because I didn't dig twelve holes when I finished planting from the little pile.

I have a first year pecan tree with four leaves growing in the front yard. My new Arbor Foundation trees are in the back yard, waiting for enough time and water to get over planting shock and grow some green of their own. Watching them come into their own will be a rewarding experience.

I always wanted to contribute at least a tree a year to the environment. When I moved into the house, I finally got the ground to do it. Planting trees is one little thing I can do to leave the world better than I found it, and it's something everyone can do. Wish me some rain, will 'ya?

Plant on.