Sunday, December 30, 2007

Windbreak

When the last snow storm hit us, the blowing and drifting snow provided proof that trees planted for a windbreak really do work. You can see a large drift forming where three Arborvitae trees were lost years ago. This row of trees runs along the driveway and provides privacy as well as protection from the elements. I remember huddling close to them while waiting for the bus as a child and now my own son does the same.

Now that I am managing the property where I grew up I am having to plan the planting of new trees. It's an obsession that I enjoy very much. I learned more about trees in the past few months than I ever thought I would. This season I planted 17 trees. Next year it will be well over 100! I can hardly wait for winter to be over so I can plant all the new trees.

I look at the yard and see the twelve acres as a very large garden where I can plant to my heart's content. Finally I live where I won't run out of planting room! And I can even plant really, really big plants like trees (bonus)! I wish I could live another 100 years so I could see them all at maturity. I figure I have about 40 years left so hopefully I'll get to see them all well-grown.

Here's what I've planted this year:


  • White Pine
  • Colorado Blue Spruce
  • Pin Oak
  • Red Oak
  • Black Oak
  • Black Cherry
  • Black Tartarian Cherry
  • Yellow Buckeye
  • Sugar Maple
  • Eastern Redbud
  • White Flowering Dogwood
  • River Birch
  • Red Maple
  • Silver Maple
  • Forsythia (2)
  • Paper Birch (3)

Whew!

No comments:

Post a Comment

Thanks for your comment! I may or may not be able to reply to comments depending on how busy I am.