trees

It finally feels like spring!! I love it, I love it, I love it! The weather has been so nice I have actually *wanted* to work in the yard.

What I am focused on right now are trees.  I love trees.  People have been know to call me a tree hugger.  I love the way trees look, the privacy they create, and the shade that lowers my power bill in the summer.  I live in the woods, and I like it that way.  I don't want to see my neighbors, and I like love that you can't see my house when you drive down the road.  BUT I also like to be able to sit on my porch and actually see the pond in front of my house.  AND little trees don't become big trees unless they have room to grow.

So in that spirit, I'm on a tree kick. Last year my mom and I cut down some underbrush, and you can actually see the pond.  So far this year I've cut out saplings around the evergreens in my side yard, and I took my neighbors up on their offer to cut down a few trees to expand the work mom and I had done in the main section.  The trees we cut were less than 4" in diameter,  but it was a dense area, and it made a big difference.   (And I'm kind of freaking out.  I mean, I'm bad about not cutting my hair, and it grows back pretty fast.  Trees on the other hand, well, they're a little different.)  I'm leaving the big trees, the dogwoods, evergreens, & redbuds, as well as the wild azaleas, sweet shrubs, huckleberries, and other ''interesting, but not yet identified plants'.

I have cleared to the left of the line, and you can see the pond, to the right of the line, not so much. 

This ends up being a short term vs long term thing for me.  In the short term, it makes it easier to see my house from the road (-), in the long run, I will have bigger, healthier trees to provide some privacy (+).   There was a little bit of shock when we finished the first section this year, but it's going to be worth it.

And this is how I know it will be worth it.  I have this great magnolia in my front yard.  When I first moved in, it was tall, but it was also very skinny.   We cut down about 30 small trees to give myself a front yard instead of front woods.  The magnolia has started to fill out, and it bloomed a lot more last year.  A little more sun, and a lot less competition for moisture, did a lot of good for a tree that will give me a lot of shade and privacy down the road. Here's hoping the same holds true for the rest of my front yard.