On April 1, 2023, we lost our Amur maple due to irreparable damage from a heavy snowstorm. I was sad. But there was no saving it. The tree was removed, and the stump was ground out.
Later that season a small red maple was planted to replace it. I was, admittedly, astonished at how small it was. But it has survived two winters and this morning we realized the cardinals now approve. (The robins must have set the way 😉)
In a recent post I shared a volunteer opportunity that came up through work, and one I still REALLY want to do, but is quite a distance to drive.
Something else came up last week as well.
I have a friend who regularly invites me to historic site events, and I finally went to one this week. The lure was a presentation of historic pictures of local sites.
I knew the event was part of a historical society meeting, and I knew there were probably volunteer opportunities. I say I “finally” went, because it was a “peace with this decision” moment.
We have done historic reenacting, with our kids, albeit a different era than this local site, have travelled around to some very serious reenactments – ones where a camp inventory with pictures is required to apply to stay in camp. We have toured historic homes and of course, sites. We have toured and camped as participants, in our tipi, cut our own tipi poles, my husband peeled them by hand, and I used the bark in my garden for mulch. Later we changed to a wall tent, and, truth be told, we still have it. Haven’t used it in over 10 years, but we’re hoping to do it again, someday. And in my office still sits my camp kitchen – that I bought at a reenactment and took home and sanded and poly-d and will not let my husband bring up north, yet. Memories. I feel so good being outside at historic sites. I am not sure what it is, but IT IS. But I was not sure I was ready to jump back in, yet.
I was looking for “something bigger garden”, but not necessarily connected to historic. And, of course, at the meeting a call went out for garden volunteers.
I am proud of myself. I did not sign up to be a member right at the meeting. I took overnight to soul search, because I knew I would dive deep. At the end of the next day, after work, I filled out my form and brought my dues over to my friend. It was a happy moment. I am approaching it respectfully, thoughtfully, and very excitedly.
I am not really a serious historic food gardener. EATING, oh yah! Fry bread, yes please! But they do have other gardens – even a “rain garden”. Yes, I too immediately thought, “Were rain gardens a thing in the mid-1800s?” I looked it up. They officially became a thing in the early 1990s. Not 1890s, but that is still super cool they have one. When a tree fails after an ice and snow storm, as the Amur maple out in the front of our townhome did, and as two historic trees at that site did, (same storm), you don’t get out your hand saw and then haul the fallen trees away in a horse cart. So a rain garden benefits the site, is an awesome solution to purify water runoff, and no one is “tending” the rain garden right now (I am told). So there is that. I need to sit with the garden committee and see if there is any documentation on the history, what is in there … so I can do it justice.
Additionally, and not any less anticipated, will be more dedicated garden time at another historic site – the historic cemetery I have mentioned in some of my posts. My husband and I have both been there a number of times to visit events. That was the site that had the goats in the woods a couple years ago. And when we came into a bunch of daffodils and other bulbs a couple years ago that a new neighbor of our son and daughter-in-law was digging out, those bulbs went to the cemetery. We have been there clearing branches, resetting pavers … It is a GOOD place.
Today I went over to the cemetery with new eyes. What could be done there with my surplus plants, seedlings, fall divisions? For sure, my friend already said the tulips from the blog a couple days ago. And we have been talking about what to do with the area between the retaining wall and the fence. I thought it was a planter. It is not. So it will be safe for daylily planting. Maybe a daylily seedling trial? My mind is full of ideas for that site, and I know I can do those things with much less research, right away.
So a good development. A long available set of options, but now in its time. The scope is right, and the commitment is right-sized and a match with the full “me”.
And it is sooooo keeping my mind off having the front Amur maple tree gone 😔
The winner of the first “green” spotted in the gardens at the townhouse is …
a sedum!
More to come.
70s ahead.
The amur maple and broken off limb are still sitting in the front yard 😂 The birds and squirrels have been seen sitting around the broken off branch – easy seed eatings, right?
A volunteer opportunity came along today, for the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. (Angels sing)
Sooooooo tempted!!! It is even one of those opportunities where I can use my 16 hours of paid volunteer time through work! (That’s how I heard about it 🙂 ) The date listed right now is smack dab in the middle of a busy work week next week though. Still sooooo tempted. To be even a tiny part of that glorious place and love on the plants and be around others who love it and share and learn from and with them? (angels sing again!) Please believe me when I say I love and have loved that place since the kids were very young and we lived 10 minutes away and took them there to exhaust them – lol. Work events there, church events there, anniversaries there. And oh how it has grown! Contemplating. Seriously contemplating. Last time we were there I was actually jealous of the people weeding and working with the plants! It is just quite a drive now to get there. But still contemplating.
Did I say I am SERIOUSLY contemplating? Maybe a Saturday thing.
The amur maple out front was heavily damaged in Friday night’s ice and snow storm. In addition to the large limb that fully broke off, another large limb twisted and cracked lengthwise and is now just hanging there. It looks so sad 😔
I cannot imagine the tree cleanup crew that is coming this week will be able to save it. My guess is it has reached it’s tree lifespan.
Fun memories. Awesome bloom scent in the spring and gorgeous color in the fall.
We had a big snow storm come through last night with very heavy snow. I was up late and actually heard the branch on the bottom go. Thinking it is a 50/50 chance the other damage snaps back. We shall see.
It is Amur Maple seed time. The squirrels are going bonkers. The seeds are all over the sidewalk and the lawn. Can’t say I mind. Aren’t those colors gorgeous?
I hope the squirrels eat a lot!!! Come spring, they are all over in the rock as little tiny forests of germinated baby Amur Maple seeds. They are, indeed, invasive.
We have three types of trees by us at the townhouse – a pine of some variety, a linden, and an amur maple. The pine just got done shedding it’s covering on the new needles and we can see the new growth easily.
That is always neat. Within a few weeks it will become the color of the other needles.
The linden is also sporting lighter colored leaves and the beginning of it’s flower buds. That is also cool to see. We enjoy it for that short time because it seems that soon after the linden flowers, the Japanese beetles arive. Uggghhh. We do have a service that sprays, but it is only effective for a while, and it seems the spray can no longer reach the top of the tree. Poor tree 😦
The Amur Maple is now blooming. Oh my gosh! I wish I could bottle that scent! So awesome!
The buckets and plant pots that protected the daylilies, hostas, and sedum during the roofing project are off, but will have one more appearance in the next couple weeks when the gutter and fascia work is going on.
After that very long, hard to wait but dreading the potential collateral damage May, it was great to get back in the garden.
First up was removing the remainder of the tree seedlings. That got done yesterday. The total of buckets this year was down from the past few years – 5, compared to the usual 7. Hurray!
Then the pollinator created, harvested daylily seeds from 2021 finally got planted. Another post on that coming soon.
The sunflower seedlings also all got pulled. They were an experiment, but the rolling roofing dumpster made that decision for me. My husband was very happy – hahaha!!!
Today my thoughts turned to the front entry garden. It needs love.
One of the Blue Mouse Ears hostas out back also got a little smooshed with the roofing project. That was ok because it needed to be divided anyway, and the flowers get hit by the sprinkler, so moving the whole plant is probably a good idea. Blue Mouse Ears are the perfect size for the entryway area, and with dappled sun due to the Amur Maple they will look great for years to come. That area also had the remnant of a Rainforest Sunrise hosta I mostly moved up north, but it got a bit smooshed too so this will not be it’s shining year. I had to cut away the smooshed leaves. No worries, it will pop back next year. But besides a center hosta and the few Blue Mouse Ears divisions, and the low growing sedum, what to put in that area for color? No to annuals I think. Daily watering – ugghhh. That is for bird baths – haha! No to sedum divisions – the two low growing sedum are enough. Asian lilies seem to die out there, and the stems are not great after bloom either. They require layering to cover those up. So it may be daylilies. I am concerned about the dappled sun, but maybe. Still contemplating.
Finally, the center of one of the back garden areas was pretty bare. Plenty of baby forget-me-nots that will bloom next year, but it needs something additional. I pulled a nice daylily from there to go up north last year, and right afterward I saw how bare that area was and regretted it. Bummer. So that area needs love. But low investment. Trying out the green shamrock. Not sure. Might need a trip to the garden store.
So that was the weekend garden fun. Super enjoyed it.
At the little house up north we have an Amur Maple. I’d know them anywhere. The blooms in spring are delightful. I wish I could bottle that scent! The color is magnificent in fall. And they throw seeds like crazy. Which is why I have a mixed relationship with the Amur Maple in our front yard at the townhouse https://susansdailygarden.wordpress.com/2020/05/24/bonus-free-nail-filing/
I had plans to cut down the Amur Maple in our back yard. It looks like it has seen better days. It is lopsided, and looks more like a bush than a tree.
I don’t know. How much trouble can a lopsided bush sized sweet spring flowering tree cause? Maybe I can trim it. Maybe the seedlings will not be an issue in the spring because our lawn is old and sports lots of different volunteers. Maybe seedlings will not be an issue because there is no garden back there. Wait! Will there not be a garden back there?
It appears the Amur Maple shrub tree will survive one more year. I need to do more research & analysis.
I would know them anywhere. Their spring flowers have a delicious scent, and their fall seed pods are beautiful. They are also invasive. The seeds, if they don’t get eaten by the squirrels, sprout seedlings each spring by the hundreds, maybe thousands – not kidding. I pluck them out of the gardens by hand each year. Each year there are 7+ buckets. Hours of work.
We have the one at the townhouse, and … we have an Amur Maple at the little reno house up north.
What to do? I think it needs to go. It is scrubby, about 4′ tall, and leans like crazy. Nevertheless, I will be sad on removal day.
The replacement will be birch transplants. MUCH more manageable.
Susan's Daily Garden 