Okay, okay, I confess!
I lied in my last post. We had the maple tree taken down in the front yard and I totally knew it all along.
It’s just I’m so conflicted about killing a healthy tree, even if I hated that tree. Which I did, but not in a sputtering, foaming-at-the-mouth way. More in an “I am so sick of digging up all these maple seedlings” way or an “I wish we had a smaller, prettier tree in that front bed, it would look so much nicer and maybe even hide the Airstream of Evil better” way.
So down came the maple. And now I feel like I have innocent blood on my hands.
Maybe I’d feel better if I showed you what we’re considering putting in the maple’s place.
A couple of weeks ago, you'll recall MB and I went to the garden center and came home with 26 plants. We also browsed around the trees, trying to get ideas for maple replacement. Here in Northern Virginia, crape myrtle would be an obvious choice, only we already have one (and it's much more visible now that the maple is gone). Also, I'd like something that's not quite so ubiquitous in our area. I love a good Japanese maple as much as the next person (although, MAPLE!), but everybody and his cousin Melvin has a Japanese maple.
It’s just I’m so conflicted about killing a healthy tree, even if I hated that tree. Which I did, but not in a sputtering, foaming-at-the-mouth way. More in an “I am so sick of digging up all these maple seedlings” way or an “I wish we had a smaller, prettier tree in that front bed, it would look so much nicer and maybe even hide the Airstream of Evil better” way.
So down came the maple. And now I feel like I have innocent blood on my hands.
Maybe I’d feel better if I showed you what we’re considering putting in the maple’s place.
A couple of weeks ago, you'll recall MB and I went to the garden center and came home with 26 plants. We also browsed around the trees, trying to get ideas for maple replacement. Here in Northern Virginia, crape myrtle would be an obvious choice, only we already have one (and it's much more visible now that the maple is gone). Also, I'd like something that's not quite so ubiquitous in our area. I love a good Japanese maple as much as the next person (although, MAPLE!), but everybody and his cousin Melvin has a Japanese maple.
Luckily, there are some interesting choices out there, and right now I have three top contenders: a dwarf buckeye, Styrax japonica carillon snowbell, and Chinese fringe tree. Oddly enough, when I went for a lunchtime stroll at the U.S. Botanic Gardens the other day, I encountered all three. What a coinkydink!
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| The buckeye, with fragrant red flowers. Added advantage: constant reminder of Ohio State for my Michigan-loving Mulch Boy. |
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| The Styrax japonica carillon snowbell... thing. I may not have the name exactly correct, but the flowers are lovely, and one we saw at the garden center had a weeping growth habit. So purty! |
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| Chinese fringe tree! The pictures really don't do it justice. In person, it is just amazing looking. So different, and I've never seen one in anyone's yard. |
Has anyone had any experience with any of these trees? Recommendations? Warnings? Alternatives? Help a girl out!
I do not have these trees but they all look good for spring interest already!
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