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FeedTree Torture
If there’s one defining quality that sets me apart it’s that I’m horribly indecisive. Big decisions. Little decisions. It takes me awhile to make them all. My latest obsession is choosing a small tree for our front yard. (To give you an idea of how far behind I am, I had planned to choose a tree and plant it in the spring. Now it’s officially fall.) There’s a lot to consider here: shape, size, fruit, flower color, and, of course, I don’t want anything that’s too messy or has even the slightest chance of dying.
The one benefit to taking so long to make a bloody decision is that I can now sign up for tree expert extraordinaire Michael Dirr’s lecture on all things tree when visits Blithewold on Monday. (He’s the guy who wrote The Manual of Woody Plants and Dirr's Hardy Trees and Shrubs.) After the lecture, Dirr will lead a tree identification tour through Blithewold’s gorgeous grounds.
If I still can’t decide on a tree after Monday, I’m in luck. We’ll be publishing a piece come spring on a dozen trees perfect for the front yard. My only issue? Twelve is still a lot to choose from.
Here’s the info on Dirr’s day at Blithewold.
Reader Comments:
The front of our house faces West, the long way. Thinking about future shade, we chose two Tulip Poplar trees. These trees grow rapidly, have nice yellow flowers, a distinctive leaf shape, and are native to the US.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulip_Poplar