New York Renovator

Well, the trees I planted last November didn’t make it. Bummer. I got about a dozen bare root trees from the Arbor Day Foundation. They were a lovely assortment of sweet gum, white oak, beech, and maple. I did wonder if the trees would make it. For some reason, my bare roots have a very low success rate. Ten years ago I bought ten blue spruce, only to have one survive. (Well, four survived the transplanting but were eaten by deer and/or chopped up by the neighbors, grr). The five privets I planted are doing well, and the willow tree I got is doing well, too. I was really hoping to have some nice trees, though. I takes SOOO LONG before the tree is something enjoyable! Arg! The kids complain that by the time the trees are able for climbing, the kids will be too old to climb them!

Same goes for the flowers. I have good success with perennials most of the time, but they do take a long time (read: FOREVER!!) to get established before they ever produce any color. It’s so hard to be patient! That’s why I’m wondering about silk plants. I have a neighbor who has silk tulips in her flower bed! They look incredible! You’d never know they were “fake” until you actually walked up to them and touched them (I’m an expert tulip detector). They are so colorful and no one would know… plus, silk flowers in an outdoor garden would help to keep the pollen at bay. The pollen count has been terrible this year– outside, we have big puddles of yellow pollen where it has washed off the cars and trees. I’ve never seen anything like it!

I wouldn’t have a problem with silk flowers in the beds. Or even a big silk cactus or palm tree, just for kicks, in the front yard! Wouldn’t that be a conversation starter!

Today is Arbor Day! I love trees. I am grateful that I have over 1 acre of property in which to plant trees. Most of the property is LAWN and I hate it. I really dread this summer, where it will require us to spend a small fortune to mow the blasted lawn. I’ve been planting trees and building native perennial gardens a little bit every year to reduce the lawn space. I’m a member of the National Arbor Day Foundation and I get all my trees from them. I’ve acquired quite an eclectic collection of trees: Sweet Gum, Red Maple, Red Oak, White Oak, Blue Spruce, Chestnut, Willow, Mugo Pine, Scotch Pine, and all kinds of ornamentals and fruit trees. Planting trees is an excellent way to add value to your property. I’ve read the in some cases, a mature tree in the right place can add $20,000 to your property. I don’t know if that is absolutely accurate, but trees add great delight to this property owner. I love trees! The kids love them, too. They’ve helped with the planting and care (and the climbing of) our trees for several years. It’s a terrific project for kids, who are attracted to dirt. And planting trees means digging in the dirt! Fun!

Of course, not all kids have the opportunity to plant dozens of trees like we do. Here’s a cute game with real-life benefits for kids– Dizzywood. My sons LOVE computer games, but I will not allow them to play those nasty ghoulish things that blemish the gaming world. It hasn’t been easy to find games that encourage wholesome behavior for young people. Dizzywood is a real KID site– fun!

Dizzywood is a website with a special-event game that actually encourages good habits. At Dizzywood, players create their own avatars, and go on a mission to plant trees that have been destroyed by the archvillain tree-destroyer and his money-hungry minions. What’s amazing is that for every virtual tree planted in Dizzywood, a real one will be planted thanks to a partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation. Amazing! This is for a limited time, so if you want to get a forest going, you’d better get those kids in front of their computers! (By the way, Dizzywood is geared for kids ages 8-12. They have an excellent privacy policy and parental policy).

There are loads of other games at Dizzywood, too. Check it out!