MY TREES

 I have a maple tree (an Autumn Blaze) in my front yard that I had planted about 10 years ago.  About a week ago, I noticed that this tree looked strange.  

It's limbs extend about 20 feet from bottom to top.  The lower ten feet looked very normal - covered with leaves.  The upper 10 feet looked "not so good".  The upper half had almost no leaves but was covered with those whirligig seeds that maples put out.  I was very worried.  The tree was obviously under some kind of stress.

Then, last Friday I was riding through Mason and into West Chester and there were trees all over the place with the same malady.  I've never seen this before.

Well, I have no idea how it will turn out but at least I'm not alone.  Hopefully, the heavy rains we've had will cure the stress on these babies.

I'm still fighting black knot disease on a choke cherry tree that was planted at the same time.  Every year I lop off a few more limbs.  I think it's starting to look a little weak.  

The beautiful white flowering tree right in front of our house, same age as the others, looked great until the frost hit.  This week it turned an ugly brown.

Now that I think of it, my crab apple that we've had for just a year is acting a little like it is a midget -  not very much growth.  It looks healthy but very stunted.  

Two weeks ago I planted a bush-type dogwood on the north side that is good so far. I'll keep my fingers crossed.  

The huge evergreen I planted when my girls were very young (almost 50 years ago), is still going good. Sadly it loses limbs periodically to heavy snow.  

Planting trees is a sign of one's faith in the future.  You can bury my ashes in a forest.  

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