Every time I drive into town, I start to feel like an aging relative. You know the one, the aunt you don’t get to see very often but always stops by just to check in. I look at the city I grew up in and think, “Oh my! Look how you have grown!” There is always a new project: houses being built, roads widened, and sidewalk expansions. A circus of its own kind.
The Garden Corner has extensively enjoyed meeting more of our neighbors after The Corner Curves project was complete. Progress at its finest, and quite the show. I myself appreciate the smooth sidewalks as they are easier to maneuver with my stroller. Plus, the wider walkways start looking nicer the longer I follow a toddling bike with a questionable driver. The new housing units are bringing in younger families to build up our communities, only adding more young ringleaders and unstable bicyclists to our community. Improvements are imminent.
A strong feeling of progress brings a blip of pride, and yet that aging familial figure also misses parts of her spectacular travels. As the aunt surveys the performance as a whole, she starts to notice changes. The baby that once enjoyed watching leaves from the stroller now waddles her bike along sterile sidewalks. The previously shaded road through heavier-trafficked areas is a little more irritable during the rush hour commute in the blistering sun. The scenery, it is suddenly just a little more blue. It is as if all at once, she noticed just how much one particular thing is missing. Trees.
Now, not all of these missing trees are a result of industrialization or construction. Nor have they all vanished at once. The winter storms have claimed their fair share, coupled with age and disease. Even excessive size can eventually threaten an established forest. Roots can destroy piping and concrete, tall branches threaten power lines and houses. Don’t get started on the nuisances such as pollen, fruit, and leaves! There are many reasons to eliminate these silent giants.
Yet, the street looks emptier, the roads hotter, and there is just a sense of less celebration. The loss of flowering springtime blooms and burst of fiery fall foliage to signify the seasons. They say that when you cut down a tree, you should replace it with another tree. Sometimes, that effort is harder than it is worth. Fighting root systems, size constraints, and nutrient loss is just the tip of the mountain to climb. I have taken out many trees in my backyard and have yet to replace them because, let’s be honest, it is kind of a hassle. But does it have to be, and can we do better?
Our first improvement to our home was adding a Japanese maple to the front yard, one that my father picked out. A celebration of our first home, we are keeping it in a pot so we can move it with us if we ever relocate (it also helps keep it smaller!) When my daughter was born, we planted a dogwood on the other side of the yard. A tree that will grow with her. All it took was a hole and some root power. For our anniversary last year, I brought home a willow bush for my husband as a reminder of the willow we were married beneath. This year, with the birth of our second daughter, I hope to plant a sizeable maple tree in our backyard to encourage some shade and provide a sense of privacy. I am planting it this month so that it can be established before the winter freezes, and yet I do not have to worry about the heat of the summer. Plus, as a bonus, we get to enjoy the colors of fall!
These trees will take time to grow; I started small. A tree does not have to be a commitment. A tree can be trimmed, kept in a pot, or even be a large shrub (nobody will know the difference, I promise). It is just something that will give you that same heartening “look how much it’s grown!” feeling. It is something that future generations can enjoy, even if it is a future you will not be a part of. Something that will tell a story, provide a haven, and beautify the surrounding area. After all this time, something as simple as a tree can make quite a difference, and isn’t that just a circus?
