Thursday, June 3, 2010

A Gardening Dilemma

Most of the trees in our yard were planted long before we moved into this house some 28 years ago. In fact, over the years we have cut down quite a few.

Every year seeds are carried by the wind (and in the mouths of squirrels) and new trees sprout up. Most of them are trimmed down every time we cut the grass...














A few years ago, I planted a snow fountain cherry tree in the middle of my front yard as a centerpiece for a flower garden I was planning to create. Here is what the front garden bed looked like back in 2005. It's the tiny tree in the middle...


















The flower bed has grown - plants have been added, others divided or moved. The dilemma is that one of the (unknown) plants I have been allowing to grow in my front flower bed isn't a flower but a Horse Chestnut TREE ... that I accidentally let grow. Soon it will be taller than the weeping cherry tree nearby. In fact, their branches may entangle before long...

Should I ...
  • cut it down,?
  • attempt to move it?
  • or let it stay?

My neighbor Rob, who pointed it out to me, says it is a fine tree... with wonderful white blooms in the spring...

But... do we need another tree?!














Oh-oh! I just noticed another interesting young plant... I think it's another horse chestnut - planted by a squirrel - that is beginning to grow.














The leaves - in miniature - bear a striking resemblance to the leaves of the older tree!

Soon my flower bed may be a forest of horse chestnuts... unless I take action now!

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