“It looks very bare” said my aunt when she first viewed our four acre property. Though we had a surplus of out-buildings, trees were practically non-existent. A few scrawny 20 foot cedars grew to the west of the house and they kept company with four sad lonely maple trees. Besides seven out-buildings and the house, all we really had were fields of grass.
That first spring, with the help of a close friend, the three of us planted 600 spindly little 6 inch trees. We planted the trees about 4 to 6 feet apart as we’d been assured that most would not survive the year. The following year we planted another 400 evergreen seedlings on the east and west sides of the property as wind buffers.
Now 12 years later, we can tell you with confidence that the predications on tree survival were wrong. Most of the trees survived. There is now a small forest in the northeast corner of our property, which is flanked by small evergreens to the east and to the west.
For the last couple of years now we have been cutting our evergreens and have used them as Christmas trees and decorations. Throughout the year, we trim the trees using our hedge trimmer. Trimming them makes the trees bushier and more compact. Its also a way to keep the trees down to a useable size, as trimming tends to cut back on the tree height. Outside the trees always seem to look small and narrow. Once we bring our chosen tree in, it is usually much wider and taller than it seemed to be outdoors. Branches for the stairwell and mantel are cut from low hanging pine branches. You cannot beat the price of using your own trees. Our trees are also super fresh; as they’re only cut on the day we plan to use them. Better yet, we can regularly replant little seedlings, insuring an almost free supply of trees for years to come.
Happy New Year to one and all!