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| What we imagine (heritage red oaks on SE 23rd). | What we planted. I shall learn patience. |
The Japanese Maples planted, summer 2001. Here we're harvesting Norway Maple roots. The red oak is still puny and not yet visible.
Japanese Maples with the new sidewalk. Every month I'd swear they're noticeably bigger. The mysteriously-appeared center one got almost as big as its betters.
Spring/summer 2005. This is the first year the red oak has a presence and casts some shade. It's still got a few years to go before it keeps the afternoon summer sun off the house, but it's getting there.
Two years later, not that much visible difference. The oak is taller, but still airy and giving only mottled shade. The center acer palmatum developed a split down the middle just around the time I started thinking that the original two would fill the space without its help, and leave room for a path, besides. I took it out.
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| The infant Garry Oak, its first year, with maybe 6" of growth. | Still an infant, but here it's taller than I am. The old garage behind it was torn down and replaced with a more modern and considerably less attractive one. |
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| Last year it was maybe 11', but still working on the volume. Note the Infiltrators lying in front of it. | Under the rainbow, 2004. I have to keep imagining its adult impressiveness, but that still takes some creativity. I take comfort in the fact that it should outlive us by at least a hundred years. The ladder, I'm pleased to report, found a new home through Freecycle. |
2005's growth suggesting where it's going next. I've become lazy since Doug got his digital Nikon, and am not keeping up with marking the kids' heights on the wall.