Last fall Bryce and Scott worked at removing a huge old rose bush and some other bushes that were looking pretty bad. They then planted a flowering pear and a maple tree. I watched those trees all winter long and hoped they would survive and be alive in the spring. They are. The pear flowered beautifully and the I've watched the maple fill with new little leaves from my kitchen window.
This is the pear tree, full of blossoms, with a robin sitting on it's branch in the snow on May 1.
Spring came and we found flowering pear and flowering plum trees at Costco! (For a lot cheaper than what we paid at the nursery, by the way.) We bought a bunch and spent one full Saturday planting them all. Bryce came up again and one of Scott's friends, Ryan, joined the effort.
They started to dig and about 8 inches down they hit solid granite rocks the size of their heads. The shovel just bent. They could not get anywhere with all of that rock! So, they rented an excavator. They were all very excited about getting to play on this machine. And it was the only way to dig a hole in the rock bed we live on.
They dug all the holes, planted all the trees and it all looks beautiful. They only broke three sprinkler pipes, an underground copper cable and Scott's leg (well, not broke, put a big gash in). Now we have another maple in the front and our backyard is lined with flowering pears and a flowering plum. We just have to wait around 20 years to see them grow and pretty up the yard like we hope they will.
6 comments:
Great story. It doesn't surprise me that you hit all that rock, I do remember that about Utah. Will the trees grow OK with so much rock in the ground. I love how beautiful you make your house and yard. That is my goal when we get to Georgia. Now if I could just get Steve on board.
I think you should enter the robin in the blossoming tree in the snow in a contest. That is a classic picture.
I am very excited to visit your new, planted yard and home!
Congratulations on the Granite! You must be thrilled. I love the robin picture as well. If not a contest, I think you should have it printed out and framed.
How very cool that you got to rent an excavator! And how very strange that you NEEDED one! There's a kid in our primary who, every time we ask what song he wants to sing, he tells us he wants to sing the Monster Excavator song. He made it up. Maybe he can come sing it for you next time you're planting trees. I love, love, the snowy robin in your pear tree picture.
Heavy equipment, leg gashes, digging through granite, etc.... sounds like a blast to me! Next time you should dynamite it out, that would be fun!
Strong work on the trees, it will be nice for you guys I am sure.
So cool to rent an excavator. All I get to rent are sod cutters and tillers.
R
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