Three Little Trees

Another cold weekend. Snow. Sleet. Hail.

Not kidding.

Thanks to craigslist, we found a new home for the clay and rocks in the back of Ken's truck leftover from when we did the driveway. I am so happy it is gone. This weekend I also got to go to a few nurseries and walk around... two jackets, gloves, hood over my head with a cup of hot coffee. Even though it was bitter cold, spring is approaching so bare root trees are still available and discounted.

I bought three trees this weekend. Grand total $45.

My new friends are:

Coral Bark Maple
I love this tree. Bright stunning red bark in the winter. Chartreuse leaves in spring. Lush green leaves in summer. Bright orange foliage in fall. A four season tree. It gets 15-25 feet tall. I bought a little one (maybe a foot or two in a gallon container). I planted it in the front yard so we'll see it everyday -- even when it's gloomy. Plus, in time it will provide some nice shade for our front porch which gets plenty of sun. I can't wait for him to grow up. Apparently they grow pretty fast when they're young and then they slow down when they get older. Perfect since the 5 gallon size was $40 and the 10 gallon size was $175! Score!

Dwarf Asian Pear
Oh sweet little thing. It gets between 5-10 feet tall. Plus, it has 5 varieties grafted onto the dwarf rootstock so it will produce different types of pears from the same tree. I am excited. All grafts are blooming profusely right now. It is planted where the tomatoes where last year -- the bed near the deck and garage. I can't remember all of the varieties but I know one is Anjou.

Semi-Dwarf Apple Tree
For as much as I love my pear tree, Ken wanted an apple, which is probably how I convinced him to allow the pear tree in the yard (when he heard an apple tree was coming home with it). Like the pear tree, the apple tree has 5 varieties grafted onto the rootstock. It's a semi-dwarf variety, so it will get between 15-30 feet. It is planted in the backyard and will provide some much needed shade in the summer months... not to mention apples! The varieties it has are Honeycrisp, Red Gravenstein, Chehalis, Gala and Liberty. Delicious.

I am so excited for spring.