Put a Little Light on the Subject

Every spring I can hardly wait to sink my hands into the earth in the hopes of expanding the lush gardens that surround my center hall colonial home. I love shopping the garden supply center and carefully choosing the perfect annuals to plant in the pots that drink up the sun on my deck.

In years past, no matter what I tried, my front landscaping never looked as lush as I'd like. But as May started unfolding, so too did the brilliantly purple flowers on my gracious Azaleas, the grass seemed more vivid and the Barberry bushes were brilliant. The second week I noticed the flowers were even more hardy on the Dogwood, the Box Woods seemed to stand stronger, the Japanese Maple seemed sturdier. Why was my yard blooming better than ever?

And then it dawned on me. After the very last winter storm we had a specialist examine the trees around our property. After testing them they recommended taking down 2 large Oaks, 20-30 feet each in the front yard. The results showed they were no longer healthy and could potentially come down during another storm. For protection measures we had them removed. I never gave it a second thought. However, in their absence the plantings are now bathed in sun light and they are all much happier than they have ever been.

Lessons Learned-
1. Make sure the plants that flower are getting the necessary sunlight they need.

2. Get your trees checked every year or 2- especially those that stand close to your home.